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EssayEssay (personal): The personal essay in the United States tradition is a reference to a school form that is also called a “narration” or a narrative essay. The personal essay calls for the student to tell a story that has happened to him or her in a way that makes it come to life for a reader and to show or imply a lesson learned from the experience. For the expressivists (see expression-expressivism?) the personal essay is at the heart of initiating students into the critical and intellectual work of the university. It is founded on the text of experience as well as the generic and linguistic history of the individual writer: stories read, heard, rules and structures learned or absorbed, words, commonplaces, tropes, all work together as the student turns his or her experience into a crafted story. Expressivists suggest that confidence in oneself and one’s voice is the best preparation for writing in the university. This should help in avoiding the traditional problem of the essays made up of pasted quotes that frustrate teachers so much. The student constructs his or her writerly identity (and student identity) linked with his or her lived experience and level of engagement in the world. |