You will write the first draft of a short essay that is inspired by a professional essay in our textbook called "The Most Hateful Words" by Amy Tan (Chapter 6, pp. 202-203) or by a student-authored essay, "From Bullet to Blue Sky," by Yesenia De Jesus (Chapter 7, pp. 231-233).

It is important that you read these two essays before selecting one of the following prompts. You will then be ready to generate ideas for your own writing.

Choose Prompt 1or Prompt 2 to begin working on your essay

Prompt 1: Argue about why granting forgiveness is (or is not) the best way to handle a situation where someone hurts us. Begin by reading Tan's essay.

Then, use the topic "forgiveness" to generate a thesis statement that shows your stand on this issue (i.e., you will either be for or against the idea that forgiveness is the answer to being hurt).

Prompt 2: Write an essay that focuses on a person who has inspired you. Your essay will include examples and explanations of what that person did to inspire you and how he or she has had a positive impact on your life.

Begin by reading De Jesus' essay. Then, generate a thesis that states the point that you want to make about the person who inspired you. (For example, the point that Yesenia De Jesus makes is that her math instructor, Mr. Tangye, helped her realize that she "had more to offer the world than she had thought.")

For either Prompt 1 or Prompt 2, begin to draft the short essay by creating a one-paragraph introduction that includes your thesis statement.

Then use outlining or mapping to create the three elements of PIE (see Lecture) for a well-developed body paragraph. Finally, wrap up everything in a one-paragraph conclusion.