American Studies Identity and Culture

Identity Essay

I-den-ti-ty (n) : the set of characteristics that someone recognizes as belonging uniquely to himself or herself and constituting his or her individual personality for life.

Throughout this unit, we’ve learned a little about each other via culture box sharing. We’ve explored culture on some level as part of the 3rd quarter outside reading book, and we’ve learned a bit about the Harlem Renaissance via poetry presentations. We’ve also explored the concept of identity and search for self by following Janie’s journey in Their Eyes Were Watching God. Now it’s time to think about your own sense of identity in the form of a polished essay.

Directions: Write a 2-3 page, double-spaced paper that explores your own concept of identity. This assignment is worth 25 points. I’d like you to think about the guiding questions for this unit on Culture and Identity:  Who or what gives us identity?  What happens when identities collide (race, gender, class, etc)?  How does language shape identity?  How do our experiences with others help us discover our true selves? While you probably won’t try to answer all these questions in your essay, thinking about the answers may provide food for thought.

TOPIC: Specifically, I’d like you to discuss who YOU are in terms of your identity. Who or what has helped define you? What experiences with others have helped shape you? What are you all about and what aspects of yourself do you see strengthening as you get older and what aspects might you like to change? What will be most important here is meaningful reflection and details that support what you write.

AUDIENCE: your teacher and your peers. This may also be tweaked and used next year for your autobiographical letter for those who will be completing CE next year. For those who have already completed CE, you may find your autobiographical letter helpful.

PURPOSE: Personal Narrative/Reflection mode of writing.

Here’s the format I’d like you to use:

Introductory Paragraph  Grab your reader’s attention (anecdote? Quote? A pun? An unexpected statement? An interesting metaphor?) American Studies Identity and Culture

 Introduce your topic and lead into your thesis statement that answers the question of who you are in terms of your identity.

Body Paragraphs  Make sure each paragraph has a focus.  Consider a topic sentence that supports your thesis  Include details to help you SHOW and SUPPORT what you’re saying (note: great place for anecdotes)

Conclusion  Let your final paragraph draw your essay to a satisfying close  Leave your reader thinking

Six-Trait Writing Focus: I want you to consider all six traits of effective writing as you craft this essay. I will provide you with a more detailed scoring guide.  IDEAS  ORGANIZATION  VOICE  WORD CHOICE  SENTENCE FLUENCY  CONVENTIONS