Surveillance Memoir

ENG 212 – Spring 2023

Important Details
Due date: Sunday, June 11 on Canvas by 11:59 p.m.
Length: 1,000 words
Percentage of final grade: 12%
Number of sources: n/a
Document design: 12 point font, 1” margins, Times New Roman or Calibri font
Acceptable file types: .doc, .docx, .rtf, .pdf (do not submit Google Docs or you will not receive credit)
Corresponding chapter of Under Surveillance: Chapter 3, “Growing up Observed”

Assignment Description
A memoir is a piece of writing that allows a writer to share memories with readers. These memories
should be connected through a theme of some sort, giving shape to the narrative of the essay. Much as
Randolph Lewis does in chapter 3 in Under Surveillance, your goal in this paper is to compose a memoir
detailing your observations of surveillance during your life. Beginning on page 96 of our book, you will
find a sample surveillance memoir composed by Lewis that you can use as inspiration for your own. As
you’ll notice, Lewis does not detail every instance of his life in this short section of the chapter, but
instead highlights very specific moments that are connected by a theme. Similarly, you should choose a
theme that your readers can follow through your memoir that link together the examples you select.
Your memoir must include at least four specific examples of surveillance. You must discuss examples
about yourself, not the ways surveillance affected others.

Memoirs are often composed of the following features:

 “An engaging title that hints at the memoir’s overall meaning or theme.
 An introduction with a lead that captures the reader’s interest or sets a scene.
 A complication that must be resolved in some way—a tension or conflict between people’s
values and beliefs, or a personal inner conflict the author faces.
 A plot that draws the reader forward as the memoir moves through a series of scenes or stages.
 Intimacy between the narrator and the reader, allowing the writer to speak with readers in a
personal one-on-one way.
 Rich and vivid details that give the story greater imagery, texture, and impact.
 A central theme or question that is rarely announced or answered explicitly but that the
narrator explores and reflects on with the reader.
 A new understanding or revelation that presents a moment of growth, transformation, or clarity
in the writer.”1

To begin your memoir, think back to the ways you were observed growing up as a child. In what ways
did these moments of being watched effect you? You might want to focus on four specific time periods
in your life or you could focus on four specific events. It is up to you. Please note that surveillance isn’t
always a bad thing—you could easily write a surveillance memoir detailing the benefits and downfalls of
surveillance.

Grading

1
Adapted from Johnson-Sheehan and Paine’s Writing Today
To have success on this paper, you should incorporate a clear theme throughout this memoir. You must
include four specific examples. Please see the ENGL 212 rubric for further grading details.