WRTC 432: The Rhetoric of the Personal Narrative
Comfort
Fall 2012
The First Essay Assignment:
As you’ve discovered from the readings, class discussions, and in class writing exercises, our
environment often defines us, at least in part. Our sense of place and self shifts and evolves as we
move from one “home” to the next. Home can be a place where you resided for an hour, a day, a
season, or a lifetime.
Describe an environment/place/landscape that you have experienced. Describe this place in great,
specific, detail. Use imagery, metaphor, and rich, detailed descriptions. Engage your readers’
senses. As you revise your piece, think about the techniques Jo Ann Beard, Annie Dillard, and
Greta Ehrlich used when writing about environments to show life experiences.
If you write about an environment that you knew as a child, be sure to both give us the
perspective of a child and adult. This is important for your audience to see both in order to
understand your experience and to become engaged in your writing.
The essay must be typed on a word processor, 1’ margins, 12 pt. font, Times New Roman,
double-spaced, with a title, your name, and date. Word count must be around 1250 – 1750 words,
but it’s fine if you write more than 1750 words.
You must include all drafts and all revisions with workshop comments, in addition to your final
revision, in your Essay Portfolio. SAVE all revisions as separate files. Throw nothing away. The
process of writing is just as important as the product. If you only hand in one revision of this
essay in your Essay Portfolio at the end of the semester, your grade will reflect this.
Workshop Schedule and Instructions:
Week 4
Sept 18
Sept 20
Week 5
Sept 25
Sept 27
Week 6
Oct 2
Oct 4
Discuss “Seeing” from Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, excerpts from
Gretel Ehrlich’s The Future of Ice, and “The Basics of Good Writing in Any
Form” from Tell It Slant –
First Essay Revision Due - All students must email me a copy of essay by
5:00pm this evening. I will post them on BlackBoard by Friday.
Class Workshop (Allison Borger, Mary Evans Callahan, Caitlin Chuma, and
Emily Crothers) You must print out hard copies of essays from BlackBoard.
Bring these three essays to class with written comments.
Class Workshop (Rachel DeGraba, Nathan Gallagher, Kristen Gatti, Sarah
Lahne, and Victoria Milleford) You must print out hard copies of essays from
BlackBoard. Bring these three essays to class with written comments.
Class Workshop (Rachel Morin, Brian Nicholls, Thomas Sheffield, Thomas
Simpson, and Julia Skinner) You must print out hard copies of essays from
BlackBoard. Bring these three essays to class with written comments.
Class Workshop (Allison Smith, Kelly Smith, Courtney Stainback, and Katherine
Walthall) You must print out hard copies of essays from BlackBoard. Bring these
three essays to class with written comments.