R. Frank/English IIL
Personal Memoir
Due: _____________________________________________
Description: A personal memoir such as “What a Long, Strange Dip it has been” or “Eleven”, develop an
event in the writer’s life and attempt to make a personal connection to the reader.
Examples of Memoirs:
1. An embarrassing moment
2. First day of school
3. A time you felt powerless or powerful
4. A time in which you acted out of character for your age
5. A strong memory that connects you to your family (grandparent, sibling, parent, cousin, aunt or
uncle)
6. A moment you wish you could forget but cannot
7. A time something unexpected happened
The list is endless. The only requirement you must meet in order for it to be a true memoir is that you tell
about one specific event that you have experienced personally.
Directions:
 Choose one, personal event to write about from your life.
 Create a strong lead that hooks the reader.
 Include 5 examples of different types of literary elements: Simile, Metaphor, Personification,
Oxymoron, Hyperbole, Repetition, Parallel Structure, Imagery, Anaphora, Characterization,
Symbolism etc. When a literary term has been used once, it may be used again; however, it may not
count as one of the 5 terms to be used for credit.
 Highlight and label the 5 different terms used in your memoir in YELLOW.
 Highlight and label 4 different uses of sentence structure: Simple, Compound, Complex,
Compound/Complex
 Develop a specific tone within your piece of writing. You may also include a tone shift within your
memoir.
 Length: 1 to 2 pages typed, 12 pt. font, double spaced
 Include a title and header that is typed. The header should include your first and last name, English
II-class period and the date.
Tips for writing narrative essays. Writing an effective narrative essay involves drawing the reader into the
experience you are narrating, recreating it.
by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.
A narrative essay essentially tells a story. A good way to think of a narrative essay is to consider a variation on the
word "narrative" -- narrator -- and think of yourself as the narrator of a story of someone's experience –- probably
yours. Professors often assign students to write narrative essays about their own experiences. Some students find
writing about themselves quite easy and natural, while others become unhinged at the idea of having to chronicle
their own experiences. Students often think nothing in their lives is story-worthy; if you are one of those consider
these prompts for narrative essays:







My most memorable ...
How I got interested in ...
How I achieved ...
How I failed at ...
How I realized ...
My most frightening experience ...
My best experience with ...






My worst experience with ...
My happiest time ...
My first experience with ...
The weirdest ...
My favorite ...
How I handled ... (for example, change,
conflict, danger, uncertainty)
As you can see, thinking about firsts, bests, worsts, and mosts will help you develop a topic if your professor hasn't
assigned one.
Since most narrative essays are written in first-person (I), another way to jump-start your thinking about your topic is
to write "I" followed by a verb ("saw," "felt," "wept," "went," "smiled," "wanted," for example) and see if that simple
phrase sparks any thoughts of experiences to write about. One more way, not only to find narrative-essay topics, but
also to see excellent examples of narrative essays is to scan Reader's Digest, a magazine that your parents or
grandparents may subscribe to and is probably available in your library, or go the Reader's Digest Story Website.
Another source for examples is the radio show "This American Life," which you can hear on National Public Radio,
download from the official site, watch in video form on Showtime, or purchase from iTunes.
Like a descriptive essay, a narrative essay should draw the reader into the experience you are narrating, essentially
recreating the experience for the reader. It should also contain sensory details the way a descriptive essay does.
Finally, like the descriptive essay, the essay offers a central theme, point, or purpose, creating for the reader a
dominant impression -- often an observation, insight, or universal truth about human nature or the human condition.
Sometimes the story's purpose is even a lesson learned or moral (as in, "the moral of the story is ...").
Beyond what you would find in a descriptive essay, however, a narrative essay contains the elements you find in
story-writing: plot, character, point of view, climax, and ending. Often an element of conflict is also present, and the
narrative essay may include dialog. Weaving together these experiential elements are details that support the point
of the story and move it forward.
Because narrative essays usually involve personal reflections, emotions, and experiences, they especially lend
themselves to prewriting. If you have a topic for your narrative essay but still feel uncomfortable about writing about
yourself, think about the many ways you tell stories in everyday life by talking on the phone and in person with friends
and family. You probably also write stories regularly through e-mail, instant-messaging, and even texting. If thinking
about those experiences still doesn't loosen you up, consider telling your story into a tape recorder before you write
it. Or write about the experience in a stream-of-consciousness manner until the story structure begins to emerge.
Because stories unfold in a specific sequence, your narrative essay also will benefit from your having constructed an
outline before you write.
An effective way to structure a narrative essay is as follows:
1. Introductory paragraph setting up the type of story you will be telling and hinting at the purpose or point of the
story. Setting and characters may be introduced in this paragraph or in one that follows shortly.
2. Middle paragraphs offering event-driven and/or character-driven description and details that move the plot
forward and build toward the climax.
3. Climax.
4. Conclusion explicating the purpose or point of the story.
Final Thoughts
Experts caution that not all narrative essays are written as stories, citing book reports as prime examples of narrative
essays not written in story form. If your professor assigns a book report, you can be fairly certain that it should not be
written as a story. But if you are assigned another type of narrative essay, be sure to ask if it's not clear that your
professor wants a story format.