ENGL 1100: ENGLISH COMPOSITION I
Assignment #2: NARRATIVE ESSAY
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 Length: 3-5 pages
 Format: Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins,
MLA
 Peer review Day (Bring your first draft):
 Conference Day :
 Final draft Due Date:
Assignment Description:
The narrative essay generally presents a sequence of events for the purpose of supporting
an implied thesis. For instance, your purpose in writing a paper about dating may be to
show your readers that dating is awkward and unpleasant. Accordingly, you will arrange
the details of your paper to show the audience that dating is unpleasant. Please write a
narrative paper of three to five pages on one of the following options:

Relate a story in which you convey how your family subscribes to, or deviates from,
the traditional view of the American family. Feel free to write in the context of the
text we have watched: Father knows best and Malcom in the middle. Much like a
sitcom, this narrative should thoroughly explore all aspects of one situation.

Write an essay narrating a situation in which you would like to be in with your future
family. You will need to consider: whether you would like to be married, what type
of career you have, where you live, whether you have children, etc. Although this is a
creative option, it should be realistic and follow the same format as the sitcom.
Skills:
It is imperative to choose one scene to narrate as it is impossible to relate the history of a
family in five pages. It is helpful to remember that “narrating” means relating the scene
as it happened—including the dialogue. Like the observation essay, the narrative
requires that you use descriptive writing as the audience will rely on these details to
arrive at the implied thesis. The audience for this paper is again the Auburn student
body. As you are writing for such a diverse group of people be careful of the
assumptions that you make.
Goal:
The object of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to engage the reader by
offering descriptive detail rather than merely relating facts. Do not tell us, but show us
your thesis. Please feel free to consult with us during our office hours or to visit the
Miller Writing Center.