Bedlam
Jan 20, 2011
Undergraduate / (potential to study for an Access course) Writing Exercise - Formal Tone/Narrative? [4]
How would you interpret the following?
*Describe a challenging experience in your life and explain the impact this had on you
Because it has been so long, I can't remember the formalities of it. Would you say that I needed to write a narrative, or take a more formal approach?
I've read a few sample "Personal Experience" essays but they vary so much in style and prose that I'm confused as to which I should be aiming for. For example, George Orwell's "The Hanging" doesn't have an introduction as such; it starts and reads like a narrative. On the other hand, I have read sample essays based on personal experience and they are very formal in tone with introduction paragraphs main bodies and conclusions.
I suppose what I'm asking is: is it a creative writing exercise, or should I stear clear from using informal prose such as "It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains. A sickly light, like yellow tinfoil, was slanting over the high walls into the jail yard."?
-- BTW it's for an application to start adult education so it's quite important to me.
How would you interpret the following?
*Describe a challenging experience in your life and explain the impact this had on you
Because it has been so long, I can't remember the formalities of it. Would you say that I needed to write a narrative, or take a more formal approach?
I've read a few sample "Personal Experience" essays but they vary so much in style and prose that I'm confused as to which I should be aiming for. For example, George Orwell's "The Hanging" doesn't have an introduction as such; it starts and reads like a narrative. On the other hand, I have read sample essays based on personal experience and they are very formal in tone with introduction paragraphs main bodies and conclusions.
I suppose what I'm asking is: is it a creative writing exercise, or should I stear clear from using informal prose such as "It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains. A sickly light, like yellow tinfoil, was slanting over the high walls into the jail yard."?
-- BTW it's for an application to start adult education so it's quite important to me.