The Final Writing Activity

Reminder: Our exam is scheduled for Thursday, December 12 at noon - same room!

School policy requires you to attend the day of the exam.

Final Writing

Inscribing a Personal Artifact

Don't let the title of this exercise fool you. Inscribing a personal artifact is not like ordering an engraved name plate to put on your suitcase, nor is it like your parents writing your address on the inside of your underwear. This is an exercise in personal archaeology—an opportunity to describe a personal object and explain what it says about you.

The following tips will help you complete the assignment below:

·         Focus on an overall insight or impression. In the drafting process, you will probably clarify what your object says about you. Focus your description of the object around that insight or impression. All the details you decide to include should be relevant to that focus.

·         Organize the description logically. You can structure your writing in many ways. You might describe each detail and explain what it says about you. You might describe the object entirely and then explain what it says about you. The details you choose first depend on your purpose. If you want to recreate the experience of seeing the object, for instance, you might begin with its most obvious feature and proceed to its least obvious feature.

·         Provide vivid descriptions and sensory details. If you have a digital camera, you might include a picture of the object. Either way, you have to create it for us using words. As you describe it, consider letting your attitude toward the object show through in your choice of words and details (e.g., "This baseball glove is triple stitched and made of genuine Black Angus leather. It is so soft and supple that it folds together as flat as a book.").

·         Conduct research. Find and share the history of the object. For example, if your object is a ring, locate information about the first rings in history. What did they symbolize? Are there any famous rings? How does your ring compare to the rings in history emotionally and physically? Why are rings important? Why are rings used as symbols of marriage? Keep track of your sources.

• You might also consider an interview if the person who gave you the object is still living. Or, you could interview others who have artifacts like yours.

Assignment

To help you write, try asking yourself these questions:

·         Would people's opinions of you come from the object itself? For example, is it rare, valuable, or collectable?

·         Would their opinions come from its condition? Perhaps it's old and worn?

·         What would people think about the object's significance within the culture? Would it label you as a certain kind of person?

·         Would the artifact only have meaning for other people if they knew more about your individual life?

·         How do other similar artifacts found in history relate to you and your object? (This is a great place for research!)

• Pay attention to organization. Will you start with a description of the object or tell the story of how it came into your possession? 
• Where will you include the research? 
• How will you explain the importance of the object to you?
•  How will you end the essay?
• During the revision process, work on connecting what the object is with what it tells others about you. Include the researched information about the other such objects.
• Include a Works Cited page and in-text citations. Use MLA formatting.
•  When you are finished, this paper should be 3-5 pages long.