Prof. Ruth Garcia
English 1101, semester
Unit 1: Literacy Narrative Writing Assignment (1000-word minimum)
Due: xx/xx/xx
Assignment
In class we have read, discussed, and analyzed Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” Malcolm X’s “Learning to Read,” and Sandra Cisneros’ “Only Daughter.” In these narratives, the writers discuss their educational journey—the way their experiences affect their education and shapes their career choices/professional interests, the way they feel about education, and their understanding of the world around them. In addition, in the “Allegory of the Cave,” Plato likens leaving the cave to the painful experience of TRUE education, while being trapped in the cave and being force-fed the shadows on the wall is something of a false education.
Now, for this assignment you will use these writers as models and write an education narrative of your own. You should write a narrative focused on one of the following:
- A moment, person, and/or experience that led you to choose your major and shaped your interest in your chosen field.
- An experience, or inter-related series of experiences, that shaped how you viewed or experienced education.
- An experience in your educational journey thus far that changed how you felt or thought about something important to you.
- With Plato and your own experiences in mind, write a narrative in which you show what to you is a true education and explain how it relates to Plato’s ideas.
In developing your narrative, and regardless of which focus you choose, you should reflect on your experience and the significance of your story. As you write, you should also keep in mind Mike Bunn’s “How to Read Like a Writer” and think about your purpose and audience as these will help you makes decisions about your content, style, and tone.
You will be graded on:
- Your ability to develop an overall point/significance for your narrative.
- Concrete, significant detail (are you painting us a picture?)
- Focused event (did you focus on one event or connected, series of events?)
- The thoughtfulness of your reflections (is there a point?)
- The carefulness of your proofreading and organization You should be able to explain the choices you made.
- Word count: At least 1000 words!
- Whether or not it’s on time
