Prof. Anderson
ENC1101
Major Essay 1-Literacy Narrative
Objectives
For this assignment you will write a 1,000 word literacy narrative. A literacy narrative is a genre of college
writing written in open form prose. It should follow a clear plot and show thoughtful reflection on some part of your
life related to reading, writing, language, education, rhetoric, or culture. A successful literacy narrative will include
characters and settings and use concrete and figurative language.
To put it simply, your literacy narrative should draw on your past experiences to tell a story that says about
how language or rhetoric played an important part in your life. More information can be found on p. 181 of the A&B
textbook.
Rhetorical Context
You are writing this essay with an intended audience of your university peers. As such, it should maintain a
polite tone and engage appropriate subject material. Formal or discipline specific language is not necessary. Your
topic should be one that you feel comfortable having your peers read and evaluate. The genre of a literacy narrative
is open form, and it should have a clear plot with rising action, a climax, and falling action.
Requirements
The following criteria must be met in order to receive full credit for your work. Failure to comply with any of
these requirements will penalize your grade:
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Minimum 1,000 words
MLA Format with 12 pt Times New Roman font
Engage an appropriate topic related to language or rhetoric
Effectively utilize concrete and figurative language
Have a clear plot with rising action, a climax, and falling action
Final Draft due to Turnitin.com by 2-8 at midnight to Turnitin.com
Original Work
Scoring Criteria
Your essay will be evaluated on four different criteria that are described below. Each of these individual
scores are combined in order to determine your final grade. It is entirely possible to receive a high grade in one
category but fail another, so keep all of these aspects of your paper in mind as you begin to write.
Purpose:
The essay tells a story with a salient theme and presents something of value. It should
engage a relevant topic about language, literacy, education, culture, or rhetoric.
Plot:
The essay follows conventions of open form prose and is structured around a coherent plot.
It should have scenes or events that follow a logical progression with rising action, a climax,
and falling action, not simply an “and then” narrative. Ideas and paragraphs should flow
smoothly with good transitions.
Concrete and Figurative Language:
The essay uses concrete, descriptive, and figurative language with attention to word choice.
It should have clear and vividly described characters and settings and have sufficient tension
to hold the reader’s interest. Figurative language and other literary techniques should be
used where appropriate.
Mechanics:
The final draft of the paper should show sufficient editing and revision. It should also utilize
college-level grammar and correctly follow MLA formatting conventions.
25%
25%
25%
25%