World War II. One of his most memorable programs that he hosted was the This I Believe daily

radio program. It reached 39 million viewers. It aired during a time when Americans needed

to express the very freedoms they were fighting for. The 5-minute essays written by ordinary

Americans would discuss the personal philosophies of their daily life. Today the public radio

network NPR runs the This I Believe program. They call upon ordinary Americans—just like

you and me—to pause and think about the values that shape our characteristics and

lives, just as Edward Murrow did back in the 1950's. So, for this next assignment, we're

joining NPR in writing about our beliefs. I want you to begin thinking about what different

philosophies, values, and attitudes shape your own life. This essay should not be confused

with a nice, light and fluffy journal entry where you ramble about things you believe

in. Although this is a personal narrative, and although you're expressing some of your

inner-thoughts, this essay does indeed have a concrete foundation. This foundation is

the thesis. It is a key part of the essay, and because of the nature of the essay, your

thesis will include the words 'I believe'. Now, I want you to notice that the rhetorical

situation for this essay involves a personal narrative, so you are allowed to use 1st person

pronouns liberally in this essay. Ok, as you will learn in the assignment screens, the

general recommended format for this writing assignment is 5-paragraphs, with an introduction,

3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The body paragraphs should, as you learned in the last

assignment, have one main focus. It also needs solid development. This means you need to

give specific examples. Tell them a quick story that has a beginning middle, and end.

One way to remember proper development is to ask yourself, "Am I showing, or am I telling?"

If you're telling too much and too often, you're probably rambling. If you're showing,

you have an engaged reader. Finally, if you have any questions, I'm always just an email

away. I do want you to make sure that you've read the assignment screens carefully, and

read the example essays that I've left you. I wish you the best of luck. Thanks!