Essay Assignment: The Remembered Event

Draft Word Count and Setup:

1) 1300-1500 words (plus an APA cover page)
2) 12-point Times New Roman font
3) Double-Spaced lines
4) 1st person point of view

WHAT: Select One specific event (not a general series of experiences) that changed your life or your perspective on life. Write a narrative in which you tell the story of the event and reflect on how the event influenced the person you are today.

HOW: Approximately 2/3 of the essay should be devoted to narration (tell the story); approximately 1/3 of the essay should be devoted to reflection (discuss its influence). Most students accomplish this in one of two ways:

1) The essay tells a story and then offers a reflective section at its end.

Or

2) The reflection is woven into the story as the story progresses throughout the essay. Work to see connections between the Event you have selected for this assignment and the person you are today, and then communicate your reflection to the reader in a way that gives insight into your life. In other words, why did the event matter to you? How does it influence your current outlook and decisions?

Steps:

1) Brainstorm ideas on the event or experience you have selected.
3) Consider memories and review personal documents that will assist in developing your story about the event/experience.
4) Create an outline for the essay, if it will help you envision the overall narration/reflection aspects of the project.
5) Revise the entire Essay several times to ensure your thoughts are clearly conveyed and para graphs are logically organized and developed.
6) Edit for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

This assignment does not require outside research; the finished essay Should not need in-text citations or a References page. The assignment does not require an abstract. The assignment does, however, require a properly formatted APA cover page.

WHY: This assignment will Help you identify main ideas, supporting evidence, and conclusions. Writing this essay will also provide practice in form, organization, syntax, diction, style, and tone, while reinforcing that writing is a process requiring substantive revision.

Writing a Remembered Event Essay is beneficial in other ways, too.

· Sometimes called a "memoir" or "personal narrative," this type of essay allows you to reflect on an interaction or experience that has had significant impact on your life. Such insight can inform your attitudes about yourself and society while influencing your goals for the future.

· Critical thinking and careful writing used in development of this type of essay can teach valuable skills for the workplace. At some point in your career, for example, you might be asked to explain an event or situation that occurred, your role in the event, how the event impacted the workplace, and what you (and the organization) learned from its outcome.

· This type of essay is a great way for your instructor to get to know you and to assess your current writing skills at the beginning of a course. Work on the essay's organization and storytelling elements, along with demonstrated knowledge of grammar and punctuation, will help your instructor guide your written communication skills.