“The Loss of the Creature”: personal writing assignment
IMPORTANT:This isn’t an analytical essay.You DON'T need to quote the essay at all, and I urge you
not to quote anything. In fact, avoid using the word “authentic” itself. Instead, tell a story about your
experience; write this paper as a narrative.This is a personal essay.You can and should write in the first
person.
There are three ways to approach this assignment.You’ll need to pick one—though there are artful
ways of blending them together.
(a) What is a truly authentic experience you’ve had, according to Percy's definition of “authentic”?
Write about an experience that you consider authentic, showing why it feels authentic to you.You
might think to yourself in a double negative:“Why isn’t this experience inauthentic?”
2. (b) Is there an experience you’ve had that at first seemed “authentic” but on closer
examination is just a “package” that you bought into? Revisit a past experience that, in
retrospect, seems “inauthentic”: describe how you came to recognize this “inauthenticity” as
well as why the experience seemed authentic at the time.
3. (c) Is there an experience you saw through as “inauthentic” but which you gained
“sovereignty” over by realizing this? Consider the “dialectical” approach to what was an
inauthentic experience.Write about how you knew something was inauthentic and “packaged,”
but how your recognition of this reality at the time gave you a meaningful experience anyway.
500 words or more (2–3 pages). Nice for college essay length... Many of my past students have used
this essay (or a variation of it) for their college applications.
Due dates:
Tuesday September 30, 2014 (G) by midnight on Turnitin
Monday, October 6, 2014 (B) by midnight on Turnitin