The power and voice that you may have been denied in your past doesn’t have to define you, but how you respond to that struggle that grounded you. David Small’s Stitches: a Memoir, shows the journey of a man who grew up isolated and silenced, to a degree that could easily constitute abuse, managed to elevate himself to the life of an unsuccessful artist. The unwritten success story is that of him achieving the status of a New York Times Bestselling author, in spite of his hereditary trajectory of suicidal ideation and empathetic bankrupcy.

Analyze and interpret the central theme(s) of Stitches, illuminating the deeper meaning of this memoir for the reader and connecting the memoir to your personal experience or to the experience of someone that you know.

Discuss the ways in which your (or their) upbringing and family experiences compare with key themes in the memoir. Consider how your knowledge of/experience with any of the following issues has impacted your (or their) identity and your interpretation of Stitches: an experience involving silence, lack of communication, denial of the truth, repression, the loss of voice or power, and/or the attempt to heal from past wounds and/or forgive others for causing pain.

Focus Questions: It is sometimes helpful to think of an argument as a response to an important question. Consider developing your essay as a response to one of the questions below:

· What experiences have you (or someone you know) had with being silenced, or silencing others? What experiences have you (or they) had when you (or they) felt powerless or controlled by others and how did this affect your (or their) identity? In what ways have you (or they) had to heal past wounds and/or forgive others for causing pain in order to move forward in life?

· How do these specific experiences either relate to or challenge David Small’s family experiences?

· Based on this comparison between Small’s life and the one you are describing, what can you conclude about how our identity is shaped by experiences with being silenced, feeling powerless, or by the process of healing from painful experiences?

Evidence: At least six quotations are required. Cite quotes or paraphrase scenes from Stitches at least six times in this essay. Your quoted or paraphrased sources should include, at minimum, the following: 1) Stitches; 2) your own observations and experiences; 3) ideas generated in class discussion. **It is an option to discuss Dickson Lam’s memoir Paper Sons in relation to Stitches.

Essay One Goals: Below are the writing and thinking skills you should be aiming to demonstrate in Essay One. These goals will also be incorporated into the grading criteria for the essay.

1. The introduction engages and prepares the reader, establishing the context or general debate you are entering into.

2. The thesis clearly communicates your contribution to that debate, providing a clear, compelling argument and previewing the support for that argument.

3. The essay synthesizes the ideas of a published author, as well as examples from your own experience, in order to successfully prove the claim made in the thesis.

4. All of the paragraphs have a clear connection to the thesis, creating a unified essay.

5. Each of the paragraphs has a topic sentence that previews the content of the paragraph and evidence that proves the claim made in the topic sentence. Each paragraph also includes analysis of the evidence and an explanation of how the evidence proves the point made in the topic sentence. (Effective use of the P.I.E strategy.)

6. The conclusion answers the question, “so what?” It explains the “big picture” implications of your argument.

7. The essay is carefully proofread and edited. It is mostly free of grammatical and mechanical errors.

8. The essay demonstrates your thorough understanding of Stitches.

9. The essay integrates at least six quotations with rhetorical effectiveness.

10. The essay uses Noun Phrase Appositives (described in the Week 3 Module) effectively, 3-5 times. Underline each Appositive.

11. The essay is original, creative, and thoughtful, demonstrating the critical reading and thinking skills practiced throughout the unit. It effectively persuades the reader.

Required length: 4 pages minimum (about 1000-1200 words)

Due:

· Thesis Statement due for Thesis Workshop #1 on Thursday, April 21 during the Zoom meeting between 1:30-3:45 pm.

· The Final Essay is due on Sunday, April 24 by 11:59 pm.