Narrative Essay
Narrative writing uses creative nonfiction techniques (character, plot, setting, description, etc.) to help us make sense of the world and our experiences. Because language is both fundamental and integral to our concept of self and our concept of our world, it connects to a lot of broader social issues: culture, race, social class, and a host of others—making it an ideal topic for narrative writing. For our first essay, then, you will write a narrative that is centered around one of your experiences with language.
You may write about any recent or childhood event you have had that involves your experience with language, but you should choose a single instance to narrate.
Getting Started: In this essay, you will explore the circumstances and effects of a particular experience you had with language, with attention to the significance of what you learned. The goal, then, is not only to tell a story or to describe an experience, but also to analyze your experiences and to draw conclusions about how your experience shaped your understanding of or feelings, what your experience reveals about you or your world, and how others might relate to that experience.
For example: if you are bilingual (or multilingual), you may wish to discuss your relationship with learning a second language; if you have family members who speak a language that you do not, you may wish to write how this affects relationship dynamics in your family. You may also consider answering questions like: When did you realize the power of profanity? Or, when were you judged for the way you speak, read, or write? Or, when did you first recognize the relationship between languages and identities? After exploring your experiences through invention strategies, you will want to create a cohesive and coherent essay with a central point. You will also need to make decisions about which additional descriptions, background information, and vivid details best support the focus you’ve chosen.
Rhetorical Considerations: The audience for your work is anyone who is unfamiliar with your background, experiences, upbringing, and/or culture. Therefore, you will need to develop your essay in a manner that will allow the reader to truly understand your experiences and attachments. The key is to ensure that each element of your essay “flows” by relating to—and supporting—your focus.
Handing It In: You will turn in your essay online through TurnItIn, a plagiarism checker, and online grading system. The essay is due September 12.
Requirements:
• Do not use outside sources
• Develop the main point and support it through creative nonfiction techniques (description, dialogue, plot, setting, and character)
• Use MLA format (double-spaced, Times New Roman 10 or 12 font, header with last name and page number, and a proper first page with your name, my name, the date, the course, and the essay’s title)
• Your essay should be 2-3 pages.
