ESSAY 1: Literacy Narrative/Poetics/Autoethnography

Now that you have familiarized yourself with Sherman Alexies and Gloria Anzalduas
literacy narratives, please read over the rubric which will be used to evaluate your own fabulous
texts. As we discussed in class, genre is a way in which we can begin to situate ourselves as
writers in a larger discourse.
We have discussed the literacy narrative genre, as well as the poetics and the
autoethnography. As we discussed, a literacy narrative does not necessarily mean a narrative of
your entrance into the discourse of language and writing, but can be based on social literacy
an entrance into the larger cultural and social sphere.
Your task in this essay will be to write a literacy narrative which
simultaneously acts as a poetics, or a theory of language/writing that, reflect[s] upon
writings, and upon the act of writing, gathering from the past and from others, speculatively
casting into the future,

or
a literacy narrative that is simultaneously an autoethnography as a form
of self-reflection and writing that explores the researcher's personal experience and connects
this autobiographical story to wider cultural, political, and social meanings and
understandings.
You will need to discover or specify a contact zone and the power relations which were
at work for either of these options. You will also need to refer to at least THREE class
readings for support. As a writer, you will be asked to use the rhetorical moves you see in the
texts you read in order to establish your own (that is, until you are ready to create your own).
As a reader of your narrative, I will be evaluating with focus on your understanding of the
following qualities: purpose, development, organization, voice/dialogue, diction, character
development and sentence structure.
Some things to consider:
Who is your audience? What rhetorical moves will you make to ensure that you reach
them?
What is the purpose of your argument? Remember that you will have a thesis for your
literacy narrative that broadens the scope of your narrative to include the larger
discourse. Your thesis should encompass the following:
main subject of your choosing + argument+ why/how it is important to the larger
discourse/world.
You have read authors with different styles of writing. While you do not have to imitate
them, it may be helpful to study their techniques and implement those you think work
in your own literacy narratives.
2,000 to 2,500 words
Your paper should follow MLA guidelines and should include a bibliography page.
Rough draft: due Sunday, 9/21
Final Draft: due Friday, 9/29

Rubric for Literacy

Narrative

FOCUS/PURPOSE

about literacy in the

writers life
that relate to the larger
point(s) of the
narrative

DEVELOPMENT

ORGANIZATION

VOICE/DIALOGUE
CHARACTERS
WORD CHOICE

(or points) about

literacy in the writers
life
details and events, but
some details and events
seem unrelated to
larger point(s)
of detail for audience
insufficient detail for
this event significant
audience
Includes reactions and made this event
critical reflections
significant
about the experience
and critical reflections
event helped the
about experience
student learn or grow
Provides some
as a writer
connections to wider
world
event helped the
student
components clearly and overall structure, but
effectively
some narrative
chronological order
components seem outof-place or
disconnected
chronological order
consistently conveyed
helped student grow as the literacy journey
a writer
literacy journey

1
(s) about literacy in the
writers life uncertain
selection and inclusion
of details and events

for audience
understanding
that made this event
significant
and critical reflections
about experience
Includes limited
connection wider world
event helped the
student
confusing order of
components
chronological order

the literacy journey