WEEK 5
(updated 2/13/07)

Continue reading some novels/short story collections from one of the following authors in preparation for your research paper:

F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mark Twain
Willa Cather
Edith Wharton
Langston Hughes
Alice Walker
Walt Whitman
Sandra Cisneros

 

Read the following:

Lester:        Chapter 5 (Collecting Data Outside the Library), p. 77-86

Kirszner:    P. 51-67, 71-81,   Page 82, question #2  Answer your question on the discussion link AND respond to/comment on at least one other student's answer.  (p. 82 is "visual text" from the Spider-Man comic book.  Question #2 asks about the visual elements that link the panels and verbal transitions together.)

Write a narrative essay and email it to me.  Select assignment one, two or three from page 88, "Writing Workshop."    (For the narrative essay:  Choose one of the choices under "Writing Workshop" following the essay "Only Daughter.")   It wouldn't hurt to have a tutor look at your paper.  For those of you who are emailing one another, you might want to trade papers to get some feedback.  This is ALWAYS helpful!

Use the following checklist for your essay.  Please note that all items may not apply to your narrative essay.

1.  Write a title.
2.  Write a thesis statement.  (Write this in all capital letters.)
3.  Which of the following items did you use in your introduction:

        Identify the subject
        Thesis sentence.
        Background information.
        Review of any appropriate literature.
        Quotations from sources.
        Challenge to an assumption.
        A Brief summary.
        Statistics.
        Definitions.

4.  Which of the following items did you use in your body:

        Chronology or plot summary.
        Comparison and contrast.
        Cause and effect.
        Classification of the issues.
        Definition of key terms.
        A process.
        Questions and answers.
        Evidence from the sources.

5.  Which of the following items did you use in your conclusion:

        Thesis with amplification.
        An effective quotation.
        Focus on an issue.
        A directive, solution, or compelling conclusion.
        Discussion of findings.

Narrative Essay and Prompt

     When you write a narrative essay, you are telling a story. Narrative essays are told from  a defined point of view, often the author's, so there is feeling, as well as specific and often sensory details, provided to get the reader involved in the elements and sequence of the story. The verbs are vivid and precise. The narrative essay makes a point and that point is often defined in the opening sentence, but can also be found as the last sentence in the opening paragraph. (For test taking purposes, it can be wise to put it first so that the person grading does not miss it.

     Since a narrative relies on personal experiences, it often is in the form of a story. When the writer uses this technique, he or she must be sure to include all the conventions of storytelling: plot, character, setting, climax, and ending. It is usually filled with details that are carefully selected to explain, support, or embellish the story. All of the details relate to the main point the writer is attempting to make.

(source:  http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/1437/narr.html)

     To summarize, the narrative essay

  • is told from a particular point of view
  • makes and supports a point
  • is filled with precise detail
  • uses vivid verbs and modifiers
  • uses conflict and sequence as does any story
  • may use dialogue

     For more information about narrative writing, visit:

     Here are some narrative choices that have some additional guidance provided for development:

Here are some additional topics which may be useful.



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