Our first assignment of the semester is going to be a personal essay entitled,
This I Believe. This will be an extremely short essay (between 350 and 500 words), but it will help us to get to know each other and to explore the concept of voice and tone in our writing. Below is a description of the project as found on This I Believe's website.
"This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing and sharing essays describing the core values that guide their daily lives. More than 90,000 of these essays, written by people from all walks of life, are archived here on our website, heard on public radio, chronicled through our books, and featured in weekly podcasts. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow" (
http://thisibelieve.org/).
This assignment is a great way to find your voice as a writer. Please visit the link above and listen to at least two essays (by one male and one female) before class on September 7, 2010. Please let me know which essays, authors, and your thoughts about what you read/ heard in the comments section below.
Mrs. McNeely
My Father told me I was fat.
ReplyDeleteby Cherie - Menomonee Falls Wisconsin
reading this made me think about my words and how they affect other people.
Thirty Things I Beleive.
by Tarak McLain - Austin Texas
this kinder gardener made a list of 100 things he believes. my 3 young siblings together culdn't do that,
Do What You Love
ReplyDeleteBy Tony Hawk- San Diego, California.
Listening to this essay reassured me to pursue what I am passionate about despite the common negative remarks that come with pursuing a career in something that is less than traditional.
Doing Whats Natural
Toya Marshal-Windsor Mill, Maryland
Originally when I read the description of her essay I thought it was shallow but I listened anyways and I thought it was really enlightening. It was basically about letting her hair do what it wanted it to do but through letting her hair go natural she became more accepting of herself. I thought it was a simpler explanation of a old thought system.
-Aly Bullard
Doing Things My Own Way
ReplyDeleteBela Fleck-Nashville, TN
I'm just as picky as this guy is sometimes, well, a lot of the times. I like for things to be perfect. I don't know, I guess sometimes it's not a good thing to be so picky cause' it could annoy people.
Do What You Love
Tony Hawk-San Diego, California
"I've never seen my dad do work" That's great. lol :) Anyway, I've heard a lot of people say if you do what you love you'll be so much more happy than you would be being rich or famous. This engourages me to keep on practicing what I love doing and get better at that even when others are negative about it.
Accomplishing Big Things in Small Pieces
ReplyDeleteWilliam Wissemann
Inner Strength from Desperate Times
Jake Hovenden
i randomly picked these two essays and they both ended up encouraging me in the same way. Both of these people went through really tough life changing expierences and they really encouraged me to never give up no matter what happens.
I Will Take My Voice Back
ReplyDeleteBy Quique Aviles - District of Columbia
Quique had an amazing testimony, although some of us may not be able to relate to it exactly, his story can be taken on so many different levels. Quique used to be a crack addict, and his alternative for this addiction is poetry and writing. He had two separate lives, a public life as an actor and writer, and a private life, as a crack addict. Having two separate lives is something we all can relate to. If we were all in a room together and our private lives were playing on a screen, I know that most every single one of us would politely excuse ourselves from the room. Quique's story reminded me that if I would be ashamed to do something in public, it's not worth doing in private.
The Art Of Being A Neighbor
By Eve Birch - Martinsburg, West Virginia
In Eve's story, she talked about how she lost everything, and how she only made it by with the help of her neighbors. Helping someone in need is an amazing thing, you never know how you might change someone's life.
*Andrew Dennison*
I Will Take My Voice Back
ReplyDeleteBy Quique Aviles - District of Columbia
I thought this was pretty insane. It really shows how decisions make up your life. Even when the choice maybe simple, it can lead you down a completely different path than you want to be on.
A Mask Was Stifling Me
Lucy Freeman - New York, New York
This essay I agree with completely. I loved the way she describes happiness. It's so spot on. Besides being a very well written essay, I felt very connected to it.
The Power to Forget
ReplyDeleteJames - Columbia, Missouri
Entered on May 3, 2005
I would have to agree with the main idea of this essay. However being able to just forget about something and move on has never really helped anyone. Instead of hiding something that hurt you, or causes you pain, you should seek to resolve the memory. Too many people today just try and forget about their problems, and that leaves them feeling depressed, scared, and alone in the world. But people need to come out of hiding, and face the one thing that is driving them crazy. Only then, can you find peace.
The Greatest Generation
Angela - Sugar City, Idaho
Entered on February 21, 2006
I strongly agree with the greatest generation. Especially when today's generation has been called, the most disgraceful generation in human history. The problems we are dealing with today in schools, at homes, and many other places, are 10X worse then the problems 50 years ago. It used to be, "chewing gum in schools is getting worse!" Now today we've made a TV show about a 16 year old girl who is pregnant. We as a people are supporting these types of behaviors, saying things like, "It's okay" Or "No one is perfect". However it is not okay to screw up your life with drugs, alcohol, sex before marriage, smoking, or anything of the sort. The average age for a minor to get pregnant, is as low as 11 years old. Drug addictions start at 9. Our world is declining morally, and we as a people, need to stop it.
Do What You Love
ReplyDeleteTony Hawk- San Diego, California
July 10, 2006
This essay was absolutely wonderful! Mr. Hawk encourages his readers to do what they feel led to do nomatter what everyone else says. Despite how silly or unimportant your passion seems don't let anything stop you from doing what you love.
Learning To Trust My Intuition
Cynthia Sommer- Folsom, California
July 10, 2006
I didn't particularly care for this essay. Cynthia thinks that dreams and symbols are all related to life and the decisions you make. It seems like a kind of wacked up point of view...
-Aly Eskola
Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses to the different essays you read/ listened to. I am really excited about reading your essays and being a part of this chapter of your personal history!
ReplyDelete