essay

A narrative is a personal experience, a story that serves to communicate some insight to the reader about the writer’s experiences, feelings, values, etc. A meaningful narrative is more than a list of things that happened, a meaningful narrative makes a point. The purpose of this assignment is for you to draw upon your own memory, your own life experiences, to tell your audience a story that will be meaningful as it gives them some insight into being an outsider to a majority. For this assignment you will write a personal narrative. This paper will probably rely heavily on description, primarily because it is difficult, if not impossible, to tell a story effectively without providing your reader with some concrete details. In addition, a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. When you write, your audience for the paper will be to address students in junior high. Think of typical junior high/middle school students (12-14 years old) as the people who will get the most out of your story. Think about a time in your life when you were made to feel different from others, when you were in the minority, when you were discriminated against. This difference/discrimination may have occurred because of race, gender, sexual orientation, where you live, age, socio-economic status, religion, or physicality. It may have occurred because of something you said, a belief you possessed and expressed, the way you dressed, where you lived, and so forth. If you feel that you have never been in a minority or a victim of discrimination, you may write about a time when you witnessed another person in that situation. Questions to consider as you plan, write, and revise: What happened? How did you feel after the incident? How do you feel now? What do you want your audience to learn from the narrative you are relating? What did you learn? How did it change your views, contribute to the person you are today, change your behavior, etc.? It is extremely important that you use detail and specific examples for this paper. Your paper should be 700-1000 words