Self as a Text

ANALYSIS OF ONE TEXT - YOURSELF:

BACKGROUND:

What are you saying to the world?  You may not even realize, but every day YOU are making an argument about who you are.  We have read and talked about how a text is not necessarily a passage from a book.  Therefore, the text we will analyze is YOU! What you put on in the morning, what your facebook page says, and your actions all communicate something to the world.  We send out a message to the world, and then, the world makes a judgment about who or what we are.  So often, we do not even realize that we are sending messages, but our actions, speech, clothing, etc all say something.  For example: Why did you choose Auburn?  What did you value about this school?  And what do those values say about who you are?  Or why wear nike shorts to class? What does that say about who you are?Who you are and your background are large parts of the way you write and the way you understand texts, whether they are written down or all around.  We want to understand ourselves in a new way that it might also enhance the way we read and write.

ASSIGNMENT:

Analyze yourself as a text and make an argument for what you mean or what message you are sending to the world around you.  Although you will use your opinion, it MUST be based in textual evidence.  Look at your behavior, speech, clothing, and activities to make meaning.  Do not look any further than yourself, so you don’t need any thing else to make your claim. Each of these contributes to your message.  How and why are they important? 

Then, after analyzing yourself, make a claim about yourself as a text.  This will be your thesis, and you will support it with your evidence from analysis. Also, don’t forget to consider the “context” of the text.  Like any text, you were produced in a certain environment.  How does that affect your message?

EXAMPLES:

BEHAVIOR: Thesis - I am a dedicated Auburn fan! Support - I wake up at the crack of dawn to save tailgating spots.

CLOTHING: Thesis - I LOVE the outdoors! Support - I wear Chacos everyday to remind me of hiking and love to let my toes breathe.

ACTIVITIES: Thesis - I love photography. Support - I read 27 photography blogs everyday.

SPEECH: Thesis - I am very southern. Support - I say words like "buggy" instead of grocery cart, and you could cut my accent with a knife.

*a paragraph or two expected

STEPS TO START…

What’s your point? What claim are you making about yourself?

Why can you make this claim? This is where your different points of analysis go!

How will you organize this - logically, chronologically, order of importance?  You cannot simply make an unconnected list.

*NOTE: You are not going to be able to write a whole biography here, so pick ONE message to make your claim from. 

And always remember I am happy to meet with you about any question or concern. Happy Writing!