Instructions
Lesson 2 Persona, Description
Complete this written assignment in a word processed document, and attach it for grading. Keep a copy of the assignment.
Write a 1500- to 2000-word description of yourself in different contexts. Describe the different images of yourself you tend to project depending on the situation you are in (dinner with friends, meeting with family, lunch with boss, weekend alone with your dog). Use at least four different contexts and clearly describe how and why you switch persona from one context to another. These contexts can be specific (a particular, punctual event) or broad (simply being in the presence of a particular person).
Use various kinds of detail—physical, dialogue, actions, etc. to describe your persona in these different contexts. Place yourself in four (or more) defined environments and show us a different persona functioning in each environment. Clearly emphasize the differences between each persona through what should be rather dissimilar descriptions and focus on being concrete. Note the simplicity and avoidance of sentimentality in the texts dedicated to the description of the ways in which literacy can change one’s identity (pp. 85-115). In fiction, character description, including physical detail, is often used to make a comment on a character—Willie Loman’s stooped shoulders in Death of a Salesman reflect his sense of defeat, for example. We are not looking for a “literary” description here, but you should be able to describe the unique characteristics of your attitude, behavior, looks, those traits which make one of your personas identifiable and different from the next (mannerisms, gestures, posture, other bodily indicators; dress; manner of speaking, etc.).
A metaphor is an implied comparison. In “Beyond Traditional notions of Identity”
(p. 77), Gloria Anzaldua uses the metaphor of the bridge as she tries to explain the heterogeneity and multiplicity of her identity (p. 78). Take this text as an example of the productive use of metaphor. In this second assignment, as you describe yourself in different contexts, use at least two metaphors in order to further emphasize a particular aspect of one of your personas. Use bold face to point out the presence of metaphors in your paper.
Again, I caution you to avoid excesses of any kind. This assignment is simply a description of you as you move from one space to another. Be concrete, clear, and use simple structures and language. This essay is not intended as a symbolic piece. Be truthful in the description of your behavior.
A short comment on writing a conclusion: you will find that you are often better off without the paragraph that you wrote for a conclusion, especially if all it does is to reiterate what has already been said. That is, write your concluding paragraph—and then if it does not add to the quality of your paper, remove it entirely, ending your paper with the paragraph before the one you thought would be your conclusion. In this way you can at least escape the triteness of most ending paragraphs that fall flat at the end, thereby destroying so many papers.
Once you have written your rough draft and made every detail concrete—and you should write your draft in one sitting, as quickly as possible—you can spend some time editing it. Use your spellcheck and whatever else you have available. Read your paper aloud, checking for grammatical and mechanical errors and especially for unnatural diction. If it does not sound like you, it is probably exaggerated and pompous and will be penalized. Remember to be economical—“Being in love with a place, like being in love with a person, is a stimulus to excessive eloquence.” (Lynn Bloom, Fact and Artifact). DO NOT OVERWRITE.
Remember to keep the essays you read in mind as you write. Select your contexts, list your details, eliminate useless details, write your draft, edit your paper, write your final copy, and edit it again.
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