"A 'REAL' AMERICAN IS..." ESSAY CONTEST
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AND THE WINNERS ARE...

The Last Writing Assignment:

Tips from Author Deborah Morris

Although students often think of essays as rather useless assignments to write about things like "Why The Electoral College is Important In Political Elections", the truth is, essays can be some of the most fun writing you'll ever do!

The dictionary says an essay is "a short literary composition on a single subject, generally presenting the personal views of the author." It's that last part that makes it fun-- presenting your personal views.

As you all know, the terrorist attacks on September 11th rocked the world, and people in the United States reacted in very different ways. Some prayed, some did volunteer work, some donated money... and some attacked Arab-Americans and their children because they looked, dressed, or talked like the terrorists who'd caused so much pain. They claimed that they weren't "real Americans".

Do you agree? What does it take to be a "real" American? Do you have to be born in the USA? What if you're from a foreign country, but you legally become an American citizen? What if you're a legal citizen, but you can't speak English? What if you're born in the USA, but burn the flag or protest against the government? What if you join enemies in fighting against our country with weapons? Are you still a real American?

There are no "right" or "wrong" answers here. Submissions will be judged on clarity, organization of thoughts, and persuasive writing skills.

Here are some tips to help you include the elements which are part of this assignment:

  • First-Person POV. This is an "I" story, written in your own words. (Who else's words would you want to use??) After all, it's all about presenting your personal views! A word of caution, though: it's easy to get carried away with "I-I-I" when writing in the first-person, so try to vary your sentences a bit. It might help to write your first draft, then go back and circle every "I" with a red pencil. If it looks like your paper's got the measles, see if you can lose a few "I"s. One last piece of advice-- do NOT use the phrases "In my opinion", "I think", "I feel", or "I believe". Why? because those phrases weaken whatever comes after them. Which is stronger: "Cheating is wrong", or "In my opinion, cheating is wrong"? Everything in this essay will be your opinion, your thoughts, your feelings and your beliefs.

  • Creativity and passion in your approach to the subject. This writing assignment is easy in one way (no matter what you say, it can't be "wrong!"), but hard in another. You can't research this subject by going online or reading an encyclopedia, although you might pick up some thought-starters that way. You have to think. Form some strong opinions, then write about them boldly.

  • Organized presentation of your opinion. Organizing your thoughts can be very hard sometimes. When you're writing an essay, though, it's very important to have it all make sense. You know how you plan exactly what you're going to say, and how you're going to say it, when you want to talk your mom or dad into something? You know you'll only have a minute before they say "No!", so you can't waste time rambling. Take that same approach to your essay. You're trying to convince your reader that you know what you're talking about. If your first draft rambles, move whole paragraphs around until it all makes sense.

  • Persuasive summary at the end. I won't say much here except to point out that good summaries NEVER begin with the phrases: "In conclusion" or "To summarize". The best summaries also don't simply repeat earlier sentences. (Sorry, teachers... I know a lot of textbooks say to do those things, but they're wrong!) Your final paragraph gives you a chance to drive in the nail, hit the homerun, score the goal, or whatever gives you that "Yes!!" feeling. It should be a powerful little group of words that pulls together all your thoughts and leaves your reader nodding in agreement with you.