Does the motivation/inspiration have a one-to-one correlation? Meaning, does the motivational/inspirational element only inspire you to behave, perform, or enjoy one thing?

Unit 1: Descriptive Cause and Effect Essay
Context
This essay will have you explore and explain the cause and effect of something that has a serious impact on our lives in the form of what motivates or inspires us. In this essay, you will be introduced to academic inquiry, where you investigate an assigned topic and assert your own voice through your essay. In a preliminary manner, you will begin to be familiarized with expository strategies of definition, classification, comparison/contrast, cause/effect.
Assignment Directions
This essay will have you explore what motivates or inspires you. Through this exploration, you will consider the effect that that motivation or inspiration has had on your life. Has the motivational/inspirational element caused you to behave in a certain way, perform certain actions, or enjoy certain activities? Has the impact been something else?
In your paper, you will consider the effect that this motivational/inspirational element has had on your life, and you will use specific details in the paper to support your claim concerning this impact. There are several ways that this topic can be approached. Some questions to keep in mind as you write this assignment are:
· Was there a particular event where a particular motivation/inspiration was first felt when you were a child or teenager? What impact did this have on your life? Your development?
· Is the motivational/inspirational element a person, place, or something else entirely? How often are you in contact with this element? Does it have to be constantly present in order to continue to motivate/inspire you?
· Does the motivation/inspiration have a one-to-one correlation? Meaning, does the motivational/inspirational element only inspire you to behave, perform, or enjoy one thing?
As an example, music is something that motivates me, but it doesn’t just motivate me to behave, perform, or enjoy something in one way. At times, music can motivate me in a way that makes me focus, work harder, relax, or act silly. The type of music is what influences the direction of my motivation.
Answering questions concerning the impact of a particular element can give you your working thesis/claim, and the story that you generate from the events in your life (for example, you can describe an event when you were very young, one when you were in middle school, and one you had last week to describe how your connection to this motivational/inspirational element has changed over time, or you can select one larger event that had an immediate and possibly momentous impact) will act as the evidence to support that claim/thesis.
Your claim/thesis will clearly indicate the impact, and you will use details from your life to provide the necessary evidence to prove a causal relationship.
Requirements
· Length: 1000 – 1200 words
· A strong sense of your purpose and audience
· Appropriate evidence from your life
· Specific details and effective storytelling
· A coherent organizational structure that supports your focus
· A clear connection of the effect that this motivational/inspirational element had on your life, using specific details in the paper to support your claim concerning this impact
Audience
Readers of a family newspaper.
Guidelines
You will want to think about strategies for crafting your assignment. A couple of strategies to consider are:
· Use the events from your life as a means to tell your story and support your claim. Don’t just focus on all of the details; use them as an avenue into your reflections and as evidence. This will be your biggest challenge for this assignment. Figure out how to do this part first, and the rest of your assignment will become much easier.
· Approach this assignment by focusing on two or three memorable events, and then see where your story goes. Your overall goal is to come up with a cohesive narrative that focuses on you and your life while supporting your claim.
Outcomes
1. To read and analyze your own life as a subject worthy of exploration, reflection, and analysis;
2. To establish a clear connection between seemingly isolated events from your past with your present;
3. To present your thoughts to your readers in a coherent and engaging way;
4. To write with a clear sense of purpose (a reader should be able to tell why you are writing and what you want them to understand as a result of reading your memoir);
5. To become a critical reader of your own writing.

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