Preamble… The readings we discussed in class by Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X both express a belief in the power of literacy, which is the power to read and to learn, to write, to speak, to communicate. Becoming literate, these men could think their way into the deep, rich recesses of language and history and make sense of the overwhelming chaos of their direct experiences. Through reading and learning, both men were able to overcome the limitations of their original circumstances; they experienced a drastic change in perspective, a transformation of consciousness that changed not only their self-perception, who they felt they were, but also their perception of their place in the world, what they could accomplish in the larger society. They both went on, powerfully transformed, to accomplish great things.
What was true of these American heroes is true for each and every one of us in our everyday lives. We are also learning all the time; we're in the process of becoming more and more literate all the time, more and more able to grapple with large abstractions like "freedom," "success," "identity," "power," "wealth," "diversity," "the pursuit of happiness"-concepts that are central to what we think of as the American way of life. We also have stories to tell that explain how we came to think the way we think, how we came to see ourselves in the larger world, how we came to understand these abstractions, how we came to be the people we are today.

Directions: For your expressive essay, write about an experience (if not direct, then through reading or observation) that you've had with something or someone that changed or transformed you in some way, that helped make you the person you are today. You may choose instead to write about an experience that helped shape your sense of your place in the world, or an experience that helps explain why you think the way you think today about some significant topic of your choice.

Some suggestions for getting started…

• Create a mind-map of character traits that you feel apply to you. Think about how you came to acquire these traits. Are there any interesting stories behind any of these traits?
• Brainstorm a list of influential people in your life. Choose the ones that interest you and freewrite for a short while to discover what you feel their influence has been. Or write the name of one of your heroes at the top of a piece of paper and freewrite about why this person is a hero to you. Probe yourself to discover whether this hero has transformed something about you (your way of thinking or behaving, your appearance, your goals in life-whatever occurs to you).
• Brainstorm a list of your prized possessions. For a few that are interesting to you, go further. Freewrite about why they are prized, how they came to be prized, how understanding your feeling about them might bring someone closer to understanding the person you are.
• Brainstorm a list of groups you consider yourself affiliated with (anything from a religious affiliation, to a sports team, to a group of friends). Choose one or two that are most interesting to you. How did you become connected to this group? Is there an interesting story behind that? What role does this group play in your life? What would you be like if you'd never become connected?

Important reminders:

• Ask yourself the important rhetorical questions about tone, audience, and purpose.
• After your first draft, look for or compose a thesis sentence which conveys your paper's controlling idea-the subject of the essay and an assertion about that subject.
• Are you writing an essay? Include an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• An essay is built upon paragraphs: Are your paragraphs focused? Do they all support your thesis?
• Readers need sentences and paragraphs to be coherent: are your sentences logically arranged and connected, making it easy for the reader to follow your train of thought?
• Readers like detail. Have you included enough? Will a reader sense depth of thought? Use a variety of developmental strategies like description, narration, illustration (examples), scenarios, or other rhetorical strategies (such as comparison/contrast, definition, classification, analogy, cause/effect, process analysis) to make your paragraphs vivid, interesting, and well developed.
• We've set aside time in class for the process of revision. Are you taking advantage of it? Are you looking for ways to improve your draft as the days go by? We've also set aside time to dedicate to editorial work, correcting and proofreading. Are you doing your bit? Are you screening for errors you know are errors and typos that you can fix before you hand your paper in?

Evaluation: In determining your score, I'll consider each of the following categories: focus, organization, development, mechanics, and style. Each category is crucial to the essay's success.