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This I Believe

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American Literature I This I Believe Essay Now that we have read and noticed what makes a strong This I Believe essay, it’s your turn to write one. Your task is to write a personal essay focused on a belief or insight about life that is significant to you. It is your belief. Here are the guidelines so you can get started: Tell a story. Be specific. Take your belief out of the realm of philosophy and ground it in your life. Consider moments when belief was formed or tested or changed. Make it real and tie it to the essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping of your beliefs. Be brief. Your statement should be between 350-500 words (this assignment sheet is 451 words). Name your belief. If you can’t name it in a sentence or two, …show more content…

Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak. A few more tips to consider: Be sure your essay is about something you care strongly enough about to elaborate upon it. While the idea for the essay must be personal, make the frame big enough to allow your reader to find parallels between your experience and theirs. Think about your essay as a camera lens. You might start by describing a fine detail (a specific moment in the narrative) then open up the lens to take in the wide view (the general/global backdrop), then close the piece by narrowing back to the fine detail. Use details to draw the reader in. Be specific and avoid using abstract expressions and phrases such as “the best day of my life” or “I’d never known greater grief” to describe emotions of love of loss. Employ all the senses to convey your ideas to the reader: sight, sound, taste, touch and hearing. Make sure that beyond all the idea development, your reader knows the main idea that you believe. Do not hit the reader over the head with a summary statement such as “What I’m trying to say is…” or “What I really mean it…” Timeline: We will work on this intermittently during class time over the next few weeks. The final draft is due Friday December,

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