Essay 1 Topic Ideas

Literature and the Environment, Spring 2016, O'Donnell

Based on Personal Experience/ Observation--1000-2000 wds: 25% of final grade

Below are some topic ideas. We'll also read various model essays in class. Keep in mind that the challenge with this essay (as with most personal or reflective writing) will be to find a purpose and an audience--that is, to write something that people will want to read.

Also consider this: You may choose to write this personal experience essay as a kind of warm-up for your semester project.

Also note that, while the essay will be based primarily on your experience, you may incorporate various kinds of information from other sources. We'll discuss in class.

Initial topic ideas:

1. a place you know well; your relationship (and family members' and/or loved ones' relationships) with that place, over time; the way this place has changed over time

2. an excursion, be it a back yard ramble or a travel essay

3. reflections on your own values; why and how you value interactions w/ "natural" environment

4. encounters with wildlife, nonhuman animals

5. your evolving awareness of natural history, the beauty or appeal of natural forms

6. a "polemic"--an essay that expresses a point of view or opinion on an issue, practice, or controversy, based primarily on your experiences related to that issue