Specs: Four pages, typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman (or equivalent) font in MLA fonnat, as far as page design/layout goes.

This first essay will be a personal essay. which means you'll focus on your personal experience in life and what you have (or might) learn from it. So the subject will be you and your experience. To narrow the focus just a little more, let's say you have to explore lies, the truth, and/or BS in your essay. You may...

- Tell the story of a time when you lied to get what you wanted, and explain what you learned from the experience.

- Tell the story of a time when you felt betrayed by someone else's lie. Again, explain what you learned from the experience (Are you better at spotting lies as a result? Are you more aware of the prevalence of lying in human society? Is this knowledge helpful to you?)

- Tell the story of a time when you felt the presence of a being that in retrospect it's difficult to believe was really there (like a ghost). What circumstances in your life do you think led to this feeling? Had you been spending a lot of time alone? Had you recently experienced "heightened senses" as a result of seeing a scary movie (or after having a close call in real life, as in a car or bike accident)? Again, what did you learn from the experience?

Whichever prompt you choose from above, you also want to focus on crafting an attention-getting introduction and on using sensory details that hold a reader's interest. Next week in class we shall look at how Maxine Hong Kingston and Richard Wright do these things in their essays. We'll use both essays as models for shaping our own experiences into the literary form of the personal essay. In addition to completing regular weekly reading responses for each of these essays for Tuesday, note how these authors introduce themselves and how they use sensory details (sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste) to keep their readers engaged in what they're saying. Next week in class, we'll focus on Maxine Hong Kingston's introduction in particular, and on how Richard Wright uses details.

Also note how each author uses dishonesty. Is Richard Wright's use of deceit in order to buck an tnfair system right (no pun!)? Can you trust that he's telling us the truth? What about Maxine long Kingston? Does the experience she writes about sound true to you? We'll discuss these, nd other questions next week in class. Have a great weekend!