Narrative

ESSAY 1: Narration – Writing from Recall

Chapter 4 will help you move through all of the steps of writing your essay, from prewriting strategies, such as brainstorming, through tips on writing for an audience, selecting a topic, and revising before you submit your paper. 

After you have read the chapter and reviewed the sample narrative pieces, check out your specific assignment below.

ASSIGNMENT: Recalling a Personal Experience

Write about an experience that changed how you acted, thought, or felt. Use your experience as a springboard for reflection. Your purpose is not merely to tell an interesting story but to show your readers—your instructor and your classmates—the importance of that experience for you.

Pick an event that is not too personal, too subjective, or too big to convey effectively to others. Something that happened to you or that you observed, an encounter with a person who greatly influenced you, a decision that you made, or a challenge that you faced will be easier to recall (and to make vivid for your readers) than an interior experience like a religious conversion or falling in love.

Some Ideas:

• Choose a person outside your immediate family who had a marked effect on your life, either good or bad.  Jot down ten details that might help a reader understand what that person was like.  Consider the person’s physical appearance, way of talking, and habits as well as any memorable incidents…Then write a portrait of that person, including the details that help explain his or her impact on you.
  

• Recall a place you were once fond of–your grandmother’s kitchen, a tree house, a library, a locker room, a vacation retreat.  If you have a photograph of the place, looking at it might jog your memory.  Write a paper that emphasizes why this place was memorable.  What made it different from every other place?  Why was it important to you?  What do you feel when you remember it?
  

• Write a paper in which you recall some traditional ceremony, ritual, or observation familiar to you (a tradition pertaining to a holiday, a rite of passage, a sporting even, or a family custom).  Explain the importance of the tradition.  How did the tradition begin?  Who takes part in it?  How has it changed through the  years?  What does it add to the lives of those who observe it?

REFER TO THE CHAPTER TO DRAFT YOUR ESSAY.
 

SUBMITTING YOUR ESSAY:
Following these directions is very important, both in terms of formatting your essay, saving it, and submitting it to me. I will return an essay if it does not adhere to the below directions.

1. You MUST use Microsoft Word* to type your draft and save with your last name and the name of the assignment, as in Smith, Essay 1.
2. Format your essay using the Modern Language Association (MLA style) for spacing, font size, etc. You can do any of the following.
   • See your text’s Appendix: Quick Format Guide.
   • View this tutorial.
   • For additional information about formatting, go to the Essay 1 area in Blackboard.

3. Submit your essay to the designated area in Blackboard–Course Menu, Upload, Essays

*I accept ONLY MS Word as that program has editing features. Do NOT send me a Google doc, share a Google doc with me, try to share a file with me via OneDrive, or save your work as a PDF or RTF file.