Essay 2: Narration

Write a personal narrative about a specific moment in your life. This essay may tell a story; describe a person, place, or event; express an attitude; or reflect on the significance of any personal experience. Since this essay is a personal narrative it primarily deals with you, your experiences, your feelings and your moods. Your essay is a narrative (telling a story about something you have experienced). Your purpose is to recall and then use specific examples that recreate this memory and show why it is so significant to you. The most important aspect is to ensure that you convey why this experience is important and what you have learned from it. Remember to choose an experience you feel comfortable writing about. It is a good idea to revisit the section titled “Tips for writing your narrative essay” (pp. 143-147) of your textbook.

Remember to have an effective introduction and conclusion while writing your essay. When describing the experience, use details from all five senses. Try to vary your placement of this in different paragraphs. Your essay will become more interesting if you use lots of details about people, places, and actions.

Your final draft must be typed and should be left justified with jagged right margins (like this page). Refer to a sample student paper given on page 482 (for those of you not familiar with writing academic papers). Double-space, and use 12-point Times New Roman. Do not plagiarize. Additionally, make sure to read over your work before turning it in, and do not forget to carefully use your spell-checker. Failure to do so may considerably lower your grade.

Remember to read through the examples given in the textbook.

I will grade your final essay on the basis of the following rubric:

1. Interesting and appropriate title
2. A limited subject that is focused on a key element
3. An introduction that captures the attention of your reader (separate paragraph)
4. A thesis that revolves around one focused and clear sentence
5. Use of specific details that employs narrative and expressive techniques
6. A clear chronology that organizes the essay that helps readers follow a sequence of events (hint: use transitions):
7. An essay that has a clear audience and purpose:
8. Subtle description of why this moment is important to you:
9. Explanation of the knowledge you have gained (what is the point of this essay):
10. An essay with no awkward sentences, with appropriate word choice in paragraphs that is precise by omitting unnecessary details, and maintaining word limit:
11. An effective conclusion:
12. An essay with originality/ expresses creativity: