What does the occasion of a story mean?

Question

i have to write a summary on a story and my teacher said we have to comment on the tone, occasion, and purpose of the document. i understand the tone and purpose of the document, but what does she mean when she says occasion of the story? thanks in advance!!

Answer 1

Occasion (or Situation)

The occasion for writing is the external motivation you have for sitting down to write. For a composition class, some obvious external motivators may be the desire to get a good grade, or because the course requires you to write the essay.

Your professor will probably ask you to define your occasion in larger terms, however, than simply fulfilling class requirements. Presumably, you have chosen to write about a certain topic because it has some kind of meaning that you find personally interesting, compelling, valuable, or important.

For instance, if you're writing a memoir about how important the regular Sunday dinner is in your family, the occasion for this might be the memories you have of the love and companionship you felt during these times when you were a child.

Or, if you're writing a letter to a restaurant explaining a problem, the occasion might be the fly in your soup that made you angry enough to sit down and write.

Or, if you're writing an essay that argues that UCF should build more parking garages as soon as possible, the occasion could've been the time you were late to class because you couldn't find a parking space.

Be careful not to confuse occasion with purpose. The occasion is your personal motivation for writing, while the purpose is what your writing is intended to do.