RE: Big Yes for Formulaic Writing

[Profsteven@aol.com]

Sorry to take so long to respond to this, Neal.

You mention 2 problems--the students who want to write about their personal
religion or their religious conversion and those who don't want to write about
anything personal at all.

I see personal essays as a form of exploratory writing; in other words, one of
the goals of writing a personal essay is that the writer discover something
about herself that she didn't know before. Obviously there's no way to grade
this or to even know if such a discovery occurred because (1) I don't have a
corps of private investigators to delve into students' lives and (2) because a
student's discovery will often not make it into the final version of the essay
anyway (too private).

I require, though, that students think deeply about their readers as they
write personal essays.  For those who wish to write about religion or
conversion, I explain that simply saying "I believe in God" tells readers
nothing, since there are many many versions of exactly who/what God is (the
wrathful Old Testament God, the forgiving Father, not to mention all the
concepts of God beyond the Jewish and Christian versions).  So the writer must
really grapple with her definition of God, explain the characteristics etc.
that SHE sees as part of her vision of God.  Usually that ultimately leads to
some discovery on her part or at least a more profound essay (it may take a
few revisions). 

To deepen the essay's value to readers (a key concept in personal essays which
are an art form that strives to communicate something about the writer's
personality and about the world or life), I have had students do some
research, investigating other concepts of God as items to be compared and
contrasted to the student's version (this is helpful if the student can't get
past "God is God").

Another strategy is to ask the writer to explain the implications of her
belief.  For example, if she says "God is love," what kind of love? who gets
included and excluded? If anyone gets excluded, how is that justified if God
is love, etc.

The issue of foisting my beliefs onto the student or of arguing against the
student's beliefs never comes up--it's always about her wider audience and
their assumptions and the need for her to explain her assumptions, etc.

With conversion experiences, I often send them to some written account of a
conversion (e.g., St. Augustine) and have them bounce their experience off
that earlier version--comparison and contrast.  

What I fight against in all personal essays (not just ones about religion) is
reliance on stock phrases and unconsidered assumptions--always I'm asking in
the margins of drafts "what does this mean to you in your own words?" and
"what are the implications of your assumption that ...?"

I had one essay about reincarnation a few years ago that the workshop shredded
(it was filled with catch phrases and unconsidered assumptions).  After a long
consultation with me and then with 2 tutors in the Writing Center, he came
back with a totally fascinating essay exploring his own uncertainty and his
reasons for depending on his friends' experiences to define his beliefs.
Usually, however, the faith isn't shaken but the essays get more complex, more
thoughtful, and hence more interesting and informative for us readers.

(About now, aren't you glad you asked, Neal?)

For those who don't want to write about something personal,
personal/exploratory writing is still useful.  I distinguish between "private"
and "personal" material.  "Personal" material includes subjects that the
writer might feel a bit uncomfortable revealing or exploring at first, but
once she begins writing she discovers it's ok (she doesn't get sweaty palms
etc.).  "Private" subject matter is anything that causes physical symptoms
(the sweaty palms, an overwhelming and more-than-normal degree of
procrastination, etc.).  I tell writers to always abondon such topics and more
to something else.  Inevitably (or almost inevitably) by mid-semester material
that most students considered too private at the beginning of the semester has
become "personal" and available as topics as the trust within the classroom
develops.

Even taking the worst case scenario, however, personal essays still work.  If
a student is uncomfortable writing about her experiences or beliefs, she can
write an essay about a text that moves her in some way or that touches her
intellectually in some way.  Or, she can select a concept that has mildly
interestsed her but about which she knows little and explore it (research
here), perhaps including her original notion of that concept (say,
vegetarianism) and what her research uncovers and whether or not that concept
still interests her, etc.

Hope that helps,

Steve