Sven Birkerts essay “The Paper Chase” can be loosely classified as a "literacy narrative” because it includes personal stories about Birkerts’ experiences with reading and writing. Note that Birkerts includes both description and interpretation. This assignment asks you to write your own literacy narrative, in the spirit of Birkerts.

Since this essay is not a standard argument, you may not have an explicit thesis, but the essay should have a controlling idea that will propel your reader through the essay and give unity and focus to your work.

You will also need a structure that seems clear and appropriate to your readers.  You may write a traditionally structured essay. In Lives on the Boundary, Mike Rose writes,

But strange blessing, we can never really free ourselves from the mood of early neighborhoods, from our first stories, from the original tales of hope and despair. There are basic truths about the vulnerability and power of coming to know, about the way the world invites and denies language. This is what lies at the base of education--to be tapped or sealed over or distorted, by others, by us.

You may want to begin with your “original tales” and move on from that point in chronological order (more or less).  Or you may make your paper an imaginative, impressionistic piece of writing--a free-form personal essay.  Either choice is fine.  Choose what you feel most comfortable with and what seems to work best given the purpose of your paper.

 

Think of the audience for your essay as people who do not yet know you well but who have reason to be interested in your life.  In other words, for your first venture, consider our classroom community your audience.  Remember that you may have to provide information for us that you as author do not need.  Think in concrete terms.  What do we need to see, hear, and understand in order to respond with interest and empathy to your essay.

 

Prewriting: You are free to choose whatever prewriting technique works best for you.  You have made a start with your Writer’s Profile and your list of memorable books.  You may also wish to consider the following questions.  Certainly you should not think of these questions as prescriptive. You may use all, a few or none of the questions. I merely suggest them as prompts for the invention stage if you are having difficulty generating those first, often most difficult words.