ENGL 123 Two Descriptions Paper Instructions (1014).

Two Descriptions Paper
For this assi gnment, pretend you are entering a contest sponsored by a travel magazine.  The
rules are that readers must read a description of a place and decide whether they would like
to visit it or avoid it.  The only prohibition for the writer is that he or she must not directly tell
the reader whether the place is pleasant or unpleasant.  Readers must be able to decide,
based solely on the writer’s description.
You must visit the place of your choice (see #1 below) and then, based on your
observations only, you must write two descriptions of the same place. Each description
must convey a di fferent dominant impression.  One description must make the reader
want to visit this place, and one description must make the reader want to avoid this
place.
To get full credit for this assignment, you must do three things.
1.  Go to a place of your choice and observe this place for 15-20 minutes, making notes
of what you observe.  Be sure to use all five senses.  Please note: you may not use
your home or your yard for this assi gnment.  Some good places are the zoo, a park,
a movie theater, a café, a shopping mall.  Do not rel y on memories of a place you
have been to before; this will not ful fill the assi gnment properly.
2.  Wri te two descriptions of this place, each conveying a di fferent dominant impression and
each consisting of 125-175 words.  Describe only what you observed during your 15-20

minute period.
3.  Wri te an analysis of 200-250 words.  In your analysis, do the following:
?  Explain how you created the di ffering impressions (what strategies you used).
See strategies #2-5 on pages 47-48 for help with this.  (Remember, you may not
use strategy #1.)  Cite speci fic examples of each strategy you used.
?  Identi fy the most important thing you have learned as a writer from this exercise.
You will be able to revise this assignment.