Essay of Place: Definition

1. Essay of Place: Definition • A multi-paragraph memoir which narrates and describes the physical, emotional, and perhaps spiritual significances of a particular place out-of-doors. • The purpose—to improve your eye, to have fun, to show someone your emotions through writing, to practice skills that are worthwhile in any type of writing, but easiest to practice in this type of writing—personal and more creative than what you’ve probably written so far.

2. Choosing your favorite place • 7-minute brainstorming of important out-of-doors places on board—these places must be real. Suggestions can include childhood places, vacation spots, healing places (emotional), places that were especially remarkable or unusual. • ie, football field, elementary playground, Grandpa’s farm, your favorite hiking trail, etc. • Take out your “Where I’m From” draft. Read through those again, picturing the places, specifically, where your best memories occurred. • Then, choose one of those places that is most important to you. It should be a place outside. • It may be a place where you go when you’re upset, when you want to relax, when you want to remember, when you want to celebrate. • share these with a partner, then, as a class, explain the context and reasons for your choice—ie, why is this place more important than other places? • Jot down a favorite memory of that place using all six senses—sight, smell, taste, touch, sound, feelings.

3. Prewrite 1 ONE PAGE, SINGLE SPACED! • Use all five sensory images • Write in present tense • Use the phrase “I remember” three times • Use two onomatopoetic words: “Buzz!” “Bam!” “Splat.” • Write a sentence which models this formula: “X in [your place] has a lot to do with Y and Y has a lot to do with Z: • “Religion in the desert has a lot to do with patience, and patience has a lot to do with silence.” • Write a sentence which has three metaphors: • “The grave plot is a pouch,a box,a small-fenced span of certainty.” • Use your best image or line from your “Where I’m From” poem in this prewrite

4. Prewrite 2: this prewrite incorporates creative word choice and should focus on a ‘historical’ perspective of your place • Use the phrase: “The history of [your place] goes like this: ….” to begin your prewrite • Focus on good word choice in this prewrite • Use a different verb in every sentence; do not repeat any verb. • Shift between present and past tense • Use two similes, specifically considering our lessons on sensory imagery • Include a segment of dialogue. • Incorporate your favorite sentence from Prewrite #1 to end Prewrite #2

5. Prewrite #3: Focusing on sentence structure • Use this phrase to begin or end: “In [your place] by myself, [noun] is the heart of it all.” Be sure to explain why at some point. • Use three different sentence types in this prewrite: possibilities: • One word sentences like: “Wow!” “Spectacular!” “Devastating.” • Ask two questions. • Simple sentences • Compound sentences • Complex sentences • Compound/Complex sentences • Consider how your place gives you a sense of belonging? • Explain this without using the phrase: a sense of belonging. • Incorporate song lyrics that illustrate a quality about your place. • Include your favorite sentence from #2 in #3.

6. Prewrite 4: Visual Depiction • With a partner: • Describe your place in minute detail • Your partner will create a visual depiction of your place • Around the outside of your picture: • Describe your place from the perspective of one plant, bird, animal or natural object in your place. • Look-up a definition or other useful information about this plant, bird, animal, or object. Include it naturally into your inanimate object perspective so the thoughts flow. • On the back: • Using Dickinson’s style of personification of nature, focus in on one object that is somehow representative of an emotion or a memory from that place—describe it; if it were to speak to you, give you a life lesson, what would it say? What emotions would it encourage you to pursue? • Consider Dickinson’s concluding thoughts from “Apparently with no surprise.” Likewise, what good and bad elements of your place are present? What “deceptively innocent observations and deep disturbing ideas” have you come to understand in your place?