Any topic (Writer’s choice)

1. Write about a time when an adult did something entirely unexpected during your childhood; an action that seemed dangerous or threatening to you or something humorous, kind, or generous. Consider unpredictable actions of adults in your immediate or extended family, adults you had come to know outside your family, and strangers. As you consider these possible topics, think about your purpose and audience: What would you want your instructor and classmates to learn about you from reading about this event?
2. Write about how a public event, like a celebrity death or marriage, an act of heroism or charity, or even the passage of a law helped (or forced) you to confront an aspect of your identity. Consider the complexities of your reaction—the significance the event had for you at the time and the significance the event has for you now. You might make a list of physical traits, as well as beliefs about or aspects of your sense of identity that changed as a result of the event.

3. Like the narrator of the “Cask of Amontillado,” describe a subversive moment from your past, perhaps one that made you feel proud.
Coherence, Development, and Clarity
These are three qualities of good writing. With this first essay, as with all essays, you should focus on making your essay coherent, well-developed, and clear.
Coherence requires intention. Each word, sentence, and paragraph must serve the overall intention, or purpose, of the essay. Coherence is thus a sense of unity, a sense that ideas are logically connected with each other. Transitional words and phrases are useful for clarifying relationships between ideas for your readers, especially in narrative essays when it’s common to shift between scenes or from past to present tense.
Development in the narrative genre is composed of vivid descriptions, narrative action, dialogue, and reflection. Other genres of writing may require different types of development and support, but for this assignment, you need only to draw upon your memories, imagination, and your current perspective of the event.
Clarity is required so that readers can easily absorb the language and thus the message of your essay. If an essay of any kind contains excessive grammar errors, readers become distracted and lose interest in the main point. In short, a lack of clarity can demonstrate a lack of intention and can erode your authority as a writer.
Requirements
Your personal narrative must:
• Develop a main point through the use of storytelling (narrative action, vivid descriptions, dialogue) and reflection. (Compare your current perspective with your past perspective.) The essay must be at least 500 words.
• Assert the autobiographical significance so that a broader audience understands the greater importance of your experience.
• Maintain a logical and coherent organizational structure. Use chronological order and clear transitions when you must shift from the past events to your present perspective.
• Maintain clarity. Edit your essay to eliminate errors.
• Follow MLA document design format. Use one inch margins, double space, and title your work. See pages 55 and 435 in Rules for Writers to see how to format your paper.
• Save your document in Rich Text Format or as a Document. Otherwise, I will not be able to make marks and comment in the margins of your paper.
• Use no outside sources.