Student's Work: Type Sketch

The type sketch below, this year's writing assignment for a satire, was written by ninth-grade, homeschooled student S.R. According to our composition textbook, "A type sketch is the opposite of a character sketch. Instead of describing a specific individual, the type sketch paints a word picture of a general type of person. Usually the best way to bring the type sketch to life is to use humor, satire, or gentle sarcasm...Usually the title of the type sketch will reveal the opinion of the author..."


The Environmentalist
At six o’clock in the morning, a red Smart Car pulls into a driveway. Its rear bumper, plastered with Obama stickers, also displays a plethora of other environmentally friendly bumper stickers: "No Tree Left Behind," "Stop Whaling," and "Hummers are Tangible Evidence of Evil." The engine stops, the door opens, and out steps the Environmentalist.

Having just returned from hanging a Greenpeace banner from a giant construction crane with some of his colleagues, the Environmentalist stands in his gravel driveway, letting the light drizzle of early morning rain fall upon his head. He wears a pair of earth-brown Birkenstocks, baggy cargo pants with pockets unbuttoned and bulging with Clif bars, and a wrinkled plaid shirt that he bought for $1.25 at his neighbor’s yard sale. A Camelback hangs from his shoulder, nearly depleted of its water supply. On his head he wears a tan hiking hat with a side-pocket for his pet gecko and an Obama button on the front.

He appears pleased as he watches the rain descend upon his vegetable garden. Three years ago he replaced his front lawn with a sustainable vegetable garden to conserve water while producing organic vegetables. Suddenly, his joyful face turns to horror as he observes his neighbor’s automatic sprinkler system emit a spray of water despite the rain. The Environmentalist storms into his house, angry over his neighbor’s wastefulness.

Once inside the kitchen, the Environmentalist says to himself, “I guess it’s left over tofu salad for breakfast, since the solar-operated stove won’t function with the cloudy weather.” Then, after having eaten breakfast, he walks downstairs to the laundry room, unloads the washer, and patiently hangs his freshly washed clothes over the door tops and shower rods throughout the house. The Environmentalist finally hops back in his Smart Car and drives off to an alternative fuels rally where he hopes to learn how to make biodiesel fuel from used vegetable oil. As he gets out of his car at the rally, he thinks to himself, “Being green may consume all my time, but, if together we can save the earth, it sure is worth it.”

— Contributed by S.R.