Writing A More Perfect Union
How could America be a more perfect union if more Americans lived up to one specific personal value? If you were going to write your American Creed what would it be? What constellation should we name together? What should we be brave enough to be?
This fall my first year college writers are once again embarking on a “What If” exploration of our personal values. This semester our work will be part of the Morehead Writing Project‘s Building A More Perfect Union grant, Root Deep, Grow Tall. The Just Write Virtual Writing Group joined my first year writing students in an exploration of these questions:
- What is the American Dream? What is the American story?
- What are American values?
- What defines us as Americans? How does America define us?
- How do you love a country that doesn’t love you? How does your country love you?
- What purpose do you propose for our country? What do you hope/wish for our country?
- In what ways, does the American anthem reflect the values you wish America represents (or not)?
- What alternative American anthem (that reflect the values you wish America represents) would you suggest?
- What symbol(s) would you suggest for America (that reflect the values you wish America represents)?
- What does it mean to be a people?
- What does it mean to form a more perfect union?
This week we also drew inspiration from the American Creed documentary and the poetry of Richard Blanco and Amanda Gorman:
My students are writing This I Believe essays, but if you were going to write your American Creed what would it be? What constellation should we name together? What should we be brave enough to be?
