Your first essay in 1301 asks you to write about an object that carries personal meaning—something that emblematizes (represents, stands for) something important in your life. Through description, narrative, and reflection, you'll show readers not just what the object looks like, but what it means. Check your schedule for specific due dates and length requirements.
Format and citation style: MLA. Check Writing down the Basics and your schedule for MLA formatting help.
Assignment
- Essay 1 Assignment and Prewritings PDF Read this first. Contains all requirements, prompts, and grading criteria.
Prewritings
Check your schedule for assigned readings from A Writer's Reference and Writing down the Basics. The online readings below support your work on description, narrative, and personal essays.
Online Readings
- Descriptive Essays Purdue OWL — overview of descriptive writing strategies.
- Writing Narrative Personal Essays PDF
- Creative Non-Fiction: An Overview Purdue OWL — useful background on the personal essay as a form.
- Getting Feedback UNC Writing Center — how to make the most of peer review and revision.
These essays were written by students in ENGL 1301 and are shared here with their permission. Read a few before you draft—notice how each writer uses a specific object to get at something larger about their life. 54 essays
Student Essays
- Aburn Fur
- A Defining of Character
- A Drift in Time
- A Hammer and Tape Measure
- A Stormy Memory
- A Not-So-Hidden Treasure
- A Ride Back in Time
- A Second-Hand Bike
- Alligator Green
- All Summer Long
- Almost Taylor Swift
- Angelic Redwood
- Bent out of Shape
- Buried Treasure
- Chasing a Dream
- Connecting with History
- Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend
- Drawing Love
- Fishing for Memories
- Footprints to Shadow
- Generations of Polish
- Grace is a Gift
- Grand Old Piano
- Guillotine of Love
- His Name is Rex
- I'll Always Have
- Iron Patience
- It's Hot in Here
- Just Like Papi Guero
- Lead the Way
- Let Love Ring
- Mahogany Violin
- Microphonic Adolescence
- More than a Blanket
- More than Just Tortillas
- Music Heals
- My First, Hopefully My Last, My Everything
- Not Only Sunflowers
- Premature
- Prodigal Daughter
- Seasoning a Bond
- She Makes Me Think of Pancakes
- Sherry
- Simple 14k
- That Round Piece of Rubber
- The Hand-Me-Downs
- The Hurtful Victory
- The Olive Branch
- The Port
- The Smallest Comfort
- The Sound of My Rose
- The Sweetness of Long, Hard Work
- Threads of Sunshine
- Tool of War
- True Wealth is Measured in Gumballs
- Where the Magic Came From
- Writing My Life