ENGLISH 101 ASSIGNMENT

FOR DISCUSSION A-It has been said that everyone has a story. These stories can be about anything from heart-wrenching tales of love lost to nerve-racking arguments in a grocery store parking lots.  No matter the subject matter, we tend to think that our adventures are the most enthralling events in the history of mankind…until the next big thing happens.  The assignment for this week gives you the opportunity to tell your story, to write a narrative essay about some pivotal event or moment in your life that changed you in some way or taught some valuable lesson from which you think a reader might benefit.  Before sending this story out for the world to see, it can be highly beneficial though to take a look at it before submitting it to try determine if it is really as engaging and useful as you think.

DISCUSSION A: So, for this week’s discussion, address the following questions.

· What is the topic of your essay?  Did you pick one of the essay ideas generated from your interview in the W2 discussion, or did you decide to go with something else?

· Why might the reader want to read about this topic? 

· What can or should the reader learn from your story?  Or, what is the main idea/thesis of your essay? 

· Finally, how is your narrative essay topic difficult to develop?  How is the story difficult for you to tell?  Or, is it?

This is an opportunity to really dissect what you have or are thinking about writing, so be as honest as possible with your responses.  That is the best way to help shape your narrative and the controlling idea that should be driving it. Must be 100 words!

ESSAY PART TO DISCUSSION A: Narrative Essay

This essay explores the Narrative Mode, which is perhaps the most natural style of writing for most people.

One of the goals of the narrative form is to allow readers to feel as if they are not simply reading someone else's story, but that they are somehow part of it.  Unlike simply telling a story though, a narrative essay has a specific piece of information to share, a lesson for the reader.  There should be a clear reason for your telling the story.  This is where the “essay” in the narrative essay becomes apparent.

Your assignment this week is to write such an essay. Refer back to your outline of a significant event that you wrote for W2.  Keep in mind that you are writing a story and it is important to freely tell your story.  But, this is still an academic essay.  The goal of your story is to support a clearly stated thesis/lesson for the reader.  As such, your tale should be wrapped in a clear introduction and conclusion.

Criteria

 Your essay should contain the following basic features:

·         An introduction with an attention grabbing opening (hook), a well-defined message or argument (thesis), and any background information the reader needs to fully understand your story;  

·         Body paragraphs which a tell the story of your clear and specific, singular event that illustrates the essay thesis;

·         Vivid language that works to recreate the event, including descriptions of where the event took place, the people who were involved, and the things these people said and did. Vivid language that works to recreate the event, including descriptions of where the event took place, the people who were involved, and the things these people said and did.  The Narrative and Descriptive Writing Lecture  provides information and examples about descriptive and narrative writing.

·         A conclusion that briefly implicitly or explicitly reviews your story, reiterates the lessons you learned and that you hope the reader to learn, and provides a closing thought such as

o   why this event is still personally significant,

o   the state of your life since the event and how you feel about it,

o   future plans related to the event,

o   rhetorical questions for the reader, etc.

In addition to the above, the final draft of your essay should be:

·         From 500 words in length, double-spaced, with one-inch margins.

·         Uses APA style (a title page and citations as needed which are modeled in your APA guide),

·         Written in first person;

·         Edited for spelling, mechanical, grammatical, and typing errors