Bildungsroman Memoir

A bildungsroman is a story of education and formation, a story that deals with the maturation of the protagonist and struggles he or she encounters along the way. Through the course of the story, the character undergoes several experiences that educate him or her about the nature of the world and his or her own personality so that, by the end of the story, the character has reached a new level of wisdom. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Ryeare great examples of bildungsromans.

For this assignment, you are going to compose a narrative essay about your own growth as a person. The specifics and requirements for this assignment are:

  1. You should focus on one important experience in which you encountered a challenging situation and, by dealing with it, grew as a person. You could focus on a time you broke an expectation and the encountered consequences, a time when you stood up for the truth despite opposition, a time when you were disappointed by someone important to you, a time when you faced a challenge and failed, a time when you dealt with or witnessed an instance of prejudice or discrimination, etc.
  2. Consider the literary elements of your writing. Remember, you want to transport your reader to the time and place of this defining moment in your maturation, so you should attempt to incorporate imagery (visual, aural, olfactory, tactile, and gustatory). Additionally, consider elements such as characterization, plot pacing, setting, and dialogue.
  3. Since this is a narrative, you should use a voice and writing style that is uniquely your own. Consider such elements as diction (formal vs. informal word choice), sentence structure (complex vs. simple), syntax (grammatical structure of sentences), language (abstract or concrete), mood (the atmosphere you create for the reader), tone (your attitude toward the topic you write about as revealed through your language choices), theme (your implied observation about human nature and behavior), etc.
  4. Your narrative must be a minimum of 2 ½ pages typed according to MLA conventions (Times New Roman, 12-point font, double spaced, one-inch margins, heading on the first page, header at the top of each consecutive page).
  5. There will be several days of class time dedicated to working on this assignment; however, a great deal of the drafting process must be completed before coming to class. Meeting deadlines is your job; therefore, it is unacceptable to use technology issues (no access to a computer, computer crashes, the printer’s out of ink, my pet chinchilla ate the computer wires, a zombie apocalypse, etc.) as an excuse for not having your work. Work ahead to decrease the likelihood of missing a deadline.
  6. The final paper is worth 100 points and is due by the end of class on Friday, November 6. You will also be evaluated on your mastery of the writing process.

Tentative Assignments and Deadlines:

PrewritingThursday, October 2210 points (Process)

First DraftMonday, October 2610 points (Process)

Second DraftMonday, November 210 points (Process)

Writing Self-EvaluationMonday, November 210 points (Product)

Writing Peer-EvaluationTuesday, November 310 points (Product)

Final PaperFriday, November 6100 points (Product)

Writing Process GradeFriday, November 620 points (Process)

Writing Reflection LetterMonday, November 950 points (Product)