Assignments 1 & 2 “Who are you?”

ay Assignments 1 & 2 “Who are you?”

“You’re in big trouble when you got to apologize for being yourself.”
Cajun folk saying (Nobody’s Son)

In this essay, you will develop a metaphor that offer perspective on you, or some specific part of your life. Include an introduction with a debatable thesis statement, a body with several examples to prove or explain your point, and a concluding paragraph. Your essay should be double-spaced, with 12-point standard font (Times New Roman Arial, etc.).

• A rough draft (350-500 words) is due at the end of the first week of class. (Thursday June 11th)
• A revised draft (500-750 words) is due at the end of week two of this class. (Thursday June 18th)

Use the exercises in this document to help you plan and write your essay.

• Prewriting

• List five to ten of the most significant events of your life.

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• Make a web of your abilities, skills, and positive personality traits.

• Free write for five minutes about adversity you have overcome during your life.

• Compare and contrast good and bad decisions you have made.

Good Decisions
Bad Decisions

• You will be creating a metaphor for your life. Use the worksheet below to help you understand metaphor.
Metaphors
Metaphors are comparisons that show how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in one important way. Metaphors are a way to describe something. Authors use them to make their writing more interesting or entertaining.
Unlike similes that use the words “as” or “like” to make a comparison, metaphors state that something is something else.
Read the statements that contain metaphors in italics. Then complete the statements that explain the metaphors.
1. Briana was a wall, bouncing every tennis ball back over the net.
This metaphor compares Briana to a wall because __________.
a. She was very strong.
b. She was very tall.
c. She kept returning the balls.
d. Her body was made of cells.

2. We would have had more pizza to eat if John hadn’t been such a hog.
John was being compared to a hog because he __________.
a. looked like a hog
b. ate like a hog
c. smelled like a hog
d. was as smart as a hog

3. Cindy was such a mule. We couldn’t get her to change her mind.
The metaphor compares Cindy to a mule because she was __________.
a. always eating oats
b. able to do hard work
c. raised on a farm
d. very stubborn

4. The poor rat didn’t have a chance. Our old cat, a bolt of lightning, caught his prey.
The cat was compared to a bolt of lightning because he was __________.
a. very fast
b. very bright
c. not fond of fleas
d. very old
5. Even a child could carry my dog, Rex, around for hours. He’s such a feather.
This metaphor implies that Rex __________.
a. is not cute
b. looks like a bird
c. is not heavy
d. can fly

• Study the examples of metaphors from the website American Rhetoric.Com

https://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/metaphor.htm

• Now, create a metaphor for your life (or some part of your life). Remember, a metaphor is a comparison that shows how two things that are not alike, are similar in one important way.

Examples:
• My life is a circus.
• The summer of 2018 was heaven.
• In the eighth grade, I was an actor playing a role.
• My life is a garden.

Write your metaphor here.

Thesis: Write a thesis that includes your metaphor. Your job in this essay will be to prove or explain your metaphor. You must tell why, or in what ways, your life (or some part of your life) is like a circus, a war, a song, etc.

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• Outline
Make an outline (See 2C of Harbrace Essentials).
Make sure to use at least three methods of persuasion to prove your thesis (see handout on persuasion).

• Rough Draft (due at the end of week 1)
Write a rough draft of your essay that includes a debatable thesis.

• Revised draft (due at the end of week 2)
Write a revised draft of your essay based on your rough draft. Hand in a typed copy of your essay. Please use 12-point font and double space your essay.