English 107G University of Portland Dr. Herman Asarnow Fall 2001

Photography & Writing Assignment

for Painters' Portraits Experience

 After you have looked over the self-portraits you created with the help of your group partners, choose 2 of the self-portraits/photos you submitted as the basis for two different, brief (2 typed pages, each), autobiographical essays about your self (selves). Each of these short, autobiographical essays will briefly, but with specific details, tell the story of the "self" that appears in one of the two photographic self portraits of you. If you wish, you can integrate the two autobiographies into one essay, but you don't have to.

 For your first draft, don't worry about absolute correctness of grammar or punctuation, or too much about style. Instead, work to get down on paper interesting concrete details and a well-chosen, dense (you only have 2 pages!) set of anecdotes or situations that will reveal the self of each photo.

 Some hints:

• First try to find a word or phrase that sums up the self in each of the two photographs. Then let that "title" or heading guide your choice of life-details and narrative elements that you put into each brief essay.
• Use specific details in each photograph as the basis for, or as elements of, the autobiographical self you write about.
• Don't be afraid to have the two autobiographies cross-over into each other some.
• Try to be realistic, instead of fantastic. Explore two different sides to your actual self, as shown in the photograph.
• Remember that key moments, incidents, and anecdotes will say more about the self you are trying to portray than will a simple re-telling of some basic facts (birthday, school, etc.).

 Purpose:

To depict two different (though perhaps somewhat similar) selves in two brief essays.

 Audience

Your classmates and your professor--so the level of writing should be semi-formal, but it can be expressive since this is about you.

You should aim that each autobiography should express a dominant impression of the self about which you are writing.

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