Write a 2-4 page essay on one of the topics below –Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn? –Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea or when one of your beliefs was challenged from the outside. What prompted that challenge? How did the matter resolve itself? –Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. ———————————————————————————————————————————————————- Keep in mind: Your thesis or main point should always be clear. Don’t wonder off track or include unnecessary narrative or detail. For instance, if you woke up at 7:14 a.m. on the day of your wedding, although that specific time may be important to you, it doesn’t mean anything to the reader or add anything to your essay. If you want to emphasize that you got up early, merely state, “I got up early and……” Your main point should be insightful, not trite. Although you are telling a story, you the writer are now detached from that event/experience/revelation and should be able to write about it objectively, without emotion. That doesn’t mean your experience was devoid of emotion but that your telling of it is. Your approach should be analytic. At this later date, you should be able to look back at the experience with greater wisdom and insight. Also, even though this is a personal narrative, you are still expected to write in formal English. Don’t use slang, for instance, and edit for wordy, slack expressions. ——————— Follow the MLA format for heading, title, etc. Go to “Purdue OWL” to find a sample paper in MLA style.