Topic: How does place contribute to identity?

Background: Consider how places symbolize abstract concepts and how they contribute to a person’s identity. Places obviously are more than the social environment of home and work (work and home are sometimes referred to as “first place” and “second place”). Consider also a “third place.” This might be a convenience store, backyard, cafeteria, bus route, beach, hair salon, cafe, pool hall, etc. Think not only about the details of a place, but what larger concept that place represents. A place might be somewhere that signifies warmth and connectedness or growth and change. For example, In E.B. White’s “Once More to the Lake” the summer trips to the lake might symbolize the narrator’s childhood and a continuation of the cycle of life. In preparation for this assignment, you will also choose your own place and consider the larger question of what it signifies for you and what it means for your identity.

Assignment: Choose one of the following readings and write an analysis of the meaning behind the place described and what it signifies to the narrator’s identity. Then, write about your connection to a place of your choice. Ideally, the place you choose to write about might have a similar connection or theme to the reading you choose.

Page length: 3 pages

Reading Selections:

E.B. White, “Once More to the Lake”

Robert Ramirez, “The Barrio”

John Updike, “The A&P”

Junot Diaz, “Fiesta, 1980”

James Joyce “Araby”

Chinua Achebe, “Dead Men’s Path”

Be sure to use evidence from the text through summary, paraphrasing, and direct quote in order to support your thesis.
Format your essay in MLA style, which includes 12-point font, double spaced in Times New Roman.
Include a works cited page for the story that you choose.