Multi-Angle personal Narrative Essay Example
Multi-Angle Personal Narrative Assignment Sheet
Stories, the argument goes, are the main way we make sense of things, whether in thinking of our lives as a progression leading somewhere or in telling ourselves what is happening in the world. –Jonathan Culler (Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction 82)
PURPOSE
Jonathan Culler argues that stories help us to make sense of things. For this assignment, you will select an important moment from your life and tell it as a story. Your purpose is to write a narrative that reveals something important about you to your audience, and perhaps to yourself as well. This first assignment asks you to reconsider your experience from a variety of angles. Along the way you’ll consider issues of organization, description, detail selection, point of view and audience.
RESEARCH
The main research resource for this assignment is yourself. While it may seem daunting to choose and write about just one of many significant moments in your life, the activities you will do in and out of class will help you sift through your history to find a rich story to tell. These activities might include:
A short paper about a time in your life when you communicated well
A timeline
“Top Ten” lists
Free writes that discuss who you are
Talking with family and friends to gain their perspective on notable memories
Reading some examples of narratives written by student authors and professional writers
As you narrow your list of possible ideas, you may find some real documents or images— such as emails, journal entries, or postcards—that might enrich the telling of a particular story.
ORGANIZATION
Some authors experiment with headings, genre, and point of view as a way to play with a traditional, linear story while still telling a coherent story. For instance, think of the different ways writers might tell about their first day on campus. If you wanted to experiment with headings, you might choose a few specific moments from that
Stories, the argument goes, are the main way we make sense of things, whether in thinking of our lives as a progression leading somewhere or in telling ourselves what is happening in the world. –Jonathan Culler (Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction 82)
PURPOSE
Jonathan Culler argues that stories help us to make sense of things. For this assignment, you will select an important moment from your life and tell it as a story. Your purpose is to write a narrative that reveals something important about you to your audience, and perhaps to yourself as well. This first assignment asks you to reconsider your experience from a variety of angles. Along the way you’ll consider issues of organization, description, detail selection, point of view and audience.
RESEARCH
The main research resource for this assignment is yourself. While it may seem daunting to choose and write about just one of many significant moments in your life, the activities you will do in and out of class will help you sift through your history to find a rich story to tell. These activities might include:
A short paper about a time in your life when you communicated well
A timeline
“Top Ten” lists
Free writes that discuss who you are
Talking with family and friends to gain their perspective on notable memories
Reading some examples of narratives written by student authors and professional writers
As you narrow your list of possible ideas, you may find some real documents or images— such as emails, journal entries, or postcards—that might enrich the telling of a particular story.
ORGANIZATION
Some authors experiment with headings, genre, and point of view as a way to play with a traditional, linear story while still telling a coherent story. For instance, think of the different ways writers might tell about their first day on campus. If you wanted to experiment with headings, you might choose a few specific moments from that