EWC4UWriter’s CraftFiction
Eulogy
I know you’ve spent the last few days lovingly creating your character from scratch....paying attention to details, favourites, faults, and charming peculiarities. Maybe you really like this person now. Hopefully you feel like you really know them. Sorry.
I’m going to kill them. That’s right. They’re dead. Sorry.
Here’s the good news: you’ve been selected to write the eulogy.
A eulogy is a speech delivered at a funeral. It is meant to capture the spirit of the deceased, as opposed to taking the audience event by event through the person’s life. It is spoken in the first person, from the perspective of someone close to the individual, with the purpose of memorializing and celebrating the deceased, while remembering their humanity and fallibility. I find the best eulogies combine humour, sentimentality, and sincerity. They work because the speaker talks about the person as they really were, not as an idealized version of themselves. You’ve really got to know someone to be able to write their eulogy.
So, your assignment:
You will compose a 500 - 750 word speech about the life, passions, triumphs, trials, and legacy of your character. Even thought it’s a speech, it should be typed, double spaced, and conscientiously proofread.
Knowledge and Understanding /10
- your eulogy is of appropriate length, and includes specific details about your character that rounds them out as an authentic and realistic person. Content matches purpose, and the major dominant traits of this individual are readily apparent.
Thinking /10
- you made sensitive, sensible, and intelligent decisions about what you include, and what you say about your character’s life and how he/she should be remembered. You successfully paint a picture of WHO this person was, what they meant to people, and what legacy they leave behind. You effectively control the audience’s emotions.
Communication /10
- you write with elegance, eloquence, and purpose. You have no careless errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. You vary the length and type of your sentences, and have solid sentence structure. Your voice is well established.
Application /10
- you apply the details you composed and developed about your character in an effective way. You make use of the writing tips and techniques we’ve practiced thus far in the course. Sincere effort, planning, and editing are apparent.