Jessica Mehr
Spring 2006
Memoir with Self Portrait
Due February 6, 2006
Personal essays are first person accounts of an often commonplace, but memorable
experience the author has had. While an academic essay requires facts and logic to
support its argument, a memoir relies on memory, narration, and description to prove its
point. Yes, it has a point! Although they are essentially stories, memoirs must have
meaning—an implied thesis that is conveyed through description, detail, and personal
reflection.
For this assignment, you will write a 5-6 page (1600 word) personal essay and create a
Self Portrait. This essay should be typed with name, date, and word count in the
upper left hand corner. Your self portrait should be printed in color or burned onto a
CD, and must include a brief paragraph explaining your goals and manipulations.
This essay is worth 10% of your final grade. It should:
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Be written in the first person. Make it personal, but not too personal. Be sure to
select a subject that you feel comfortable sharing with the class.
Be meaningful. This meaning (or thesis) can be implied or stated outright. It’s up
to you whether or not you want to extensively reflect on what happened, or simply
give us your thoughts at the time and allow us to infer the effect of this event.
Use narration to tell your story, incorporating dialogue into the text
Use descriptive language to “show, not tell.” Think carefully about what you want
your reader to experience when reading your memoir, and then use your language,
tone, and sentence structure to create that experience.
Be cogent and focused. Don’t let the story wander around aimlessly, or pad it with
tons of description that serves no clear purpose.
Self Portrait:
For the second portion of this assignment, you will compose a portrait of yourself that
reflects how you see yourself now, how you saw yourself then, or a combination of both.
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You might start with a photo of yourself or an object and manipulate it using
Photoshop or Paint. Alternatively, you might create something using glue and
construction paper. In selecting your preferred technology, consider what you are
trying to say and what would be the best venue for conveying this to your audience.
Images are arguments. Your self portrait should create a dominant impression of
you that makes sense in relation to your memoir.
Consider the importance of things like size, color, and visual perspective to get
your visual message across.
Your portrait must be printed in color at the Hicks DLC or burned onto a CD.
Include a brief explanation of what you were trying to accomplish with your portrait
(about 1/2 page).