WR 121 Summer 2008 Michael Dembrow, Instr.

ESSAY #1: A “Family” Ritual

In your first extended essay for this course, I'd like you to look to your own experience and present the reader with a portrait of your family, from the past or from the present (and “family” can include a group of comrades who are not in fact blood relatives), engaged in some sort of "ritual"--i.e., something that your family did or does not just once, but frequently. You might think of a ritual dinner (e.g., Thanksgiving, or Passover, or Christmas), or some activity that your family would do on a regular basis (a camping trip, a day at the park, volunteer work at a shelter, a pro-war or anti-war rally).

Your goal here is to bring one facet of your family environment to life. This can be immediate family, extended family, or a long-standing circle of friends. It can be a good time or a not-so-good time. I’m thinking of Maya Angelous’s story, “Graduation,” or the story that Frank McCourt tells in his autobiography, Angela’s Ashes, where the experience of his father coming home drunk to a desperate family was unfortunately all too frequent a family ritual. Don't feel that you have to gloss over the little (or huge) tensions that exist in all families. On the other hand, if your goal is to relive a completely happy experience, that's fine too.

What is most important in this essay is that you tell your story as clearly and thoroughly as possible. Of course, you can't tell all the potential stories of your fascinating life so far, but choose one that really exemplifies your point and go into it in detail. Even there, you probably won't have time to tell all of the story with all of its background. You'll have to select.

Put yourself in your reader's shoes--what questions will s/he have, what does s/he need to know to see your point? Think in terms of details--the place (what does it look like, smell like, feel like), the people involved (same thing). Your goal is to bring your reader inside your head as much as possible. Don't be afraid to be specific about names (of people and places).

If you can make a connection between your story and one of the essays that we’ve read, excellent! Making this kind of connection is not essential, but if you are able to do it, great. In any case, you will want to make some kind of final commentary about the experience in your conclusion.

We'll have a draft workshop on this paper next Tuesday, July 1. You should have a complete, typed draft on that day. I'll be collecting your draft, will make revision suggestions, and will have it back for you on Thursday, July 3. The final draft will be due on the following Thursday.

Length: 1,000 words (c. 4 typed pages)

First Typed Draft Due: Tuesday, July 1

Final Typed Draft Due: Thursday, July 10

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