Narrative Essay Instructions
Format/Style: MLA (page number in top right margin with your last name, MLA header, original title, five paragraphs, and a Work Cited page)
Length: 2 (minimum) pages and a Work Cited page
Using the Social Identity Project and the readings from Let’s Talk: A Pocket Rhetoric, compose a five paragraph essay that discusses three of your identities. Your essay should be thesis driven and your three body paragraphs should coincide with the three main points of your thesis. Your claim should be argumentative. In other words, it should argue something about you
Your claim should answer ONE of the following questions:
What are the identities I think about the most often and why?
What are the identities that have the strongest effect on how I see myself as a person and why?
Be sure to avoid stereotypes when writing about your identities. You should also examine your own assumptions (pages 70-72 “Think About Your Own Beliefs” in Let’s Talk) about them as well.
Thesis statement templates
(feel free to use or modify one of these):
Remember, you should have a claim and three main points.
The identities I think about most often are my gender, my socio-economic class, and my age.
The identities that have the strongest effect on how I see myself as a person are my sexual orientation, my race, and my family structure.
Introduction Paragraph:
When composing your essay, you should begin with an introduction paragraph. The purpose of this paragraph is to introduce the general idea of identity and you. Begin the introduction with a hook (a sentence that draws your reader in). Using a reputable dictionary, define the term “identity.” Be sure to properly quote and include a Work Cited entry for the source. After you have introduced identity, spend a little time introducing yourself. You can use some of the information you wrote for the Social Identity Project. You WILL use “I” and “me” quite a bit in this essay. Do not refer to yourself in the third person. End your introduction paragraph with your thesis (see thesis templates above).
Body Paragraphs:
Each of your body paragraphs will discuss your overall claim and one of your main points. Begin the body paragraphs with a topic sentence. Be sure you not only identify which identity, but answer the “why” part of the question. In other words, if the first example thesis was your gender, your first body paragraph would be about how your gender is the identity you think about most often and why. Remember, this is an argumentative essay, so be sure the examples from your life are strong examples. Do not define the identity. You will not need any outside sources for the body paragraphs because they are about YOU.
Conclusion Paragraph:
After your three body paragraph, you will end with a conclusion paragraph. The purpose of the conclusion is simply to remind the reader of what they have learned from your essay. Restate your thesis in new words and with a new structure. Follow that with a short summary of each body paragraph. End your essay with a call to action (a sentence that sends the reader off to go use what they have learned).
Remember, your narrative essay is an academic essay, so be sure the tone is academic. This is not a creative writing assignment.
(I am caucassian, male, middle-class, and I am from United States but have lived in Italy with my family there. Some of my hobbies include playing games like Total War, programming, going to the beach, and being in nature. A good example of an example is that I am a thrill seeker and scurried up the side of a mountain off a path in Colorado to see the view from the top. You can make up examples, but please don’t make me sound like a maniac. If you need anymore help, just ask.)
Here is a outline for you to follow: (please note: each point may be multiple sentences)
MLA header
Original Title
Introduction paragraph
Hook – draw your reader in
Introduce and define identity
Introduce yourself
Thesis (claim and three main points
Body Paragraph #1 (first main point)
Topic sentence (paraphrase your claim and first main point)
Discuss which identity you chose here / Give an example from your life
Discuss the “why” portion
Repeat as needed (minimum of two examples)
(optional) Transition sentence
Body Paragraph #2 (second main point)
Topic sentence (paraphrase your claim and first main point)
Discuss which identity you chose here / Give an example from your life
Discuss the “why” portion
Repeat as needed (minimum of two examples)
(optional) Transition sentence
Body Paragraph #3 (third main point)
Topic sentence (paraphrase your claim and first main point)
Discuss which identity you chose here / Give an example from your life
Discuss the “why” portion
Repeat as needed (minimum of two examples)
(optional) Transition sentence
Conclusion
Restate your thesis (new words and new sentence structure)
Summarize body paragraph #3 (do not say, “in body paragraph 3,” just summarize it!)
Summarize body paragraph #2
Summarize body paragraph #1
Call to action
