Dialogue and Narration. Dialogue is conversation involving two or more people or characters. Fictional works are made up of dialogue, narration, and description. In fiction, dialogue is enclosed in quotation marks and is often accompanied by tag lines—words and phrases such as he said or she replied that tell who is speaking. Narration, or narrative writing, is writing that tells a story, either true or invented, about an event or sequence of events. As you read, note who is telling the story, and identify examples of information shared through narration in the story and examples of information shared through dialogue. Use the graphic organizer below as a model for recording your answers.

• History Connection. The Great Sioux Nation originated as an alliance of seven bands—the Oceti Sakowin, or “Seven Council Fires”—that spoke three different dialects: Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota. The name Sioux, which means “little snakes,” came from the Chippewa, a nation that historically was at odds with the seven bands. The people of the Great Sioux Nation prefer to be called Dakota, Nakota, or Lakota, according to their language group.
• The Rosebud Sioux are from the Teton Lakota band of the Oceti Sakowin. They are members of the Sicangu “Burnt Thigh” tribe. The tribe’s homeland is the 950,000-acre Rosebud Indian Reservation in south-central South Dakota. The name Rosebud was linked with the tribe because of the abundance of wild rose bushes that grew in the area that became the reservation. The name Sicangu originated when a prairie fire destroyed a village. Many people saved themselves by running to a nearby lake, but even survivors suffered bad burns on their upper thighs from the flames that engulfed the tops of the long prairie grasses.

How important is ethnic heritage in forming a person’s identity?