Before you develop your own “This I Believe” statement, peruse and listen to existing testimonials here. Use the “explore” tab to search for 5 intriguing statements. For each statement, note the following:
1. author/speaker
2. crux or “thesis” of statement
3. 3 observations regarding style, delivery, structure, or other storytelling elements
4. your attitude in relation to the speaker’s
Once you have completed this step, begin constructing and refining your own statement.
Visit “The Moth” site. Select and listen to 3 stories. For each story, note the following:
1. speaker and title
2. theme of the story
3. 3 observations regarding style, delivery, structure, or other storytelling elements
4. your attitude in relation to the speaker’s story
5. a score (based on our rubric)
Then, click here to learn some storytelling tips. Once you have completed this step, begin constructing and refining your own story.
15 comments:
This I Believe
“Be Cool to the Pizza Dude”
Author: The author of the piece is Sarah Adams, an English professor at Olympia College in Washington. She has previously held many lower level jobs.
Thesis: Be cool to the pizza dude; it’s good luck.
Observations: She divides the piece very clearly into her four reasons why to be cool to the pizza dude. Her style is a little odd, it seems like she’s trying to support her chill message with hip language but it seems unnatural. She uses little sub theses in her paragraphs and then expands upon them which is very organized.
Attitude: I like her statement because it’s all about being a kind forgiving person that exhibits respect for others.
“Find a Good Frog”
Author: “Delia Motavalli has grown up watching movies about fairy tales and princesses. But after she received a piece of advice from her mother, Delia has come to realize her own definition of happily ever after.”
Thesis: Deila Motavalli believes in being realistic when it comes to romance and looking for a good frog instead of Prince Charming because if a girl lazes around being picky and waiting for a perfect happy ending, it's unlikely she’ll find one.
Observations: Her essay is very organized. She sets up some nice context in her first paragraph establishes how the knowledge came to her, and how she later found the full value of it. I like that she addresses the opposing idea of looking for prince charming and how she herself was guilty of it, while explaining the full merit of the wisdom her mom gave her.
Attitude: I really enjoyed her essay because she presented some very valuable wisdom but in a way that was fun and relatable.
“Misspelling the Word ‘Of””
Author: “When Jason Oda was in the first grade, he had an experience that has stuck with him into adulthood...he is now an indie game developer living in Fairfield, Iowa.”
Thesis: Oda’s childhood experience taught him the importance of questioning set rules and assumptions to ensure that things aren’t done a particular way simply because they’ve always been done that way.
Observations: Oda provides not only the experience that led to his wisdom and the wisdom itself, he also provides several examples of the wisdom’s relevance in modern society. By providing a very simple example Oda makes his wisdom easy to understand and apply, He also makes a personal connection that the reader can still relate to.
Attitude: I like that he urges the reader to question set practices, but I feel at points he oversimplifies rules and assumptions, because just because one person doesn’t see the purpose doesn’t mean a relevant one doesn’t exist.
This I Believe Part Two
“The Grilled Cheese Principle”
Author: “Emily Schmitt Lavin, Ph.D., is a professor in biology who lives in Sunrise, Florida, with her husband Craig and two children, Alexander and Cynthia. The whole family appreciates a perfect grilled cheese sandwich, including Emily's mother who will still hide one burned side if necessary.”
Thesis: Lavin believes that the half burned grilled cheeses she had experienced throughout her life reveal that no matter how ordinary the task, it should be done with the utmost care and attention if the outcome is ever to be more than mediocre.
Observations: I liked the content of the piece very much, however the structure was a bit odd. She made divided the paragraphs in a rather odd way. This gave the piece a bit of redundancy. It was much longer than the actual content warranted.
Attitude: I enjoyed the speaker’s attitude towards simple tasks and I believe her essay and the wisdom it contains has a lot of merit.
“Give Me a Waffle”
Author: Brenda is a high school student with a lot of stress in her life, who uses waffles both for comfort and reward.
Thesis: In such a chaotic and stressful world, people need simple rewards and simple comforts.
Observations: The lack of information of the author helps to make the piece even more relatable. Both the juxtaposition and repetition of the piece serve to reinforce the idea of simple rewards and simple comforts. The myriad of example both personal and otherwise combine to make the piece perfectly potent while still being relatable.
Attitude: I adore the author’s message and the style with which she presents it. She is simultaneously the youngest and most successful “This I believe” essay author I have read.
1. Quique Alves
2. “I believe that crack can kill me, but that in the end, that communication and direct human contact will save me.”
3. I enjoyed the author’s diverse views: he presented himself both as a drug addict as a poet. And humanizing himself in the process. By saying, “I can function on drug street corners and at wine-sipping theater receptions,” Aviles appeals to both ends of the spectrum. Through syntactical usage of short and long sentences, he plainly states, “the alternative is death and I don’t want it. I want to get old.” He therefore confirms that he wants to get through this addiction rather than end his life with it.
4. I agree with the speaker. I have many friends from the hospital that have struggled with drug addictions or suffered drug overdose that are intelligent and capable human beings.
1. James Downey
2. “I believe in the power to forget.”
3. I appreciated that the author did not immediately go down a route of hatred, instead saying he tried to forgive and then chose to forget. I also thought it was interesting he displayed his refusal to epitomize the archetype of a vengeful son. Through ending the statement with rhetorical questions, he leaves the reader with the realization that violence and revenge and grudges are not necessarily the path to peace.
4. While I agree with the author, I also believe that sometimes we have to remember those who wronged us and not allow it to happen again.
1. Tori Murden McClure
2. “I believe that love and friendship are the things that make our humanity bearable.”
3. I appreciated the dialogue because it gave a better image of the situation and the characters. I also appreciated that the narrator was a girl, and could fend for herself. Finally, I liked the narrative tone of the statement because it was easier to imagine the situation.
4. I agree that love and friendship are some of the most important things we can have.
Lauren LeBlanc
“But I’ve learned that importance is relative. Because to a small few, I am irreplaceable.”
I enjoyed her phrasing of, “I know the alchemy of loss.” She means both the destruction it can cause and the confusion surrounding it. I also really liked how she showed her evolution from a teenager dreaming of striking out on her own to a mom with kids.
However, I also don’t necessarily think that every teenage girl that dreams of getting as far away as she can from monotony is a bad thing.
Sarah Adams
“If I have one operating philosophy about life it is this: ‘Be cool to the pizza delivery dude; it’s good luck.’”
The principles Adam stated were humorous, but they were also very true. She proves that pizza dudes are humans just like us, and they have never, unlike some, caused their company to teeter on the brink of bankruptcy. They, “sleep the sleep of the just.”
I completely agree with the speaker. Practicing coolness to pizza dudes will most definitely be good for our karma, in my opinion.
1. Quique Alves
2. “I believe that crack can kill me, but that in the end, that communication and direct human contact will save me.”
3. I enjoyed the author’s diverse views: he presented himself both as a drug addict as a poet. And humanizing himself in the process. By saying, “I can function on drug street corners and at wine-sipping theater receptions,” Aviles appeals to both ends of the spectrum. Through syntactical usage of short and long sentences, he plainly states, “the alternative is death and I don’t want it. I want to get old.” He therefore confirms that he wants to get through this addiction rather than end his life with it.
4. I agree with the speaker. I have many friends from the hospital that have struggled with drug addictions or suffered drug overdose that are intelligent and capable human beings.
1. James Downey
2. “I believe in the power to forget.”
3. I appreciated that the author did not immediately go down a route of hatred, instead saying he tried to forgive and then chose to forget. I also thought it was interesting he displayed his refusal to epitomize the archetype of a vengeful son. Through ending the statement with rhetorical questions, he leaves the reader with the realization that violence and revenge and grudges are not necessarily the path to peace.
4. While I agree with the author, I also believe that sometimes we have to remember those who wronged us and not allow it to happen again.
1. Tori Murden McClure
2. “I believe that love and friendship are the things that make our humanity bearable.”
3. I appreciated the dialogue because it gave a better image of the situation and the characters. I also appreciated that the narrator was a girl, and could fend for herself. Finally, I liked the narrative tone of the statement because it was easier to imagine the situation.
4. I agree that love and friendship are some of the most important things we can have.
Lauren LeBlanc
“But I’ve learned that importance is relative. Because to a small few, I am irreplaceable.”
I enjoyed her phrasing of, “I know the alchemy of loss.” She means both the destruction it can cause and the confusion surrounding it. I also really liked how she showed her evolution from a teenager dreaming of striking out on her own to a mom with kids.
However, I also don’t necessarily think that every teenage girl that dreams of getting as far away as she can from monotony is a bad thing.
Sarah Adams
“If I have one operating philosophy about life it is this: ‘Be cool to the pizza delivery dude; it’s good luck.’”
The principles Adam stated were humorous, but they were also very true. She proves that pizza dudes are humans just like us, and they have never, unlike some, caused their company to teeter on the brink of bankruptcy. They, “sleep the sleep of the just.”
I completely agree with the speaker. Practicing coolness to pizza dudes will most definitely be good for our karma, in my opinion.
Moths:
The Cup of Coffee, Earlyne Alexander
Theme: tragedy/worry
-kept referring back to the coffee which started the story
-explained her state of mind through her words
-plot twist at the end
very well said and kept my attention the whole time
score: 15/15 (A)
2) The Last Gift, Alexandra Rosas
Theme: loss/love
-humor made it light during heavy topics
-shows emotion family experiences after loss
-rediscovery of pleasant times
funny but also very moving
score: 13/15 (B)
3) The Briar Patch, Warren Holleman
Theme: changing beliefs
-humorous at times
-characteristics of speaker are very clear
-lesson learned but the end
humorous and eye-opening
score: 12/15 (B)
This I Believe
Sarah Adams, Be Cool To The Pizza Dude
Always be kind to others, remain calm, live life happily
-very fun in delivery
-takes an everyday job into meaningful context
-makes point in a fun way
Very well said and creative
Mackenzie Dwyer
February 4, 2016
Period D Creative Writing
This I Believe Statement Reviews
I Can Make a Difference
Author/Speaker: Carol Fixman, former executive director of the Philadelphia Education Fund
Thesis: “I believe in taking action to solve problems around me.”
Observations: Fixman’s sentence fragments as well as her medium simple sentences notably underscore her ethos of pragmatism both for their like content and concise form. Her narration’s longer and more complex constructions aid Fixman in humanizing her mother as well as in paying homage to the printers Sandy Geiser Craig and Bernie Pond. Fixman overall seems to favor shifts in content that verge on the abrupt, perhaps fitting said ethos as action-oriented.
My attitude in relation to Fixman’s: Her confidence, while commendable, swells to the perhaps too overt in her penultimate paragraph. I view tonal fluctuations like this as slightly detracting from Fixman’s narrative but otherwise suiting her plain diction well. I agree with her message of assertiveness.
2.) Be Cool to the Pizza Dude
Author/Speaker: Sarah Adams, an English professor at Olympic College in Washington
Thesis: "If I have one operating philosophy about life it is this: “Be cool to the pizza delivery dude; it’s good luck.”
Observations: Acknowledgment notwithstanding, Adams’ ideational delineation subverts the stigma that entry-level or lower-skilled jobs often receive. Her characterization of pizza delivery dudes as acting with sundry and panoramic effects dignifies them even when Adams waxes facetious; ultimately, her thoroughness in ascribing intent to herself and to her subjects solidifies her earnestness.
My attitude in relation to Adams’: Though I wonder why she specifically chose pizza delivery dudes in illustrating honor’s importance, her statements resonate with me.
3.) Learning How to See
Author/Speaker: Claire Lambeth, an artist and a former psychiatric nurse
Thesis: “I believe in the importance of seeing something new each time we see the familiar and seeing into and beyond the words we hear.”
Observations: Lambeth’s long sentences lacking much syntactical variation sustain the gravitas of her piece with their periodic occurrences. Her two-time use of the evaluative words “always” and “never,” respectively, seem a clear attempt to restore immediacy to her narration, this also accomplished through her reasoned gratitude for her teachers as well as her concise summary of essential processes.
My attitude in relation to Lambeth’s: Having attempted and succeeded at varying levels to incorporate the principles of AP Language into my immediate reactions, I identify strongly with Lambeth’s account of education strengthening and expanding her perception.
Mackenzie Dwyer
February 4, 2016
Period D Creative Writing
This I Believe Reviews, cont.
4.) Happily Ever After
Author/Speaker: Abbe Fletman, a “judge in the criminal trial division of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas” as well as a respected former lawyer
Thesis: “And so, I found, I believe in marriage. … [G]oing through a marriage ceremony felt momentous, a feeling I had never anticipated.”
Observations: Fletman’s comparisons as well as small-scale causal analyses mark her as perpetually thoughtful and reflective. Her reasoned tone impresses greater profundity upon her audience for its slight remove; her peroratio’s refutations offset the shift to moralizing that follows.
My attitude in relation to Adams’: As someone often skeptical of marriage, I appreciated reading a validation of it from a woman whose romantic partnership would have long gone unrecognized by the law.
5.) Misspelling the Word “Of”
Author/Speaker: Jason Oda, an “indie game developer”
Thesis: “I believe in the misspelling of the word “of,” and the necessity for each generation to question the assumptions of the previous.”
Observations: Oda supports the inferences made from his experience thoroughly enough so that he hardly seems to have magnified its significance. His refutation potently segues into evaluation of this belief’s development concurrent with his own: “The spelling of ‘of’ may not be a worthy battle to build a life around, but as I grew older this memory helped me become aware of the fact that the world is a place that comes with a lot of strange rules and assumptions that we often fail to question.” Its product, the neologism “uvism,” strikes Oda’s audience as a sort of playful yet apt resistance.
My attitude in relation to Oda’s: His progression without ever mentioning linguistics initially puzzled me -- as a lover of language, I thus had to consciously attune myself to the validity of Oda’s example. This helped me to sympathize more deeply with Malcolm and to associate with him my own prioritization at times of creativity over correctness.
Mackenzie Dwyer
February 5, 2015
Period D Creative Writing
Moth Reviews
Title/Speaker: Empathetic Subway Screaming - Jeff Simmermon
Theme: Hidden blessings
Thesis (for fun): “There are so many beautiful, beautiful blessings to be found in this town if you scrape the patina of sheer rage off of everybody.”
Observations: Simmermon immediately constructs an ethos of impassioned and comedic relatability, from his mention of his “surprise divorce” to “straddling a garbage can” as he pulls the “Sad King Arthur” move to devour chocolate ice cream. Simmermon’s colloquial grammar and pronunciation, e.g., “gon’” for “going to” and the omission of -g endings from suffixes, heighten his story’s immediacy and natural, fluid tone. Additionally, his frequent polysyndeton with “and” and “so” infuse his delivery with a particularly confessional quality through lengthened intonations.
My attitude in relation to Simmermon’s: Although I can recall having no experiences quite similar to Simmermon’s, his self-aware requests for “grace and patience” along with his interaction with the fellow passenger who told him to “have a blessed day, baby” highly agreed with me.
Rubric-based score: B or 13
2.) A Detroiter in Paris - Dameon Wilburn
Theme: Wanderlust
Observations: Wilburn’s staccato and at times abruptly revised speech hardly makes an impression on her audience amidst her smooth imbrication of internal narrative, sound effects, and asides within her overarching anecdotes. She narrates with unabashed honesty, in this way conveying solidarity toward her wife and hometown. Her repetition of the phrase “Moving on,” though likely unintentional, underscores her story’s message of comfort amidst relative improvisation.
My attitude in relation to Wilburn’s: As a decidedly less spontaneous person than Wilburn, I marveled at the ability of her and her wife to travel with the haphazard planning she implies.
Rubric score: B or 12
3.) One Last Family Photo - James Braly
Theme: “[T]o let go”
Observations: Braly retells his estranged family at his sister’s deathbed in calm, raspy tones clearly practiced. Partly to manage tension, he gently mocks relatives’ ironic traits or their behavioral hypocrisy, smoothly incorporating auxiliary imagery. He recounts an example of his father’s manipulation in tones that convey less weariness than light expectancy.
My attitude in relation to Braly’s: His uplifting approach to recounting a saddening, perhaps in some ways disturbing family scenario impressed me. I have at times wondered how I might proceed should a tragedy like this occur in my own family.
Rubric-based score: 14 or A
Mackenzie Dwyer
February 1, 2016
Period D Creative Writing
Moth, Pt. 1
Kindergarten requires you to learn some things, yet not others. Specifically, surrounding adults expect some things to remain unasked. My first interaction with an adult in Mrs. Kline’s classroom, therefore, consisted not of greeting but of inquiry, as I had watched a tablemate do moments before. His name was Trey. He was African-American -- I mention this because of the relative uniqueness, among us, of this. We also had an aide whose silvered hair and complacent expression marked her as unique among the other student teachers or aides I have seen ever since.
So Trey asked this aide, “What color is your hair?” And she tilted it back before the response, “Grey. My hair is the color grey.” And Trey replied, “I thought it was pink!” I swear he was serious. You can imagine I was sitting there, thinking, “How in the world doesn’t he know the color grey?” Thus, I approached the aide in a timely manner and asked something like, “Do you think he never saw the color grey before?” This first scholastic exchange with an adult, I was met with a laugh and a “Don’t be rude!” I had no clue how I’d been rude.
I suspect that not-too-dissimilar dynamics underpinned some of the conversations my teacher, Mrs. Kline, and I would have. The classroom had few books. First of all, why? Couldn’t I go borrow some from the library? Well it turned that the library was for the use of third graders. I may have argued briefly with her on this point. Then: how about I bring some of my own books to school?
From Mrs. Kline I learned that we came to school not just to read -- in fact, mostly not for that purpose just yet -- but to play with the other kids and, through these experiences, learn things that mattered. Partly since I’d fixated on becoming an entomologist, I didn’t realize what this kind of play -- the rotation of structured group activities -- could teach me. (By the way: if you’ve chosen entomology as your future college concentration out of a regard for those poor misunderstood insects, know that many of your colleagues will embrace INSECT DEATH as a feverish pursuit.)
Mackenzie Dwyer
February 5, 2016
Period D Creative Writing
Moth, Pt. 2
I have to admit that in my education thus far, I feel I’m only just beginning to comprehend Mrs. Kline’s words beyond their surface meaning. A lot of my kindergarten remembrances consist of times like this. The far left corner of our classroom, as I recall, had been sectioned off and decorated to resemble a tiny kitchen. I learned that certain pre-dinner rituals demanded observing, such as the labored decisions pertaining to who would be the mom and who would be the dad, and all the sisters and brothers. Strictly speaking, no one wanted to be the little brother. I volunteered for the position and, when asked, explained that he had already eaten his dinner and he wasn’t hungry. I was stunned when Mom didn’t rebuke me. Instead, I watched from the corner the animation with which she handed out dishes, the family settling in for a meal. That was one time.
Perhaps not surprisingly, it took solitude for me to find kindergarten play immersive. I’d unearthed a blue box of these small plastic or rubber interlocking shapes. Fitting their edges together posed some challenge given my motor skills then (and now). But I fell into a state of flow, determined to fashion a girl with long braids and wearing a skirt. Well, I made her. Two columns of circles upon circles streamed from her single-circle head, and I felt too proud to disassemble them. Sensing the end of play time, locked for several moments in inner struggle, I rose, strode across the carpet, and dropped the girl with braids and a skirt into the front pocket of my backpack. You bet I worked my poker face the whole time I cleaned up the other pieces and put back that blue box.
It began the moment I walked back from my backpack, and it escalated after going home. I was ruminating on the magnitude of what I’d done. I’d robbed a place of learning. And I feared for my education. The year before I’d snagged a peanut butter cup from the fridge and showed my mother just to note her reaction, but this time I hadn’t meant to test anyone. Feeling watched, I couldn’t decide whether to tell her. With this weight on my shoulders, I barely had the clarity to remember whether that girl’s skirt was a square or a triangle.
After a few days, or perhaps it was a week, I unzipped the front pocket of my backpack. And what shape do you think would have made up the girl’s skirt?
Well, your guess is as good as mine, because the pocket was empty.
My moth responses are in hard copy because I hand wrote them.
This I Believe Statements
“I Can Make a Difference”
1. Carol Fixman
2. Crux: “I believe in taking action to solve problems around me.”
3. She tells a story of her personal philosophy, a chronological following of the processes she undertook in bringing her mother’s desires to fruition before her death. To do so, Fixman often includes the thoughts and feelings she experiences in times of indecision. She also includes touching interaction between mother and daughter as a means of introducing emotion and feelings alongside her message. Fixman also utilizes characters as a means of communicating her ideas, the book-binding company owners as well as herself exist as catalysts for the change for which Fixman advocates.
4. I would like to think that I have an outlook similar to that of Fixman. I like to think that I am not satisfied with a destitute status quo and would not hesitate to change it.
“Be Cool to the Pizza Dude”
1. Sarah Adams
2. “Be cool to the pizza dude, it’s good luck.”
3. Adams structures her testimonial into four principles regarding “why” kindness to the pizza delivery dude should be common practice. Adams also uses the “pizza dude” as a symbol of the common man, guilty only of looking out for their own interests but never intentionally ruining others’ lives, a contrast to the lives lived by CEOs and other people. Adams also uses the “pizza dude” as a symbol of equality, delivering pizzas without prejudice and so all should love and respect him while following his example.
4. I agree with Adams’s idea. I enjoy her use of the “pizza dude” as an example of what every person should strive to be, humble and unprejudiced. I enjoy her message of everyone having redeeming qualities and being deserving of kindness.
“The Guts to Keep Going”
1. Amy Lyles Wilson
2. “I believe in old women who learn new tricks- gutsy, wrinkled broads who eat alone in restaurants and pump their own gas.”
3. Wilson provides a little bit of an emotional background to set the reader up for what she believes in. She focuses the story on her mother, lists out the difficulties that her mother had to go through in order to continue living, then reveals the courage it had taken her to push through. She utilizes a tertiary story of a widow waiting 3 minutes for her husband to begin driving to play on the emotions of the reader, ensuring that all felt a touch of the plight faced by widowed old women.
4. I really connect with Wilson’s message, and feel that changing one’s life after a loss is a terribly difficult thing to do and witness, and so those who do are incredibly admirable.
“Give Me a Waffle”
1. Brenda
2. “I believe in waffles.”
3. Brenda uses waffles as a symbol of normalcy and its associated calming effects. Another major story-telling element that defines her writing is humor, with her ubiquitous solution to a range of problems being fluffy, buttery, pressed waffles, the reader cannot help but smile. There is also a conclusion with a sort of universal idea or real-world message.
4. I agree with Brenda’s message, and as much as I love waffles, I feel like what they represent to her is something that I can get behind.
“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”
1. Andrew Sullivan
2. “I believe in life… I believe in liberty… I believe in the pursuit of happiness.”
3. Sullivan divides his piece into three separate statements; each one is supported by its following paragraph. This separation allows Sullivan to transition into his believe in the country and society that supports all three of his statements. The allusions Sullivan uses to encapsulate each statement, comparing athletes to quadriplegics to denote the universal importance of life, and the same for liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Another important facet of Sullivan’s writing is how he is careful to define each point he makes, pursuit of happiness is not a guarantee of success, life is an invitation to experience, and liberty is the right to express.
Moth Statements
“First Kill”
1. Frank Damico
2. Damico had trouble meeting his father’s expectation throughout his childhood, and looking back on his experience in the woods with his father; he realizes that there are irreconcilable differences between him and his father he must accept.
3. Damico will often use humor, accentuating a point with light-hearted profanity. He will often adopt a deeper, slower tone in times of great seriousness during his story. Finally, Damico uses incredibly descriptive words in creating an image for the audience, images of the target and of the deer.
4. I enjoy hearing Damico’s story, and feel like he does a good job of revealing how there can be differences in family and the effects these differences can have if they are not recognized.
5.
“Cocker spaniel of the Jews”
1. Randy Cohen
2. Religion, race, and gender are things that people can feel like they are an authority on, but it is the venue through which opinions are given, the credibility of the institution and not the person that are responsible for the final say.
3. Cohen utilizes religious allusions throughout his story, calling himself Moses the Lawgiver on tour when he gives speeches to Jews and saying how his interrogation felt as though it lasted 40 days and 40 nights. His story is also wrought with humor, little jokes like his title or even the idea that his constituency is older Jewish women, like a room full of his mother. Cohen also ends with a sort of summary about the moral around his story, how power is invested into people, but it is the investor who has the power, the person is simply a conduit.
4. I feel like Cohen’s story really captures the idea of where power/influence comes from in society. He attributes changes in people’s opinions or ways of thinking to greater, representative entities, like the New York Times.
5.
“George Washington, Gangsters, and Cookies”
1. Deborah Allen-Carr
2. A person can be born into a situation, and be embraced by that situation, but is not solidified in nor defined by their situation.
3. Allen-Carr is able to create a story with a logical beginning, middle, and end, with a resolution that ties into the moral of her story. She also punctuates what is mostly a serious story with bits of humor to lighten the mood. Allen-Carr also incorporates what feels like inter-character dialogue, something that is unique among moth stories.
4. I was very interested in how Allen-Carr’s relationship with this gang member would play out, and felt like it was almost story-book cliché how he was not defined by being in a gang and instead wanted out, but thoroughly enjoyed it.
I Believe in- Ross and Rachel
Yes. I believe in Ross and Rachel. And yes. I am writing about the tv show Friends. I also believe that pizza is unappetizing, so you don’t have to agree. The famous sitcom couple proved that more often than not, things usually don’t go as planned. But because of their history, I’ve learned and come to believe that everything happens for a reason.
Whether they were on a break or not, it's obvious that the two are meant to be! At least the fans think so! And perhaps it’s just the writers, but I’d beg to differ. After watching the entire series and multiple reruns, I’ve learned that friends are irreplaceable. As much as I adore these characters, no Friends from a television can replace the friends of my own. I use to wish Chandler was one of my pals, until I realized there’s already a Chandler in the group! I believe everyone we meet throughout our lives have purpose. Everything in our existence serves meaning, and nothing is a coincidence.
The more relatable the show became, the more captivating it proved to be. So when I say I believe in Ross and Rachel I always have. I have always believed in destiny and fate; Friends is simply my example. Regardless of their decisions, everything always pointed back to the other person. Some things are just meant to be.
Every decision you make is leading up to your success, and I think that no matter what, one will achieve it. Each decision is either prompts you forward, or creates a detour. Yet, you’ll always finish the journey. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Ross and Rachel had many ups and downs. All of which, created a charming story that we all just happen to watch.
MOTH-story about New Hampshire swim at aunt's lake house.
author/speaker
silas house
crux or “thesis” of statement
if we were all like dogs, we would be all happier.
3 observations regarding style, delivery, structure, or other storytelling elements
he loves and respects his dogs, he tells his story like a documentary, and he uses literary terms in his story about asas dog.
your attitude in relation to the speaker’s
my attitude to this author is interesting, he truly loves his dogs and believes that it is the closest to God.
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/28061/ - love on four feet
author/speaker
sarah culp searles
crux or “thesis” of statement
“i believe love is steadfast”
3 observations regarding style, delivery, structure, or other storytelling elements
she learned to love a cat that she didn’t actually want, one of their cats was almost dying and she learned after a rough day she got a warm kitty snuggle, and she was emotional while speaking and believes that love is unconditional and cannot be changed.
your attitude in relation to the speaker’s
I sooned loves to love a cat she didn’t want because she opened her eyes and saw that this cat needed someone to truly love it.
1. author/speaker
temple grandin
2. crux or “thesis” of statement
“because i have autism i live by concrete rules and learns by the google search engine of google images.”
3. 3 observations regarding style, delivery, structure, or other storytelling elements
she understood only certain things and believed that doing practical things can help make the world a better place, she wants to help make people more aware and help created a humane center for all animals.
4. your attitude in relation to the speaker’s
i love how she helped animals feel safe and relaxed during their travels.
1. author/speaker
peter godfrin
2. crux or “thesis” of statement
i believe the ultimate sacrifice is to give life for the safety of our nature.
3. 3 observations regarding style, delivery, structure, or other storytelling elements
he has known loss, he watched people die in front of his and had to realize that death is always around in war, and he realized that he didn’t have the emotional training to deal with a death of a soldier under his command.
4. your attitude in relation to the speaker’s
he has had the privilege of working with amazing people who lost their lives for our country and realized the sacrifices people made. i love that he wears the bracelet for a soldier he lost in his command.
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