Leslie week 4 Engl

2

Outline Grandmother

Leslie Blue

Sandhills Community College

Comp 120

Professor Cathleen Kruska

September 6, 2026

Outline

Special Occasion: Family Memorial Event Celebrating Grandmother

Specific Purpose: To educate and inspire through a personal story of the life and teachings of my grandmother regarding the values of love, remembrance and strength of character.

Thesis Statement: From the story of the wisdom of my grandmother, from the eyes which live on long past her death and through her legacy of remembrance, it can be said that love and memory never fade.

Visual Aids / Props: One rose dried within an old book; a picture of Grandmother.

Stage Directions: Smile gently, look into the eyes of the crowd, hold the flower when talking about remembrance, pause for three seconds after the last statement.

I Introduction

A. Greeting and Name: Good evening, everyone. My name is Leslie, and I feel blessed that we are all together today.

B. Attention-Getter: Can you picture the joyful gleam in the eyes of an old woman as if she was becoming young again? Well, it was the exact reaction my grandmother would have each time she opened her hymn-book and saw a wilted rose.

C. Relevancy: Today we pay tribute to the woman whose gentle eyes will always steer us, and her legacy is a part of every family who has experienced joy and sorrow.

D. Credibility: Many afternoons were spent by me lying at her feet listening to stories that she had told my parents long ago.

E. Thesis: In the story of the wisdom of my grandmother, the eternal strength of her soft eyes, and the gift of life she still gives us, one sees that love and memories never really die.

F. Preview: First, I will describe the living grandmother we once knew; next, the peaceful time when she passed away; and finally, the living roses and songs which still bear her name.

G. Transition: Let me first describe the woman whose eyes, as bright as stars, could make a flower into a forest in summer time.

II Body

A. Main Point 1 - The Living Grandmother

1. The Grandmother was very old, with wrinkles on her face and white hair, but her eyes sparkled like two stars with a mild look which pleased every listener.

2. She dressed in heavy silk which made a rustling sound whenever she walked and she was the best story teller as she had experienced life before any of us were born.

3. In the silver clasps of her hymn-book there was one dry flat rose, but whenever her tears fell on it, walls disappeared and she transformed into young woman with rosy cheeks and bright hair and smiled at a young man who gave her that rose once.

4. Sign-post: That memory takes us to the calm evening when the stories ended.

B. Main Point 2 - The Peaceful Departure

1. One night she completed a story which was long and beautiful and told that she felt tired and put her head back to rest.

2. Her soothing breaths became soft and still until a beam of joy appeared on her face and she smiled again, and people knew she was gone (Andersen, n.d).

3. Lying there in her dark casket she looked sweet and beautiful; all the wrinkles were gone from her and the hymnbook with its rose was put under her head just as she wanted.

4. Sign-post: But death did not mean that her story had ended.

C. Main Point 3 – Living Remembrance

1. By the grave at the churchyard wall, they have planted a rose-tree whose time soon came to blossom; the nightingale sang in the flowers as the organ within the church rang out the psalms inscribed in her ancient volume.

2. The dead see more than we see, and they come back no more; but any child may pluck the rose-bud without fear, even at midnight, from her rose-tree that blooms (Andersen, n.d).

3. Eyes are never lost to death; one day our eyes will look on dear grandmother’s young and fair face, and kiss the fresh, red rose which now is dust in the grave.

4. Transition: In these three sections, the reality of her presence, her peaceful departure, and her continued song, we have the essence of what she left behind for us.

III Conclusion

A. Summary: Together, we have walked beside the old man whose wrinkles conceal starry-eyed tales, seen the face of happiness in a coffin, and listened to the nightingale and organ which still carry on her memory.

B. Final Thought: Can we leave this room resolved to see each other with her kind eyes, realizing that love will flower from the pages of everyday life after we are gone?

C. Thank you.

D. I am open for any questions.

Reference

Andersen, H. C. (n.d.). Grandmother. Public-domain text supplied in course materials.

Week 4 Reflection 300 words (les)

Completion requirements

Opened: Monday, September 7, 2026, 9:00 AM

Due: Sunday, September 13, 2026, 11:59 PM

Understanding the ENG 025 Essay 

1. Underline, circle, or highlight important words and phrases in the  Essay Instructions prompt.

2. Reflect on what the prompt is asking you to do (the purpose of the essay) and what past writing experiences have prepared you to successfully complete this essay.

3. Watch Tara Westover’s talk: 

Play Video

4. Although Westover is not responding to the same prompt as you are, consider in what ways her talk might meet the task.

5. WRITE AND SUBMIT: In your own words, reflect on what the prompt is asking you to do and what past writing experiences have prepared you to complete this essay successfully. (You are not writing the whole essay for this assignment)

ENG 025: Essay 1

This first essay offers you an opportunity to practice the process of writing an essay step by step, from brainstorming through final revising.

The Assignment

Write an organized, well developed essay that describes three characteristics that make you who you are.

Brainstorming

The first step is generating ideas for your essay. As a prewriting activity, you will complete a “Where I’m From Poem” that will help you reflect on the meaningful people, places, and experiences that have shaped who you are.

Organizing

This essay includes three main parts:

· Introduction and Thesis Statement

· Three Body Paragraphs

· Conclusion

Each week, you will build one part of the essay.

A successful essay will include the following:

· Full MLA header on the left side of the first page

· Page header on the right side of each page

· 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced

· Original title

· Introduction paragraph with a hook, narrowing section, and thesis statement

· Thesis statement that clearly identifies the three characteristics you will develop

· Three body paragraphs, one for each of the characteristics in your thesis

· A clear topic sentence for each body paragraph

· Description and details that develop each paragraph

· Conclusion paragraph that restates the idea of your thesis statement

· Correct sentence structure that avoids fragments, fused sentences, or comma splices

The WHERE I’M FROM Poem Template

I am from __________________________ (specific everyday item in your home),

from __________________________ and __________________________ (product names of everyday items in your home).

I am from the ____________________________________________________ (description of your home),

____________________________________________ (a sensory detail about your home—smell, taste, touch, sound).

I am from the __________________________ (plant, flower, natural detail), the __________________________ (another plant or tree near your home).

I am from __________________________ and __________________________ (family traditions),

from __________________________ and __________________________ (first names of two family members)

and __________________________________________________ (family traits).

From _____________________and ________________________(things you were told as a child),

__________________________ and __________________________ (two family foods).

I’m from __________________________ (place of birth)

and ______________________________________ (family ancestry or nationality).

I am ______________________________________ (a detail about you)

from ____________________________________________________ (specific family story about a specific person),

____________________________________________________ (specific detail about the story), and ____________________who __________(another detail about another family member).

I am from ____________________________________________________ (description of something you know, something you feel).

Where I’m From (example)

I am from the peaceful banks of a pond with no name; from Folger’s coffee with my milk and Pepperidge Farm toast and butter.

I am from a house with five porches, a room filled with good ghosts, and firefly laughter in the evenings.

I am from gardenias and zinnias, sea oats and beach daisies.

I am from Thompson and Sculls, Amma and Mimi—frugal and long-lived, stubborn and tender, quick to laugh. Or cry.

From clean your plate and come in when you hear the cowbell, garden vegetables and two desserts.

I am a city girl from the county, from an acre and a mule and the American Revolution.

I am from places I dream of seeing, from a quiet street and a busy day where I am always running to something so that I can rest when I get there.

2

Outline Grandmother

Leslie Blue

Sandhills Community College

Comp 120

Professor Cathleen Kruska

September 6, 2026

Outline

Special Occasion: Family Memorial Event Celebrating Grandmother

Specific Purpose: To educate and inspire through a personal story of the life and teachings of my grandmother regarding the values of love, remembrance and strength of character.

Thesis Statement: From the story of the wisdom of my grandmother, from the eyes which live on long past her death and through her legacy of remembrance, it can be said that love and memory never fade.

Visual Aids / Props: One rose dried within an old book; a picture of Grandmother.

Stage Directions: Smile gently, look into the eyes of the crowd, hold the flower when talking about remembrance, pause for three seconds after the last statement.

I Introduction

A. Greeting and Name: Good evening, everyone. My name is Leslie, and I feel blessed that we are all together today.

B. Attention-Getter: Can you picture the joyful gleam in the eyes of an old woman as if she was becoming young again? Well, it was the exact reaction my grandmother would have each time she opened her hymn-book and saw a wilted rose.

C. Relevancy: Today we pay tribute to the woman whose gentle eyes will always steer us, and her legacy is a part of every family who has experienced joy and sorrow.

D. Credibility: Many afternoons were spent by me lying at her feet listening to stories that she had told my parents long ago.

E. Thesis: In the story of the wisdom of my grandmother, the eternal strength of her soft eyes, and the gift of life she still gives us, one sees that love and memories never really die.

F. Preview: First, I will describe the living grandmother we once knew; next, the peaceful time when she passed away; and finally, the living roses and songs which still bear her name.

G. Transition: Let me first describe the woman whose eyes, as bright as stars, could make a flower into a forest in summer time.

II Body

A. Main Point 1 - The Living Grandmother

1. The Grandmother was very old, with wrinkles on her face and white hair, but her eyes sparkled like two stars with a mild look which pleased every listener.

2. She dressed in heavy silk which made a rustling sound whenever she walked and she was the best story teller as she had experienced life before any of us were born.

3. In the silver clasps of her hymn-book there was one dry flat rose, but whenever her tears fell on it, walls disappeared and she transformed into young woman with rosy cheeks and bright hair and smiled at a young man who gave her that rose once.

4. Sign-post: That memory takes us to the calm evening when the stories ended.

B. Main Point 2 - The Peaceful Departure

1. One night she completed a story which was long and beautiful and told that she felt tired and put her head back to rest.

2. Her soothing breaths became soft and still until a beam of joy appeared on her face and she smiled again, and people knew she was gone (Andersen, n.d).

3. Lying there in her dark casket she looked sweet and beautiful; all the wrinkles were gone from her and the hymnbook with its rose was put under her head just as she wanted.

4. Sign-post: But death did not mean that her story had ended.

C. Main Point 3 – Living Remembrance

1. By the grave at the churchyard wall, they have planted a rose-tree whose time soon came to blossom; the nightingale sang in the flowers as the organ within the church rang out the psalms inscribed in her ancient volume.

2. The dead see more than we see, and they come back no more; but any child may pluck the rose-bud without fear, even at midnight, from her rose-tree that blooms (Andersen, n.d).

3. Eyes are never lost to death; one day our eyes will look on dear grandmother’s young and fair face, and kiss the fresh, red rose which now is dust in the grave.

4. Transition: In these three sections, the reality of her presence, her peaceful departure, and her continued song, we have the essence of what she left behind for us.

III Conclusion

A. Summary: Together, we have walked beside the old man whose wrinkles conceal starry-eyed tales, seen the face of happiness in a coffin, and listened to the nightingale and organ which still carry on her memory.

B. Final Thought: Can we leave this room resolved to see each other with her kind eyes, realizing that love will flower from the pages of everyday life after we are gone?

C. Thank you.

D. I am open for any questions.

Reference

Andersen, H. C. (n.d.). Grandmother. Public-domain text supplied in course materials.