“This I Believe” Statement Writing Activity

Step One: Complete all statements by filling in the blanks. As tempting as it is to write literal statements
like “I am tired” or “I am a senior” in these sections, you’ll have more to work with on the next steps if you
take the time to think of something that makes you unique.

(5-7 minutes)

Complete all statements by filling in the blanks.

I am
conflicted__________________________________________________________________________.

I am strongly opinionated in few areas, but in those areas, extremely opinionated

_________________________________________________________________________.

I feel like I’m out of gas, but happy not to be completely

blind_________________________________________________________________.

I don’t feel very emotional or purposeful, but I have no exestential

dread.________________________________________________________________________________.

(Great options might be, “I feel inspired by…” or “I feel worried about...”

I believe in
something_____________________________________________________________________________
_.

I believe in most people's potential, but not their destiny

_____________________________________________________________________________.

I would fight for a klondike

bar______________________________________________________________________.

I would fight for the unborn______________________________________________________________.

I have learned not to invest in anything but your most fundamental, educated, moral beliefs and to
wholly invest in it___________________________________________________________.

I have learned that everyone feels the same at the most existential level and moral level, but hide/lie to
themselves___________________________________________________________________________.

I want to be 6’3”______________________________________________________________________.

I want to be productive in
life________________________________________________________________________.
 “This I Believe” Statement Writing Activity

I want people to know why I am who I

am.________________________________________________________.

I want people to know that I ___________________________________________________________.

Step Two: We will be using the short essay “Always Go to the Funeral” by Diedre Sullivan from NPR’s
online series “This I Believe.” For this section, we will be using her essay as a mentor text for your own
drafting later.

(5 minute listen)

Mentor Text: Similar to sampling music to create new music, a mentor text is a piece of writing that we
use as a model to mimic styles of writing. In this case, we are copying the format/style of this essay. We
never copy content, that’s plagiarism.

I believe in always going to the funeral. My father taught me that.

The first time he said it directly to me, I was 16 and trying to get out of going to calling hours for Miss
Emerson, my old fifth grade math teacher. I did not want to go. My father was unequivocal. "Dee," he said,
"you're going. Always go to the funeral. Do it for the family."

So my dad waited outside while I went in. It was worse than I thought it would be: I was the only kid there.
When the condolence line deposited me in front of Miss Emerson's shell-shocked parents, I stammered
out, "Sorry about all this," and stalked away. But, for that deeply weird expression of sympathy delivered
20 years ago, Miss Emerson's mother still remembers my name and always says hello with tearing eyes.

That was the first time I went un-chaperoned, but my parents had been taking us kids to funerals and
calling hours as a matter of course for years. By the time I was 16, I had been to five or six funerals. I
remember two things from the funeral circuit: bottomless dishes of free mints and my father saying on the
ride home, "You can't come in without going out, kids. Always go to the funeral."

Sounds simple — when someone dies, get in your car and go to calling hours or the funeral. That, I can do.
But I think a personal philosophy of going to funerals means more than that.
"Always go to the funeral" means that I have to do the right thing when I really, really don't feel like it. I
have to remind myself of it when I could make some small gesture, but I don't really have to and I
definitely don't want to. I'm talking about those things that represent only inconvenience to me, but the
world to the other guy. You know, the painfully under-attended birthday party. The hospital visit during
happy hour. The Shiva call for one of my ex's uncles. In my humdrum life, the daily battle hasn't been good
versus evil. It's hardly so epic. Most days, my real battle is doing good versus doing nothing.

In going to funerals, I've come to believe that while I wait to make a grand heroic gesture, I should just
stick to the small inconveniences that let me share in life's inevitable, occasional calamity.
On a cold April night three years ago, my father died a quiet death from cancer. His funeral was on a
Wednesday, middle of the workweek. I had been numb for days when, for some reason, during the
funeral, I turned and looked back at the folks in the church. The memory of it still takes my breath away.
The most human, powerful and humbling thing I've ever seen was a church at 3:00 on a Wednesday full of
inconvenienced people who believe in going to the funeral.
 “This I Believe” Statement Writing Activity

Step Three: Use Ms. Sullivan’s essay as a guide for your own. Consider your initial list from above. Which
do you feel most strongly about? Which do you think you can write the most meaningfully about? Pick
that one to begin. If you end up hating it, just skip a few lines and start a new one. Do not erase what you
wrote, leave it here for me to see!

(20 minutes writing)

Part one: Open with your claim.

Sullivan’s example: “I believe in always going to the funeral.”

Your text: I have learned that everyone feels the same at the most existential level and moral level,
but hide/lie to themselves. I learned this through stories. Myths, various religious texts, videos
accounts, articles, and books. Most relevantly, Anna Karenina. Reading these books, especially Anna
Karenina, I found the same themes over and over and over. The same dread, thoughts, emotions, ups
and downs that I thought only I experienced. This revelation reminded me of Fitzgerald’s quote about
how reading helps you realize you’re not alone. This realization is also the reason I have faith in “most
people’s potential” because I can emphasize with them and see that in some ways they are very much
like me, maybe worse or better in some areas, but at the most basic, fundamental level, we are made of
the same physical and intellectual substance. However, nature vs nurture, different circumstances, and
our own blindness lead us to our various differences. I’m not a hippie, I don’t have faith in everyone or
believe in kumbaya delusions, but I wish there was more original and open minded thought.

Part two: Give a small amount of backstory

Sullivan’s example: “The first time he said it to me was….”

Your text:

Part three: Define in detail what your belief means to you.

This is especially important if you are using something metaphoric, like Sullivan. She’s not saying we
should attend a bunch of funerals. She’s advocating that we should do the right thing even when we
don’t have to. Her way of highlighting this is what makes it an interesting read.

Sullivan’s example: “Always go to the funeral means…”

This is broader and should be less specific. How do you LIVE this belief?

Your text:

Part four: Wrap your narrative up. Give us something to connect with.
 “This I Believe” Statement Writing Activity

Sullivan’s example: “On a cold April night…”

Here, Sullivan reminds us of how important our actions can be to other people. No one HAD to go to
her father’s funeral, but the fact that they did touches her greatly.

Your text: