AP Language and Composition
Ms. Finn
In-class Writing Assignment
Read through the following prompts and choose ONE to write about. Take your time.
Choose your words wisely. Be honest and be complete.
Aria
Profession
Write a personal narrative about something that
you considered private to your family when you
were younger. For Richard Rodriguez, it was the
Spanish language. Did your family have a
private language they spoke only at home? Does
that language mean something special to you?
Maybe you had a family ritual or day you spent
together. Maybe you all get together to play
board games on a certain night of the week.
Maybe you wait until late when your father gets
home from work to eat all together as a family.
Write about whatever your family did (or did not
do as the case may be). This should be a
narrative, told in the same style as Richard
Rodriguez. Try your best to use poetic devices to
make your story more than obvious.
Richard Rodriguez has been given things his
entire life, he feels, because of the color of his
skin and his country of origin, and he is bitter
that he cannot feel he has earned his way on his
own. Write about a time when you were given
something you know you did not deserve, maybe
because of who or what you are. Or write about
a time when you were given something you
knew you deserved, but it was given to you for
all the wrong reasons. If this has never happened
to you, write about a time you have given
something to someone else because of who or
what they are, or allowed a behavior you would
normally not allow because of the same reasons.
OR
Look back at your life - your whole life - and
draw a conclusion about what kind of person you
are. Richard Rodriguez claims to be a
"scholarship boy." He spent his entire childhood
and young adulthood trying to prove to everyone
that he was just as smart, or just as able, or even
just as deserving of a liberal education and a
white collar job as anyone else. How would you
classify yourself? Are you a "scholarship boy,"
or are you something else? An athlete perhaps.
Maybe a "computer nerd" or a "lab coat." Imitate
the style of Rodriguez - first define your
classification (and yes, more than one sentence is
required) - and then narrate why you classify
yourself that way. You will need to analyze your
life in a way you may not have done before. Try
to look at yourself through a psychological lens.
Be honest with yourself and write about what
you really are, not what you would like to be.
You will not have to share this with anyone; it
will be between you and me.
Write a personal narrative about something you
had, loved, and lost, as Richard Rodriguez lost
his language. It can be anything at all, but again
make sure to use poetic language and devices to
make your story "pop."
Complexion
Richard Rodriguez was ashamed of the darkness
of his skin. For him and his family, the darkness
meant labor. It meant poverty and hard work.
But Rodriguez is now proud of his skin. He is
proud to be a learned man when everyone
expects him to be a laborer. Is there something
about your physical body that you are ashamed
of? Is there anything about yourself that could
possibly stereotype you into a category in which
you do not wish to be? Have you accepted this
part of you? If you have, did something happen
to push you in that direction? If you have not,
can you think of anything that might happen in
the future to help you accept it? Describe your
shame and the journey from it (or into it) in
poetic detail. Describe specific incidences when
you were especially ashamed, and describe how
you felt when they happened.
The Achievement of Desire