What what is the rising action for the story John Sadness
by Jeffrey Thomas

 Using context and knowing affixes and root words can help readers understand texts such as The Apology by helping you understand words or what is going on in the story, personally for me it was hard to follow along because I did not understand the affixes and root words and I did not know what the story was talking about. For example, “Well as I was saying, they have hardly uttered a word, or not more than a word, of truth; but you shall hear from me the whole truth: not, however, delivered after their manner, in a set oration duly ornamented with words and phrases. No, indeed! But I shall use the words and arguments which occur to me at the moment; for I am certain that this is tight and that at my time of life I ought not to be appearing before you, O men of Athens, in the character of a juvenile orator-let no expect this of me.”  Everything but “For I am certain that this is right, and that at my time of life I ought not to be appearing before you, O men of Athens, in the character of a juvenile orator-let no one expect this of me.” Okay, with the word ‘juvenile’ I can guess that they are dealing with a bad kid and they are probably in front of a judge (in modern times)…but they are trying to decide the kid’s fate.