Topic: The Long Run
This essay should present a story (a narration) about your plans and concerns for the future. What are your plans? Maybe you already have a clear vision of what you hope to do in the future from both a career and personal perspective, or maybe you don’t; either way, are there issues that concern you? And, either way, since we really aren’t sure what the future holds, being flexible is helpful, but If you can identify areas of concern, you can better prepare for them. For my generation, computers were a big change that effected many people’s work lives and made some of people very anxious.
What do you expect to be very different in your future? Some things that may be different include a much more global workplace, global warming and its effects, significant job automation, or demand for more family-time for parents including mothers and fathers, or the evolving values of a new, younger generation.
This is a narration/description assignment, so be sure to include the following in your essay:
Vivid sensory description. Describe aspects of your story and your story characters using vivid, specific sensory description including how they sound, look, smell, feel, or taste.
Other rhetorical methods: add examples, comparisons, contrasts, brief instructions of how something was accomplished, causes, or effects if they will help your readers get a deeper understanding of story events and how they impacted your life.
The story’s lesson. All good stories have a lesson. Many stories are used to teach. What lesson will be most important when preparing for the future? A good place to explicitly present your story’s lesson is in your story’s conclusion.
Create a compelling story title and center it above your first paragraph.
If you would like to review the rhetorical methods: The Writer’s Toolkit: Rhetorical Methods download
Grading will be based on:
A clearly presented narration that includes transitions download
Depth of story / insights presented / some research into work places or families of the future
Vividness of descriptions
Basic sentence structure (proofread to eliminate fragments, comma splices, and fused sentences)
Quality of editing (is all needed detail included? are terms your reader may not understand briefly defined? Use your spelling and grammar checker to identify and correct errors before submitting your essay on Canvas)
Attention to assignment directions (Titles, page headers, word count)
Objectives:
To learn and practice elements of high-quality writing:
Understanding the assignment
Invention (Brainstorming)
Research
Audience Analysis / Assumptions
Thesis development
Essay organization / Outline / Transitions
Revision and proofreading
To practice weaving the rhetorical methods (processes) into your writing:
Narration
Description
Definition
Examples
Causes / Effects
Comparisons / Contrasts
Process Analysis (Instructions)
Argument
To learn and discuss rhetorical methods:
Narration download
Description download
To learn and implement important writing strategies, particularly those that are essential for
Narration essays:
Telling a coherent story
Using a story to make a point or teach a lesson
Description essays:
Using words to vividly describe the five senses
Using description to evoke compelling, affecting memories of other places and times.
Writing objectively when reporting or when writing scientific or technical essays
Required Titles and Headings:
Headings: The following MLA format must be used for your heading:
Top left of page one: Example:
Your Name Abigail Anderson
Course Name (section) English 015 (section 621)
Submission Date July 8, 2021
Assignment Title Essay 1: Narration/Description
Top right header on all subsequent pages:
Your last name, page number Anderson 1 (on page one)
Anderson 2 (on page two)
Essay title
Center over introductory paragraph.
Additional Requirements:
One thousand word minimum / Include word count at end of essay
Underline your thesis download
12 point font
Double-spaced
1” margins on all sides
