Hey guys!
Now that you have completed the dialogue activity and your narrative drafts, I am going to be spending a good deal of time with each of you individually on conferencing with your pieces. This is a time-consuming process, and is an important step to take before the rewriting process begins.
During this time, I would like you to complete the following assignment. On the surface, it appears quite morbid; however, with a little imagination, I think you can see that it is a worthwhile personal creative writing topic that ties in well with our current unit.
TASK
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing. The word is derived from the Greek word εὐλογία (eulogia), meaning praise (εὐ meaning good or well and λογος meaning word, phrase, speech, etc).
The term "eulogy" may refer to a funeral oration given in tribute to a person or people who have recently died.[1] Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services, however some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions.
As a class, we have been privy to one of the greatest speeches ever given at a funeral - that of Mark Antony at the funeral of Caesar in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Simultaneously admonishing the conspirators in Caesar's murder, reminding the people of Rome of the debt they owed Caesar, and calling them to avenge his death, the speech is a remarkable example of how a person can be remembered at a funeral.
You are to write your own eulogy for this assignment. Think about it...if you had one last speech to give, and the people that mattered most to you were packed into the room, what would you say? What would you want to get across? Would you simply thank your family, or would you discuss and reflect on what your life was like and what you tried to do with it?
There are many eulogy websites out there to assist you with this assignment. I suggest that you Google two or three, read some famous eulogies, and get a sense of what I am asking you to do before you begin writing.
The length of this assignment is 700-1000 words. Here is the caveat - you will not submit your paper - you will be asked to give your eulogy in class, as a speech. Your assignment is due Monday, Nov. 3, and from that point on, I will be having each of you stand in front of the class and give your eulogy. YOUR SCORE WILL NOT REGISTER UNLESS YOU READ IT IN FRONT OF THE CLASS - SEE ME IF THIS POSES A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE, AND WE WILL ADDRESS IT.
