THIS WEEK:
PART ONE: READING
So far, you’ve read four personal history essays: “A Primer on the Punctuation of Heart Disease,” “The Chase,” "Difficult Girl," chapter 1 of Teacher Man, and an excerpt from Mindy Kaling's memoir. David Sedaris' "Me Talk Pretty" was a good example from earlier in the year.
Below is a list of some other personal history essays that might serve as inspiration. You are required to read at least TWO additional essays from the list (or New Yorker link) below. Your choice. I will be asking you to respond to TWO of the essays later in the week, so select two that you'd like to respond to--one you've already read or one you'll read this week. (More on that later.)
Read at least TWO of the following essays.
Each essay offers something different in terms of personal history. No matter which essay you choose to read—together or on your own—pay attention to the qualities of effective writing that each essay possesses. Notice the specific ways in which each writer approaches the Six Traits. How do they present their ideas? What types of content are included? How are the essays organized? How do the ideas unfold and why? Why this anecdote at this particular moment in the essay? How does the writer’s voice come through? How are the writer’s “fingerprints” all over this essay? How does the writer clarify ideas with specific choices in words? How do the sentences enliven the writer’s ideas? What does the essay sound like? Can you comment on its pacing? Its tone?
PART TWO: WRITING
Begin the drafting process: brainstorm, use your writer's notebook, get a document going, etc.
In writing our personal history essays this week, we’ll use the definition that the New Yorker uses:
Writers reflect on the intimate events and memories that shaped their lives.
With this in mind, some guidelines:
Stuck on what to write about. Check out this handout of suggested approaches to Personal Histories.
PART ONE: READING
So far, you’ve read four personal history essays: “A Primer on the Punctuation of Heart Disease,” “The Chase,” "Difficult Girl," chapter 1 of Teacher Man, and an excerpt from Mindy Kaling's memoir. David Sedaris' "Me Talk Pretty" was a good example from earlier in the year.
Below is a list of some other personal history essays that might serve as inspiration. You are required to read at least TWO additional essays from the list (or New Yorker link) below. Your choice. I will be asking you to respond to TWO of the essays later in the week, so select two that you'd like to respond to--one you've already read or one you'll read this week. (More on that later.)
Read at least TWO of the following essays.
- “Holding the T” by Tad Friend
- “Now We are Six” OR “Us and Them” by David Sedaris
- "I Just Wanna Be Average" by Mike Rose
- "Music is My Bag" by Meghan Daum
- "Because You Can" by Ben Smith
- AND/OR: Read any of these examples from The New Yorker archive of Personal Histories.
Each essay offers something different in terms of personal history. No matter which essay you choose to read—together or on your own—pay attention to the qualities of effective writing that each essay possesses. Notice the specific ways in which each writer approaches the Six Traits. How do they present their ideas? What types of content are included? How are the essays organized? How do the ideas unfold and why? Why this anecdote at this particular moment in the essay? How does the writer’s voice come through? How are the writer’s “fingerprints” all over this essay? How does the writer clarify ideas with specific choices in words? How do the sentences enliven the writer’s ideas? What does the essay sound like? Can you comment on its pacing? Its tone?
PART TWO: WRITING
Begin the drafting process: brainstorm, use your writer's notebook, get a document going, etc.
In writing our personal history essays this week, we’ll use the definition that the New Yorker uses:
Writers reflect on the intimate events and memories that shaped their lives.
With this in mind, some guidelines:
- Choose a specific moment—or series of related moments—in your life that shaped you in a meaningful way.
- When choosing this moment(s), review the notebook work we’ve done recently and all year.
- Be reflective in tone. In what ways this moment(s) has changed you? Use a combination of show and tell strategies to convey this change(s). Think about the personal history essays we’ve read—how did each writer convey the impact of significant moments in their lives?
- Speaking of the personal history essays we’ve read, think about what made each of these essays successful. As with all the professional texts we read, what can you learn and borrow from these writers?
- Although all Six Traits are important in any essay, in a personal history essay, voice is key. As you draft your essay, read aloud your sentences to make sure the rhythms are engaging but natural.
- Use the organization strategies we reviewed in class to help you develop your ideas.
Stuck on what to write about. Check out this handout of suggested approaches to Personal Histories.
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