Roger George

English 092

Fall Quarter, 2004

ASSIGNMENT #1

(WORTH UP TO 50 POINTS FOR PART ONE, 150 FOR PART TWO)

Note: This is not one of the four rough drafts to be revised later).

You have been commissioned to study the current mood of the culture. Your client wants to get a sense of how people are behaving these days--the sorts of things they're wearing, thinking about, discussing, etc. Your job is to go out and find a group of people and let our client, through your writing, experience what they're doing.

GUIDELINES FOR PEOPLE WATCH

1. Go to a place where there are people and watch them. Pay close attention and take notes (without calling attention to yourself.)

2. Take note of details. Remember, you have five senses.

Capture the general mood of room

Focus upon one or two particular people : dress (style, texture, colors), gestures, voice, attitude...

3. Allow your own reactions and associations to weave in, ask questions, and consider the stereotypes you find yourself forming. Speculate on why a person is acting a certain way.

4. Go someplace else and freewrite a fuller description, adding anything else you remember or other ideas that come up as you look over your notes.

5. Write one sentence which sums up what you've observed.

6. Bring your notes, freewriting, and sentence to class Monday, October 4. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DO PART TWO OF THIS ASSIGNMENT UNTIL YOU SATISFACTORILY COMPLETE THE FIRST PART.