Write a 400-500 word typed essay that defines and describes one of your personal beliefs.
Literary Device: You must include one literary device discussed
Name your belief: If you can’t name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief. Also, rather than writing a list, consider focusing on one core belief, because three minutes is a very short time.
Tell a story: Be specific. Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events of your life. Consider moments when belief was formed or tested or changed. Think of your own experience, work, and family, and tell of the things you know that no one else does. Your story need not be heart-warming or gut-wrenching—it can even be funny—but it should be real. Make sure your story ties to the essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping of your beliefs.
Be personal: Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak. We recommend you read your essay aloud to yourself several times, and each time edit it and simplify it until you find the words, tone, and story that truly echo your belief and the way you speak.
Be positive: Please avoid preaching or editorializing. Tell us what you do believe, not what you don’t believe. Avoid speaking in the editorial “we.” Make your essay about you; speak in the first person.
Oral presentation: The majority of your grade will come from how well you deliver your narrative presentation to the class.
Things to Remember:
Avoid cliche statements. DO NOT say something like, “I believe you should live every day to its fullest.”, “I believe in hard work.”
Give specific examples and details to provide a story and background for your belief.
Above all else, tell us a great personal story of triumph.
Things to Avoid:
We do not want a sermon, religious or lay; we do not want editorializing or ‘finger-pointing.’ We do not even want your views on the American way of life, democracy, politics, or free enterprise. These are important but please save for another occasion.
No Offensive or controversial topics discussed
Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).
Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
