Essay 1: Portrait of a Place
due before class Mon. Mar. 27
Write about an interesting place in Kunshan — somewhere off campus and not in your dorm. Spend some time there: hang around, observe details, do some “people watching,” talk to someone there if you can. Then, write a brief portrait of that place, a piece of writing that captures that place’s essence, makes the reader feel like they’re really “there.”
Note: If you’re not currently in Kunshan, please attempt to carry out the assignment in a similar spirit in your current location.
Rules
You may not write about a place outside Kunshan unless you ask for my permission in advance and explain what place you want to write about.
You may not write about a tourist destination (e.g. Zhouzhuang, Bacheng Old Street) unless you ask for my permission in advance and explain why you want to write about it.
You must go alone. Don’t go there with a flock of friends. Focus on the outside world.
Suggestions
Austin’s Mental Map of Kunshan (area within biking distance of DKU)
Remember, the idea is to write about the place itself, not the journey to the place. A story about a journey is much different than an essay about a place.
Consider writing about a place within the bounds of the map I gave you. This map represents (imperfectly) everything within easy biking distance of DKU. Notice how much there is around here!
Consider talking to someone at the place and incorporate a quote from them into the essay. Dare to strike up a conversation with a stranger!
Beware of traveling alone into empty places where there are no people, such as construction sites — there may be stray dogs. Do not get bitten by a dog! You will get me in trouble and we will all have to stop doing this assignment, and that would be a bummer.
Length: No limits on length, but I’m expecting something on the shorter side— roughly 600-800 words in length is okay by me.
Submitting your assignment: Please upload your assignment as a .doc or .docx file to our SharePoint folder. Please put your name on it so I know who wrote it!
