Introduction to College Writing

Read or reread the essays and poems from this unit:

Personal Growth

  • On Being a Trans Woman, and Giving Up Makeup, by Meredith Talusan
  • Learning to Swim Taught Me More Than I Bargained for, by Jazmine Hughes
  • The Crossing, by Jhumpa Lahiri
  • blessing the boats, by Lucille Clifton

 Linguistic Identity

  • How to Tame a Wild Tongue, by Gloria Anzaldúa
  • Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan
  • Professional Spanish Knocks at the Door, by Elizabet Velasquez

Review the assignment for Essay #2.

  • Choose your essay topic: personal growth or language identity
  • Brainstorm about your topic and try to generate 3 ideas/examples that you could write about as part of your essay.
  • Try to think of details and evidence for each of your 3 main points.
  • Can you think of a personal example for at least one of the main points?
  • Also, note passages from the readings that you might want to include. Find at least three quotes from the readings that resonated with you for one reason or another.  Include them in your outline.  Which of your main points does each quote most relate to?