Assignment: In this in-class essay, narrate a personal experience which led to a realization, discovery, or change in your life; or an experience which led to a reevaluation of yourself or someone else.

General Purpose: To narrate the event, but more importantly, to think critically about it and then to explain its significance so that others might understand and identify with your experience.

Audience: A college level reader who could perhaps learn something from your experience or perhaps identify with it.

Organization: (1) Straight chronological; OR (2) begin at height of conflict/crisis and then retrace events leading up to that moment; OR (3) begin in the present and use flashback method

Point of View: First person.  Avoid second person.  Keep in mind your vantage point (your frame of reference) and your attitude about the subject (accepting, hostile, sarcastic, pleased).  Your content will, to a great degree, dictate your point of view.

Details: You should SHOW not simply TELL.  Use vivid, descriptive language where appropriate.  Consider using some dialogue.  Be careful in prioritizing information; avoid over-telling in some areas and under-telling in others; in other words, compress time where necessary so that paper does not go into unnecessary detail. Balance description with narration; make sure that narration is the priority.

Word Range: Minimum: 550 essay
essay topics can be pick from one below
An embarrassing experience
A memorable wedding or funeral
An exciting minute or two of a football game (or another sporting event)
Your first or last day at a job or new school
A disastrous date
A memorable moment of failure or success
An encounter that changed your life or taught you a lesson
An experience that led to renewed faith
A strange or unexpected encounter
An experience of how technology is more trouble than it’s worth
An experience that left you disillusioned
A frightening or dangerous experience
A memorable journey
An encounter with someone you were in awe of or afraid of
An occasion when you experienced rejection
Your first visit to the countryside (or to a large city)