I have to write 2 temporal distance essay...?

Question

1st essay has to be a first-person narrative in which the moment of narration (when the story is being told) is very close in time to the event described. The 2nd is another first person narrative (same narrator, same event), but this time the event being described happened several years ago. Any suggestions? or help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

This is a fabulous opportunity and should be so much fun for you.

Consider writing about a trip to the beach, and you were really looking forward to swimming, getting some sun and visiting nice restaurants on the main road. You will gain extra points for really emphasizing summer-time elements like sweating, heat, colors and superficial things like "did I remember my sun screen" or "I was going to be as far away from my little annoying brother for as long as possible". Use teenage lingo like "I was scared" or "I didn't have any money for the payphone". Then, in your second essay - use the thesaurus for words that sound a little bit more mature like frightened (instead of scared) or uneventful (instead of boring). Try to show the person grading your essay that you learned something after the event. This way, you aren't writing two essays that are exactly the same - you can describe an event the way you THOUGHT it was going to be, and then write your second essay the way it REALLY turned out.

I'll give an example that you can even use and add some words to and fill in the blanks where more story is needed. I hope this helps!

For instance:

"As I sat in the backseat of my parents two-year old, green SUV my parents rented for our summer vacation at the beach, I could feel the cool breeze of the air conditioning wafting in my face. I could hear my parents talking in the front seat about something cute my annoying younger brother had done that morning when they were packing the cooler. I was glad that this year I would be allowed to make some new friends and go to the arcades and swim in the ocean without having to be close to my parents and my brother. ... [Later] ... Suddenly, as I walked along the strand with my brand new beach towel and silly sombrero hat, I couldn't see my parents from the road. I started to panic and jumped over the wall and onto the sand. I looked all around me and started calling out their names. I was alone and scared. I didn't know where my parents had parked the rental, and there was no sign of them. Great, they left me alone to teach me a lesson, I thought to myself. They know how embarrassing I think they are. How long will they keep this up, I wondered. Did they leave me? Were they angry that I was getting older and didn't want to be seen with them? I slapped my thighs over the zipper pocket sewn into my swimming shorts to see if I could hear or feel any change jingling so I could call my parents cell phone. Nothing - not even a dime! My head was spinning and I couldn't even think of the phone number. ...

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2nd Essay:

I thought about that summer a few years ago. All I could think about was how frightened I had been after I couldn't find my family. A shiver went up my spine when I thought about the tears in my mothers eyes and my poor younger brother with his blue lips as the rescue squad performed CPR. He had swallowed too much dirty sand when my parents weren't looking and they had to take him to the medical station. I remember how long it took me to find a lifeguard that could help me find my family. Ever since then, I've always kept my cell phone with me and told them where I was going to be. After one unforgettable week, I knew I would never be so inconsiderate to my family ever again.