Writing Assignment: Letter to a Person from the Future

Assignment Overview

This class starts with a letter to a person from the future—and will help us to find our way into the academic discourse via our own unique positions. For this paper, you are writing about the future based on your own experience in the past and present. You may not know about all of the facts surrounding this issue but you have evidence that comes from observation, memory, family stories, learned detail and others’ experiences. From this information, you will find a position on the what aspect of society will change for the better. Support this position using personal narrative from the past and present, and then utilize personal opinion for the prediction of the future.

In order to narrow your topic, be sure to answer the following questions in your essay:
-Choose someone to write to—a future child, yourself, your partner, your loved one. This person should be your audience, but remember that the voice, diction, tone and content should be appropriate for an academic audience.
-What aspect of society are you writing about? Some possibilities include immigration, education, healthcare, wage/wealth disparity, corruption/transparency, gender/racial discrimination, environment, climate, transportation, manufacturing, economic development, community building, etc.
-What place in the world are you discussing? Be as specific as possible—name the country, the region, state or province, the city or town, and even the community.
-Who will be affected? What are their ages, their genders, their religions, their nationalities, etc.
-What will be the causes and effects of this change?
-Is this revolutionary or evolutionary change?
-What kind of personal history or experience do you have with this aspect of society that informs this position? Can you find personal evidence rooted in the past and present that inform your prediction of the future?
-Why is this the issue you feel compelled to write about?

Process:
1.Outline:
Before you begin writing the letter, consider an organizational strategy for this work, ensuring that you don’t repeat your ideas, that you have a strong thesis driving the letter, and each paragraph has a strong, connected controlling idea.
2.Rough Draft
Compose a rough draft of the letter that answers the topic question using a combination of personal evidence, personal narrative and personal opinion. This rough draft should demonstrate your clear thesis statement and organizational strategy. Total 1000 words.

3.Final Draft
Revise the rough draft based on our peer review in class. Ensure your paper is clear of mechanical and grammatical errors. Also, ensure your paper is clearly organized, has a strong position, and you support this position using evidence.


Assignment Evaluation: Narrative essays, letters, and personal opinion must have a narrow focus and a thesis that is meaningful to your readers. Without a narrow focus, your essay becomes a series of events all of which are equally important, or unimportant. Without a thesis that is meaningful to readers, your essay becomes a diary entry. Vivid detail from observation and remembrance improve the letter.

Beginning with a narrative from the past or present, remember to include a clear beginning, middle and end. A clear chronological order and skillful transitions aid readers in recreating your experience.

When projecting into the future, make sure your letter has a strong position that drives the your writing toward a conclusion. The fact that this is subjective evidence must be taken into account. Context matters when positioning yourself in a particular narrative. Papers also should be nearly free of mechanical and typographical erro