This I Believe Essay 

Assignment: You have read and heard several of the This I Believe essays and know a bit about the program’s history. Now it is your turn to develop an essay about your beliefs based on your daily life and guiding philosophy. The purpose is for you to craft your belief into an interesting and vivid personal piece as you deepen your understanding of yourself. 

Be specific. Take your belief out of the abstract and ground it in the events of your life. Consider moments when your belief was formed or tested or changed. Your story need not be heart-warming or gut-wrenching -- it can even be funny -- but it should be real. 

Be clear:  Name your belief in a sentence or two. You may be explicit or use a symbol, as we discussed in class. 

Be positive: Tell what you do believe, not what you don't believe.  You will alienate your reader if you begin to tell the listener how they “should” act.  Avoid judging and preaching.

Be personal: Make your essay about you and write in the first person.  Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak.   Use analogies, metaphors, similes, personification, descriptive details, and anecdotes to help others understand you and your belief. The danger of writing about one’s beliefs is that they are abstract.  Make your ideas real to your readers by incorporating vivid details and examples.

Essay Requirements:

• Type in 12-pt, serif font, double-spaced;

• Write 400 - 500 words (1-1 ½ pages);

• Be positive--no criticisms of others;

• Include personal details and at least 1 anecdote;

• Use imagery or figurative language (simile/metaphor/personification);

• Use and bold two new vocab words;

• Vary sentence beginnings and types; 

• Use and bold one rhetorical strategy: anaphora, polysyndeton, or asyndeton;

• Use 4-10 paragraphs–know the purpose of each.