Johnson/ENG 111
Assignment 1: Border Narrative

 A narrative tells a story. It is usually (but not always) told in chronological order, in the past tense, about a single incident or event.

Think about a border that you have crossed. In narrative form, describe that event. (You can give the reader some background, but try to restrict your narrative to the description of a single event.) Remember our goal of producing revised writing that is Clear, Concise, and Vivid. You will want to provide details to make the description Vivid, but remember to be as Clear and Concise as possible.

 After you have written your first draft of the event, consider in your revisions the implications of that border crossing. Use your critical skills to analyze the crossing. Explain why the crossing was significant for you; what is its larger meaning?

You should not respond to the following questions explicitly in your paper, but consider them as you rewrite your draft:

            What kind of border was it?

Was the crossing unexpected or long anticipated?

What was on either “side” of that border? (or were there more than two “sides”?)

What were the personal costs or advantages of crossing that particular border?

Why did you decide to cross the border?

What did you learn from the crossing?

How did the crossing affect other individuals in the story?

When you consider these questions and answer (some or all of) them, you are creating a theme and making it explicit to the reader. You don’t want your insights to sound like a moral (e.g. don’t take a shortcut through the woods), but make sure the reader understands the significance of this border crossing for you and, perhaps, for our culture.

Prewriting strategies:

1)      List five borders that you have crossed. Choose one.

2)      Make a list (or a map) of the important details of the crossing.

3)      On a separate sheet of paper or in a separate computer file, choose two of the “questions to consider” and write for three uninterrupted minutes on each of them. Refer to this text as you are writing your zero draft.

 Your paper should be 2-3 pages long (550-850 words) and conform to the paper guidelines stated in the syllabus. You do not need a cover sheet, but your paper does need a title.

 NB: Although this assignment is worth 10% of your final grade, students who fail to turn the assignment in cannot pass this course.

 First Draft (optional) Due: R 1/29 (HJ and HM) and M 2/2 (HE)

Final Draft Due: R 2/12 (HJ and HM) and T 2/17 (HE—Class Exchange Day)