The Assignment Essay 1
English 1A
Essay 1
Length: Approximately 4 pages (1250 words)
Format: MLA, double spaced
ASSIGNMENT
: “Write an essay about an event in your life that will engage readers and that
will, at the same time, help them understand the significance of the event. Tell your story vividly
and dramatically.”
TOPIC
: To arrive at a topic, reflect on events that have had significance in your life. We will be
doing brainstorming in class, and there will be reading materials that will help you. Be sure to
choose an event that took place in a short period of time.
PURPOSE
: The purpose of this essay will depend a lot on you. You are trying to communicate
to the readers information about yourself as well as ideas that may apply to them.
AUDIENCE:
Essentially you will be writing a human interest piece; people will want to read
your essay to learn about you and about human nature. Before you write draft 1 of the essay,
choose an audience for your essay and think specifically about what you want to communicate to
that audience.
INVENTION AND WRITING
: We will follow the steps of the writing process for this essay:
prewriting, some outlining, drafting, revising, editing. Be sure to follow instructions completely,
writing all lists, descriptions, dialogue, and sketches as instructed. You are expected to generate
several pages of invention. We will be revising and editing in class; make sure you have your
completed draft and all invention material with you on the days these items are due.
SPECIFIC SKILLS/ABILITIES REQUIRED BY THIS ASSIGNMENT:
1. Draw on your experience for material
2. Arrange the narrative in climactic chronological order
3. Develop the event with vivid details, dialogue, examples, and illustrations
4. Reflect on the effects of the event on you and/or others, the meaning of the event, or the
insight you gained from the experience
Watch out for
: You will want to avoid the following problems especially:
1. Choosing a topic that is too broad (“my childhood,” “our championship season”)
2. Failing to create suspense and to build to a climax
3. Failing to reflect on the significance of the experience
4. Oversimplifying or sentimentalizing the significance of the experience
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Thank You So Much!
