Write a lyric “collage” essay about your animal or yourself in relation to your animal.Objective:
Construct a narrative about your animal – or about you in relation to your animal – using key aspects of a lyric essay: concrete imagery and juxtaposition.
In Tell it Slant (McGraw-Hill, 2005), Brenda Miller writes this about the collage essay form:
It brings together many different fragments and assembles them so they create something wholly new. Juxtaposition becomes the key craft element here. One cannot simply throw these pieces down haphazardly; they must be carefully selected because of how they will resonate off one another….
Collages work through repetition but not in a monotonous way. You must transform your recurring motifs from beginning to end. You must make transitions but not in the conventional way. In the collage essay, transitions occur through the strategic placement of images, stories, and phrases (Miller 109).
Formal & Content Requirements:
Draw at least 5 distinctly different elements from your Animal Book. Your in-class writing should serve as the raw material for a fully developed essay. Use:
- Observation Notes & Sketches
- Reflective Writing
- Creative Writing
- Visual Research
- Cultural Research
- Natural History Research
- Drawing Assignments
Possible structural devices include:
- Repetition
- Numbered Sections
- Section Titles
- White space
- “Found” Forms (such as journal entries, games, instructions, etc.)
Reflect on what rhetorical message—feeling or meaning—you want to convey with the essay.
Consider what powerful emblematic image from your writing best serves this rhetorical purpose.
Formatting Requirements:
- Length: 3-page maximum
- 12-point font, double-spaced.
- Number your pages.
- Include your name, group name (“Chipmunk” or “Swallow”), title, and the date.
- This work will eventually become a part of your Animal Book.
Submission Guidelines:
- Due no later than Thursday of Week 8 by 6pm via Moodle Assignment.