How did Desmond-Harris communicate Tupac’s influence on the formation of her identity as a young black woman? Reflect on your own identity as an adult in the year 2020.

Our first writing assignment will be a personal narrative, using Desmond-Harris’ article “Tupac and My Non-Thug Life” as a model.

Choose a SPECIFIC text – be it a book, story, song, film, video game, etc. – and explain how that text has influenced your personal philosophy or helped to shape your identity. You can choose to focus on a specific work, or the work of an artist in general (writer, songwriter, director).

Think back to “Tupac and My Non-Thug Life”. How did Desmond-Harris communicate Tupac’s influence on the formation of her identity as a young black woman? Reflect on your own identity as an adult in the year 2020. “Identity” here can be defined as your gender identity, racial identity, your identity as a writer, an artist, a student, or simply your “identity” in general.

Define this identity and explain how the piece of media you choose has influenced that identity.

Some questions you might ask yourself are:

1. What are some stories that I read long ago, the message of which has stuck with me into adulthood?
2. How do I define myself as a writer? What influences have affected my writing?
3. How do I present myself as an individual, and why do I present myself this way?
4. How does this piece of media make me feel, and why? How does it relate to my life?
5. Is there a song I listen to every day, or a novel/story/film that I continue to think about, or to which I return? What makes this piece of media significant to me?

Write a 3 – 4-page essay responding to this prompt. You do not need to cite “Tupac and My Non-Thug Life”, nor do you need to cite the piece of media that you decide to write about.

Remember, however, to consider your audience. You should spend some time summarizing the piece of media that you choose, but do not allow this summary to consume the essay itself. A considerable amount of space should be devoted to how this work influenced your identity.

If you do decide to cite your work, which is welcomed, remember to use proper MLA formatting for in-text citations, as well as a works cited page at the end of your draft (refer to the Purdue style guide in the module for Week Two).

Remember to refer to the texts from our Open Educational Resources when drafting and organizing your introduction, your body paragraphs, and your conclusion. Your pointshould include the name of the work and the author (songwriter, director, etc.), how it influenced you, and a list of the ways that it has influenced you.

Objectives:

communication skills and transferring ideas from mind to paper; considering experience and how that relates to reading, learning, growing, and identity; critical reading and response; introduction, thesis, and conclusion.

Last Completed Projects