Ms. Sawyer
Name:__________________________________
Period:______
CULTURAL NARRATIVE ESSAY BRAINSTORMING
YOU NEED
a story to explain your personal cultural identity
EXAMPLES:
 Patricia Williams was asked to bring an appetizer that represented her ethnic heritage. (“Ethnic Hash”)
 Jing-mei’s mother expected her to be obedient and put in all of her effort into every task, but she got tired of failing
so gave up trying. (“Two Kinds”)
 Kristen Lee was tired of people’s blunt curiosity and assumptions about her appearance in relation to her cultural
makeup. (“HAPA”)
OTHER POSSIBLE STORIES:
 a time when you were misjudged based on your external cultural identity (your race, ethnicity, clothing, musical
taste, or other visible cultural characteristics)
 me assigning you this essay
 a tradition you have that celebrates some part of your cultural identity
 a time when you didn’t understand somebody else’s culture/traditions
 the specific way your family deals with a certain issue (family culture)
What story do you plan to use to explain your personal cultural identity?
a clear central idea (theme) to focus essay
EXAMPLES:
 Culture can’t be fully represented by one food. (“Ethnic Hash”)
 Differences in culture (especially between a parent and child) can cause internal and external conflict. (“Two Kinds”)
 You don’t know someone’s cultural makeup just by looking at them, and your ethnicity doesn’t define your culture.
(“HAPA”)
What are you trying to tell me about your cultural identity?