**This assignment can be about whomever, does not have to be personal to me**
In this descriptive essay, you will focus on a person who is significant to you. It is your job to convey your ideas about this person through your clear and vivid description of him/her and through the way that you lay things out for your reader. A reader would expect to know what the person looks like and who he/she is through his/her actions and behavior. This essay needs to have meaning and a strong sense of purpose so that the reader knows why you are writing about this person, why they are significant.
How do we describe people? We describe people through examples and through stories. Without examples or stories for support, an essay that just said “He is X, he is Y” would make the reader wonder “How do I know that Brice is a sweetheart or that Megan hilarious?” But if you tell us Brice remembers birthdays, called you when you were sick, now we believe that he is kind or thoughtful. Or, if you say that Megan was always cracking jokes at the worst moment or pulling pranks, THEN we’d would believe how funny she is. Readers love a good story as much as we do a good solid description full of detail.
This essay should include:
1) Purpose & a Dominant Impression
Help the reader to understand why this person is meaningful to you
Avoid giving the reader too much to “look” at. Try to create a main idea for your reader so he/she understands your experience as well as your purpose for writing the essay. (This doesn’t mean that you make your person out as one-dimensional, but telling us 7 different stories that lead to different meanings will confuse a reader.)
A dominant impression can sometimes include contradictions.
2) Concrete, Sensory Details that Are Significant
Use the five senses to depict this person engage the reader, to paint a picture, or create a feeling in the reader.
Choose details that reveal personality. Prioritize unique features.
You can express your ideas about this person in a unique way by using figurative language, such as simile, metaphor or personification.
3) Examples or “telling moments”
Use examples or brief stories to show the person’s personality and to connect to your thesis, your main idea that you want to share about the person you chose.
Requirements:
3 pages
Times New Roman 12
MLA format (see *Note)
Tips for writing/extra help:
Reread some of the readings we will study in this class to see how they structure their pieces or use description.
See more examples of description! Go to Description Unit Handouts & Help
Use the writing exercises for inspiration or look at the Discussion Board to see how others are tackling description
See me or the Writing Center for extra help.
* Note: See MLA folder in Resources for “How to Format a Paper in MLA” (MLA/formatting is not just for research papers, but for every paper you will write in this class.)
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|