Write a narrative essay on ONE of the following options. Make sure you tell your story in chronological order and that you have clear topic sentences and concluding sentences in your paragraphs as well as a concise thesis statement. This essay must be typed and double-spaced in MLA format using 12pt. Times Roman Font. 3 pages

Option 1

In "Salvation," Langston Hughes writes about an experience he had at church and what he learns about people and religion as a result of that experience. Write about a significant event in your life that has changed you in some way just as this experience changed Hughes. Make sure you explain the event and write about what you learned from it and how it changed you.

Option 2

In "The Lottery," Abani discusses a horrific example of mob violence that he witnesses and an account of justice gone awry, and the pressure he feels to go along with the crowd. Narrate an account of a time you were pressured to go along with a certain crowd despite your better judgment. Explain why you did so, would you do this again, and what did you learn from the experience.

Prewriting Activities for Writing Project #1

(Make sure to label each of the activities by number)

1) Do a listing/brainstorming exercise for one of the options
2) Do a cluster diagram on 3 different possible topics from the list above
3) Write a one page free write on one of those cluster diagrams.
4) Make at least 3 outlines of your assignment, ending with a fully detailed outline of your assignment.

After you have completed these four activities, you are ready to begin your rough draft. Attach all of these activities to the final draft of your essay when you turn it in.

Narrative Essay Checklist

After you have completed one or more drafts of your narrative essay, use the following checklist as a revision and editing guide to prepare the final version of your composition.

1. In your introduction, have you clearly identified the experience you are about to relate?

2. In the opening sentences of your essay, have you provided the kinds of details that will evoke your readers' interest in the topic?

3. Have you clearly explained who was involved and when and where the incident occurred?

4. Have you organized the sequence of events in chronological order?

5. Have you focused your essay by eliminating unnecessary or repetitious information?

6. Have you used precise descriptive details to make your narrative interesting and convincing?

7. Have you used dialogue to report important conversations?

8. Have you used clear transitions (in particular, time signals) to tie your points together and guide your readers from one point to the next?

9. In your conclusion, have you clearly explained the particular significance of the experience you have related in the essay?

10. Are the sentences throughout your essay clear and direct as well as varied in length and structure? Could any sentences be improved by combining or restructuring them?

11. Are the words in your essay consistently clear and precise? Does the essay maintain a consistent tone?

12. Have you read the essay aloud, proofreading carefully?