write either a Narrative or a Process paper—NOT both.
Narrative options: Choose from one of the following options:
a) Many of you have what is properly called a “vocation”—literally, in Latin, a “calling”—the strong feeling or belief that you are meant to do some particular thing in or with your life. Relate the moment or event when you realized what your vocation is. Provide context as needed, but be sure to focus on that moment or event. Keep in mind two things as you think about this prompt: a) “Vocation” is not necessarily the same thing as “career”; b) “vocation” traditionally has associations with religion, but what I’m speaking of here does not necessarily have to do with religion.
b) This prompt asks you to think, then write about, your understanding of how you fit in (or not) with the culture or society in which you find yourself.
First, find a photograph from the year you were born(2003). It can be well-known or brand-new to you; it can be from a place you know well, or from a place you’ve never been; etc.(i live in kansas) The two most important attributes the photo you choose must have are 1) It should not be a picture of you or of family or people you know personally, nor should it have been taken by a family member or someone you know; and 2) Whatever its specific subject, the picture should encourage you to think about some important aspect of the world into which you were born.
briefly describing what is in the image (and be sure to include a copy of it with your paper), should then talk about what the image makes you think about with regard to your understanding of the version of the world it signifies, and how you fit into that version (or not). One simple way of approaching this is by asking yourself, in essence, “Do I agree with what this picture is showing me or implying to me? Why or why not?”
c) We are reading several pieces this semester in which the writer describes, in various ways, the power of education to transform a person’s life. In the case of the Keller and Douglass pieces, each writer reveals that the idea of Education is a very broad one indeed, including learning how to see and the acquisition of language, and how they each provide the individual a fuller entrance into the human world. Write a narrative in which you recount an event which finally and irrevocably changed (for good or ill) your way of thinking about Education. This event could be something that occurred to you personally, or it could be something you observed in a family member or friend. Provide context as needed, but your goal is to focus on recounting that one moment for your reader.
d) (Place Prompt) Places—spaces that are meaningful to us—become that way because of sets of associations with them that we collect as memories over time. Many of those memories are narratives. For this prompt, relate a story (or a collection of shorter narratives unified by a theme) that to your mind serves to define something essential about the place you described in your first paper. It doesn’t have to be some drama-filled sequence of events; all it has to be is the sort of story or stories of which you should be able to say, “This is why this place matters to me.”
Process options:
a) Think of something you know how to make or do well, and describe for your reader the process by which you make or do it. You can describe such things as a favorite recipe (that you make from scratch), a regular task that you perform at work or at home or in a social setting, etc. Be sure to think carefully about—and include—information on this task that those not familiar with it might need to know: materials required, if any; the steps needed and, as necessary, why they are important; etc. Above all, though, be sure to explain to your reader why it is you want to share this information with him or her.
b) (Place Prompt) Draw a map of the place you wrote about for your description paper, and write a paper in which you tell why you chose to include the things you did on it. You can hand-draw it or plot it with a computer; just be sure to make it as neatly as possible and include it with your paper. Whatever you do, though, do not simply cut and paste a Google Maps screenshot of the place: The map should be your creation. The map should of course include and name physical objects; however, being that place is defined as “a meaningful space,” keep in mind that what makes a place meaningful are events that occur there. Thus, your map should also indicate locations where moments occurred that are of importance to you. As a well-known example what I mean, look online for William Faulkner’s map of Yoknapatawpha County, the fictional place in Mississip