Essay 1: My Los Angeles
Background
In his article, In My Los Angeles, Hollywood Was a Thousand Miles Away,” Walter Thompson-Hernández writes about his own experience of Los Angeles and how this experience challenges some of the common perceptions of LA, particularly perceptions held by people who don’t live here. While he doesn’t give us a full narrative of his life, he brings us into specific memories and experiences that show the way he relates to and understands Los Angeles. But of course, you’ve had your own unique experiences here that could be quite similar or wildly different from his! Wouldn’t it be cool to write about your unique experience of LA?
Writing Goals
The goal of this assignment is to write a narrative essay that draws connections between a new text and prior knowledge/experience. You will do this by demonstrating the following key writing skills:
- Description: Effectively illustrate key points and experiences by using specific details and examples
- Responding to a Text: Demonstrate the ability to incorporate discussion of key points or details from a text into a cohesive response that goes beyond summary
The Assignment
What has your personal experience of LA been like? How do you define your Los Angeles?
For this assignment, I want you to write a clearly organized and well-developed essay about your experience, understanding, and/or perception of LA. Because this is a narrative essay, it will focus on using specific details to describe your experience and understanding of LA, and how that experience either lives up to or defies expectations. What is Los Angeles to you?
In addition to writing about your own experiences, I want you to respond to Thompson-Hernández’s article. Do you relate to any of the ideas he mentions? How do your experiences compare with his? Respond to at least one point, example, or detail in his article, “In My Los Angeles, Hollywood Was a Thousand Miles Away.”
Finally, don’t forget to give your essay a title! You can model your title after the one Thompson-Hernández uses: “In My Los Angeles, [come up with your own point here]”. Center this title at the top of the first page.
Assignment Requirements
- The essay should be 3-4 full pages typed, double-spaced, with 1” margins on all sides.
- Introduce your essay by grabbing our attention with a creative hook that engages the reader in your story. By the end of the first paragraph, you should offer a clear, specific statement about how you define Los Angeles. Think of this as your thesis or main point.
- Aim to use clear, specific details and examples, and avoid vague language and overly broad/general ideas. Specifics are always more interesting!
- The essay should include at least one direct reference (quotation or paraphrase) to Thompson-Hernández’s article.