English 111--Essay #1

A Sense of Self

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For your first essay assignment, you will be asked to both consider issues of identity raised in the readings from our first unit and also connect your own perceptions about the self with the authors we have read. This essay will ask you to think critically and write about issues of identity.

Prompt

Consider each of the readings in this chapter that we have discussed (Martin,Cisneros, Malcolm X, and Watters). Choose one reading to explore in detail in a written response. You may choose a writer whose view is close to your own, or you may want to write about a reading with which you strongly agree or differ. How would you characterize the similarities and differences between your own perspectives and experiences and those of the writer? What is similar in your thinking? What is different? How can you connect your own experiences in some way with one of these readings, or how do you perceive your experiences as distinctly different from those of the author? 

Criteria

A well-developed and effectively written essay will possess all of the following components:

• The essay should be three-to-four pages long, typed, and double-spaced;
• Your writing should possess a well-constructed, specific, and complex thesis statement;
• You need to begin by summarizing in detail one of the essays listed above;
• You should use at least two direct quotations from your chosen essay;
• Your quotations must be properly introduced (or attributed), cited, and explained;
• Aside from discussing the essay, you must also connect your chosen author’s view of identity with your own experiences. In other words, your essay also needs to focus on your own perceptions about identity and self;

• Please use proper MLA documentation style and include a Works Cited page with your essay;
• Make certain your paper contains strong transitions, effective organization, and clear style;
• Your paper should also reflect strong grammatical and punctuation skills;
• We will be conferencing on this paper during the week of September 12. You must come to your conference with at least two typed pages of your draft, ready to discuss your writing;
• The peer review workshop will be on Wednesday, September 14. You must bring a copy of your draft (at least two typed pages) on this day for peer review. Not bringing a draft to class will result in a grade deduction on your paper; and
• All stages of your writing process will be turned in on Monday, September 19.

Parting Words

This is an assignment that will ask you to think critically about a specific author’s ideas while also considering your own views on identity. Make sure you choose an essay that will allow you the opportunity to accomplish both of these tasks. Happy writing! J