English 101: Writing Assignment #1: Narrative Essay on a Personal Revolution,
Revelation, or Turning Point
Full text of Annie Dillard’s “The Chase” available here:
http://sussex.de.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/docmgr/default.php?section
detailid=9806&fileitem=8365&catfilter=ALL
Full text of Langston Hughes’ “Salvation” available here:
http://eng12.sipley.org/readings/02%20Salvation-Langston%20Hughes.pdf
Due for peer review 7/1 and 7/2. Final draft due 7/3.
The task: Write a narrative essay that tells of one of your own personal revolutions,
revelations, turning points—choose an experience that led to a significant change in your
perspective(s), belief(s) attitude(s)—about yourself, about others, about the world around
you, or about life. Include the effects of this significant change; in other words, detail the
change(s) which resulted. The revolution, revelation, or turning point might be
intellectual, cultural, spiritual, psychological, physical, or several of these all at once.
Consider including the term revolution” or “revelation” or “turning point” in your essay
and a definition of the term in your own words and context...it might help with focus and
context.
Your audience: Write to this class, a collection of interested and diverse readers who
don’t know you well. Think of this essay as a way to share something important about
yourself with these folks—folks who will be taking some risks along side you. Don’t
pick an experience too personal to share with any and all of us.
The narrative mode and the thesis—this style of essay uses the structure(s), elements,
and tools of stories and storytelling to present and support a thesis. For this essay, you
must state your thesis explicitly rather than just implying it. What will a thesis in an
essay like this one look like, feel like, include? How will your story move beyond just
telling the experience?
Structure(s), elements, tools of storytelling: We will work on this list together.
Other considerations:
Treatment of time: Although the experience you write about might have taken place
over several days, weeks, months, this essay is limited to three pages. That might mean
condensing a lot of time and/or information into a paragraph or two. How does Langston
Hughes contract and extend time in “Salvation”? Other suggestions, discoveries?
Foregrounding “the argument”—Although this essay will often read like a story, you
should also introduce your working thesis in your introduction. As your paragraphs
unfold, use key words to remind us that each piece of the story relates to this thesis.
Consider the beginnings and endings of paragraphs, in particular, for reminding us of this
larger focus and purpose. And...include a conclusion that distinctly and explicitly states
or restates your thesis. Look at Annie Dillard’s essay—this foregrounding doesn’t have
to be heavy handed. How does she do this?
Voice and multiple “yous”: Personal experience essays tend to have at least two
versions of “you” in them—the you who is in the midst of the experience reliving key
moments and the “older, wiser” you who is composing the essay and giving the story its
perspective and meaning. Both are important “voices” to include.
Further tips and suggestions:
Don’t pick a revolution, revelation, turning point you are currently in the midst of—it’s
often too hard to get the distance, perspective, and clarity about outcomes that this essay
needs.
As you brainstorm and freewrite, work to narrow your focus to a
moment/topic/experience that you can wrap yourself around in three pages.
Balance the abstract with the concrete, telling with showing—more on this in class.
Less is often more—try to use words and images economically, allowing a few words to
do a lot of work for you. Choice details often convey more clarity and energy than a
catalogue of details. Vivid verbs can do more work than a string of adverbs. Etc.
Gauge your readers’ needs and knowledge—we’re a fairly sophisticated, well-rounded
collection of people, but we might not share the same cultural knowledge or expertise in a
field that you have. Use peer review to check the clarity and accessibility of your story
and lingo.
Read your nearly final draft out loud, even record yourself, so you hear the effects of
your words and rhythms.
Other suggestions?
Grading Criteria:
 Grasp of and focus on task
 Clarity/force of the thesis
 Clarity and energy of developing story using structures, tools, devices
 Attention to signposting to keep readers on track with the argument
 Sense of distinct, individual voice
 Sentence level precision and economy
 Mechanics of grammar and spelling
 Stylistics including individual voice, word choice, varied rhythms and sentence
structures, imagery, etc.