Learning from Other Writers

On the following pages are two samples of good writing from recall — one by a professional writer, one by a college student. To help you begin to analyze the first reading, look at the notes in the margin. They identify features such as the main idea, or thesis, and the first of the main events that support it in a paper written from recall.

As You Read These Recollections

As you read these essays, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Is the perspective of the essay primarily that of a child or an adult? Why do you think so?
  2. What does the author realize after reflecting on the events recalled? Does the realization come soon after the experience or later, when the writer examines the events from a more mature perspective?
  3. How does the realization change the individual?