ENG 101 Milestone 1 Workshop: Reflective Essay

Alyx Chandler, Learning Support Writing Specialist

achandler9@nl.edu

Learning Support at National Louis University

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Tracy Kaske, Learning Support Writing Specialist

tkaske@nl.edu

Learning Support at National Louis University

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OBJECTIVES

Students will:

• Understand and break down the components of the essay prompt
• Analyze excerpts of a sample essay for throughlines and effective descriptive details
• Grade sample essay using rubric
• Brainstorm specific moments and descriptive details to include in their essay

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MILESTONE 1 ESSAY PROMPT

Write a personal essay reflecting on your past, present, and future. Consider the following questions:

• What were some of the more important details and experiences from your past that have made you the person you are today?
• What do you want others to understand about who you are and what you are doing in your current stage of life?
• Finally, project your imagination into the future. What do you see yourself doing in 5, 10, or 20 years? How do your past experiences and present stage of life connect to your goals for the future?

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MILESTONE 1 ESSAY PROMPT

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Optional Challenge:

• Choose an abstract term and describe how each stage of your life connects to that term. Examples: Perhaps you have always had a passion for “justice.”

Describe how this passion was cultivated in your past, what you’re doing today to seek justice, and what you see yourself doing in the future to continue fighting for justice.

• OR perhaps you have always felt a sense of “chaos” in your life. Describe how this chaos affected your past, how it’s manifesting in your present, and what (if any) chaos you envision in your future.
• OR perhaps you have always had a strong sense of “imagination.” Describe how you developed your imagination in your past, how your imagination plays a role in your life today, and how you see your sense of imagination impacting your future.

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Milestone 1 Essay Prompt 2

• Reflect on a time you learned an important life lesson. Summarize that life lesson and describe how you learned it in a narrative essay.
• Questions to help you brainstorm:
• What is a defining experience that shaped your outlook on life?
• Is there a time you made a mistake and learned from it?
• If you could share a life motto, what would it be? How did you form this life motto?

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Milestone 1 Essay Prompt 2 Cont.

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Optional Challenge:

• Choose an abstract term and describe how it’s connected to the life lesson you learned. Examples: Perhaps you made a mistake and someone showed you “forgiveness,” which led you to form the belief that it’s best to forgive others when they’ve wronged you.
• OR perhaps you went through a time when you were feeling sad, and comedy shows brought you joy, leading you to recognize the power of “humor.”
• OR perhaps you traveled to another place, leading you to recognize that experiencing another “culture” is an excellent way to learn about the world and yourself.

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MILESTONE 1 ESSAY PROMPT CONT’D

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Be sure to organize your essay thoughtfully into multiple paragraphs with focused topics. Will you organize your essay chronologically or use flashbacks and flashforwards?
• Don’t try to capture everything that has happened, is happening, or will happen to you. Instead, consider choosing specific and important moments or “scenes” to illustrate your past, present, and future.
• Include an introduction as well as a conclusion. Consider using your introduction and/or conclusion to show how various moments from your past, present, and future are all connected. In other words, what’s the throughline?

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MILESTONE 1 ESSAY PROMPT CONT’D

• Proofread your writing carefully for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Read your essay aloud to yourself to catch any errors you may have missed.

Download Grammarly premium for free here!

THE FINE PRINT:

• Your essay should be 1000 words (typically 4 pages including a process page) in length and double-spaced in an appropriate font (e.g. Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial). Submit your essay to the Milestone 1 assignment dropbox before the due date.

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HOW CAN I ADD DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS?

• Dialogue
• Small moments
• Sensory details - colors, tastes, smells, etc.
• Inner thoughts
• Figurative language
• Precise language
• Chronological and spatial details
• Examples
• Show, don’t tell - this should not be written as a list! Let your reader imagine your experiences as if they were there.

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Descriptive detail: Chronology

When did it happen? Make sure your reader understands when they events happened and how they connect.

Sequence/Order:

first, second, third, … next, then, finally

Time:

after, afterward, at last, before, currently, during, earlier, immediately, later, meanwhile, now, recently, simultaneously, subsequently, then

Verb Tense:

Present perfect: I have lived… (started in the past, still happening)

Past perfect: I had lived... (started in the past, stopped in the past before another event)

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WHAT IS A THROUGHLINE?

Definition: a theme or idea that runs from the beginning to the end of a book, film, essay, etc.

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What are examples of throughlines/connecting themes from your favorite TV shows / movies / songs / albums / books? �

• Who here has read the short memoir “Superman and Me”? (Give me a thumbs up emoji.)
• What could be the possible throughline of Alexie’s “Superman and Me” essay?
• Remember this is not a summary of the plot, but rather a summary of theme/connections.

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BRAINSTORMING A THROUGHLINE

In the chat, write:

• When your reader walks away from your essay, what do you want them to understand about you?

*This can turn into your throughline!

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EXAMPLE INTRODUCTION WITH THROUGHLINE

Running From My Past

I have always tried to avoid my past. For so long I tried to run away from it, to escape the reality of my situation and I realized that I can no longer do that. I cannot deny something that has shaped me and molded me into the person I am today. I disliked sharing my story because I hated the pity that people had for me. They would see me differently once they became aware of my past, and I did not want to be treated differently. I understand now that the severity of my situation was a lot for a six-year-old to understand and for a very long time I could not process my trauma. It was not until recently that I managed to process what happened to me. My past limited me, and to this day it still defies me. Now I understand that bad things happen to everyone. People take their past and let it shape them, it is up to each individual to make the best of their situation, much like I have learned to do.

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EXAMPLE BODY PARAGRAPH WITH DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS

“¿Quieren ir a Chicago a visitar a su abuela?” she asked in a soft whisper. My sister and I turned to each other excitedly. Of course, we wanted to go visit our grandmother whom we had never met before, especially because she was in a different country. She was in El Otro Lado. The Other Side. The journey to Chicago was long, especially without my mother to comfort me. My sister and I traveled with coyotes, who were paid to smuggle people across the border. We made frequent stops and met families who were also immigrating into the U.S. in hopes of more opportunities. I never thought traveling to another country for safety was illegal. When we arrived at the small Chicago apartment in the south side, we were met by a tall tan woman. She greeted us warmly with her loud booming voice, I recognized that voice as the one my mother had spoken so sadly to.

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IDENTIFYING THE THROUGHLINE IN A BODY PARAGRAPH

Junior year of high school was especially tough. While all my classmates were looking into schools, I was turning in mediocre work. My teachers constantly told me, “you have so much potential, you are a bright young woman” yet I continued to procrastinate and make my situation an excuse to not try. I struggled with my grades and my person life. I was constantly depressed, and I skipped meals often. I found out my mother was ill. She had been diagnosed with Lupus, and there was no way I could visit her throughout her illness. Lupus was hard on my mother, she lost her hair, she had bad reactions to her medications often, she would get rashes on her face from the disease. One late December day at school, I received a phone call. My mother was, yet again, hospitalized except this time it was much more severe. She had a bad reaction to her Lupus medication, and nearly had a heart attack. I did not know how to process this. I often bottled my emotions and kept them that way until something was too much to bear. My mother’s sickness took a toll on me, I pushed people away, and I had no one to talk to. I was forced to talk to a school counselor, who I strongly disliked. She did not know what to tell me. And often told me that my situation “could be worse.” I wanted to run away from my situation once more. It seemed like all my life I kept running. Running away from my past, my mistakes, my emotions.

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EXAMPLE CONCLUSION WITH THROUGHLINE

For the first time I felt proud of myself. I was one of three people in my graduating class to receive a full ride to college. I know that with a degree in communications I will be able to help people who were once in my shoes, lost, and in need of someone to relate to. I want to be able to guide the undocumented youth and help them pursue their dreams. I know it will be a long road to the success that I strive for, but I am tired of running away from my past. I will continue to grasp my past and I will continue to have it shape my future, and mold me into the strong Mexican woman I am.

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Rubric -- Written Communication

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Rubric -- Written Communication

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Rubric -- Analysis

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Rubric -- Throughline

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YOUR TURN TO PRACTICE!

Now that we’ve seen an example of how you can develop descriptive details and connect everything with a throughline, let’s do some brainstorming of our own!

• First, identify the throughline that will connect all of your ideas.
• Next, write a scene from your past, present, or future that connects to the ideas in the throughline.
• Consider where you might want to add dialogue or descriptive details.
• Add a first and last sentence that connects to the throughline.

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LEARNING SUPPORT AT NATIONAL LOUIS UNIVERSITY

Want extra help?

• Make an appointment to meet with a Learning Support Specialist here

or drop in to Study Tables, which meets Monday-Friday 1-5 pm, to work with a Peer Tutor or Specialist

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• Submit your essay to the Drop Off Essay and Assignment service here to be reviewed by a Learning Support Specialist and receive feedback within 2-3 business days

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• Reach out if you have any other questions or learning needs: learn@nl.edu

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