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Essay #1: Memoir Writing Prompt

ENGL 317-D1

Essay Deadlines:

· Prewriting: Sunday, September 6th (11:59 p.m.)

· Rough Draft: Sunday, September 13th (11:59 p.m.)

· Final Draft: Sunday, September 20th (11:59 p.m.)

Rubric: ENGL 317 Rubric (Canvas)

Objectives:

Through this assignment you will learn to:

· Analyze and illustrate the significance of a personal experience

· Draw on the past to re-create moments of a lived experience.

· Make a connection between the author’s present and the event in the past he or she is describing.

· Show vs. Tell: using narrative strategies (including writing with the five senses, vivid description, and dialogue) to convey impact or significance

· Develop “voice” and “writerly” presence

· Develop a turning point showing growth and change

· Format the essay by utilizing either MLA (Modern Language Association) or APA (American Psychological Association)

Assignment Description:

Your task is to write a memoir, to bring to life a moment in the past in order to explore the meanings it has for the present. Because memoirs enable both writers and their readers to understand the past, this assignment can be a good time for you to probe significant times in your life, revisiting them now that you have some distance from them. 

Choose ONE of the following prompts:

1. Pick a photograph that holds memories and emotional associations. Describe the photo and focus on particular details that recall a particular moment in the past. Tell the story of that photo (what was happening, who was there, etc.) and explore how your history intersects larger social and historical forces. As part of your narrative, explain why this photo, and the moment it captured, is so significant to you.  If you choose this prompt, include the photo with your essay.

2. Recall a particular family ritual, such as visits to see grandparents, Sunday dinners, summer vacations, holiday celebrations, and so on, as a way to focus on an event or a person that is especially significant to you. Select one specific example of this family ritual, tell the reader the story of your experience, and reflect on why that experience was so meaningful. Why was this specific ritual repeated in your family? What significance did it hold for you and your family.

3. Consider some aspect of your own cultural ancestry—whether it is the language (or dialect) your family/ancestors spoke, a kind of food or music, a family tradition, or an heirloom that has been passed down from generation to generation. What role has this aspect of cultural ancestry had in your life? Tell the story of its impact on you and its significance to your identity. Though this is your story, consider key figures from your ancestry and their role in how you see yourself.

Essay Requirements:

· Word Count: A minimum of 1000 words (This will be roughly three to four pages.)

· Include the Word Count on page one below the date.

· In-text citations and Works Cited (MLA) or Reference (APA) citations are included in this word count.

· Use MLA (Modern Language Associate) or APA (American Psychological Association) format.

· Use first person point of view.

Only original work will be graded. Students should not submit an essay or assignment that was previously submitted for another course or instructor.

Do not use AI to generate your response. Doing so will result in a score of zero for the assignment.