Descriptive Essay Submission

Part I: Childhood Memory 

Write two paragraphs describing a vivid childhood memory. The topic sentence for the first paragraph should be something like: When I was a child, my environment nurtured me physically and emotionally/ limited me/ deprived me. 

Focus on sensory details that set a specific mood and tone. Make sure the reader understands that you lived in an environment over which you had little control and that your perspective of your surroundings was limited, much like the inside of Plato’s Cave.

Conclude the second paragraph with a sentence like: My childhood environment was not chosen by me, nor controlled by me. 

Part II. Transition

Think back to Your Coming Out of the Cave quiz. Identify people (at least one person) who is either guiding you upward or accompanying you on an upward journey. Write one paragraph introducing that person to your reader. If you determined in your quiz that you don’t know anyone currently who fills this role, describe the kind of person you are looking for who would be a good guide. 

Part III: Vision for the Future

Write a two-paragraph vivid description of your vision for the future. The topic sentence for the first paragraph should be something like: As an adult, I strive to create an environment for myself that nurtures me physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Write supporting sentences with sensory details. Help your reader understand the conceptual truths the sensory details represent. For example, a luxurious apartment in New York City represents a booming career. A healthy garden in the backyard represents off-the-grid self-reliance.

Emphasize your control over your future environment, which is the most significant difference between your childhood memory and this vision of the future.

Conclude the second paragraph with a sentence like: My adult environment is, or will be, chosen by me and controlled by me. 

Part IV: Conclusion

Write one to two paragraphs communicating the following points: 

Point 1: The environment as a child is similar to/different from the environment as an adult in several ways. 

Point 2: Your journey from the former to the latter is going well/could be better. 

Point 3: It’s going well thanks to…

OR

To make things better I plan to…

Point 4: My expectations for the future include further discovery and a clearer understanding of the real world, of which I am a real and influential part.

Sources

Include one direct quotation from Jack London’s story “To Build a Fire.” Click the picture below to access the story. Cite the website The Art of Manliness as your source.