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The purpose of this essay is to encourage students
to
- explore the literary narrative as a significant writing form
and as a means of analyzing and recounting human experiences
with language and identity
- embrace personal authority in their writing
- develop a controlling purpose
- incorporate support for their claims by writing with attention
to description and detail
The Task
Compose a narrative about an experience in your life (or the
life of someone you know) that resulted in a recognition or new
understanding about your (or their) identity and/or relationship
with the world. Use MLA style. The final draft should be 3-5
pages long.
The situation you choose to describe may be
- A single event or conflict, such as a trip to the zoo, an
argument, or the experience described by Jewelle Gomez in "I
Lost it At the Movies" (WL, 67)
- A series of events, such as Paul Auster describes in "Why
Write?" (WL, 13)
- An ongoing situation or tension, such as a classroom setting
or the experience described by Lars Eighner in "On Dumpster
Diving" (WL, 57)
As you tell the story, "put the reader there," by
providing specific and vivid details about the plot, characters,
and setting (see ABGW, Ch. 7). Develop the theme or controlling
idea of your narrative through reflection and analysis. Support
any claims you make with specific and detailed examples from
your experience and any other sources you wish to include.
Questions to stimulate your thinking (you do not need
to "answer" all of these, nor should you feel limited
to these)
- To what extent did language and symbolic discourse (i.e.
slang, word choice, symbols, clothing/fashion, images, etc.)
play a part in the experience?
- To what extent did language and discourse contribute to the
new understanding gained?
- How did membership or non-membership in various discourse
communities shape the situation?
- How does the new understanding gained affect you (or the
main character) now?
Sample topics
- being snubbed by a friend
- facing an emergency
- overcoming a fear
- feeling like an "outsider"
- a time of mis-communication
- a time of misunderstanding
Due Dates
- Peer Reviewed Draft (posted to Discussion board in RTF format) - Wed.
5/22 (go to Peer Response Sheets
for this essay)
- Revision (posted to Discussion board in RTF format) - Mon.
6/3
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