Name (First and Last)__________________________ Class Period_________(A1, A2, A4, B2)

Borges-Inspired Writing
1. After reading the prose poem, Borges and I, think of how Borges presents two
different sides of himself to the reader. Think of the mental/emotional/moral struggle
that is going on between the two selves.
2. Think of two different sides to you. There are, of course, many different sides to all of
us, but try to think of two prominent sides.
EXAMPLES: past/present self, present/future self, real/desired self, private/public self,
right brain/left brain self, hopeful/fearful self, etc.
Once you choose the two sides you want to present, brainstorm lists of things that make
each side unique and in what ways they agree and disagree. Treat your two sides as two
separate people who must co-exist inside of you.
3. Present your two chosen sides to your reader in the form of a prose-poem. The key to
prose-poetry, or any poetry, is a careful attention to languageprecise word choices.
Make sure the words you choose match the personalities of each chosen side, and also
make sure your words match the emotion that you would like your reader to feel. Do
you want them to laugh? Smile? Feel pity? Concern? Fear? Frustration? Wonder? You
control the emotions of the reader with your words.
You may follow a similar format to the Borges piece, but do not use his words. Create
your own way of writing prose-poetry on the same subject of dual-identity. Your prose
poem can tell a story, describe moments, articulate thoughts, present dialogue, show
actionit is your choice.
4. You will brainstorm and write you rough draft in the writing section of your composition
notebook. Then, you will revise, edit, receive feedback, and write your final draft on a
clean sheet of notebook paper in blue or black ink in your best handwriting.
5. You will present your piece for the class by explaining how you approached the
assignment (your concept) and then you will read your favorite excerpt from your
Borges-inspire prose poem.
*See grading rubric for length and other specifications

Name (First and Last)__________________________ Class Period_________(A1, A2, A4, B2)

GRADING RUBRIC- FINAL DRAFT

Self 1 and Self 2
There are obviously two different personalities (10)
Each personality is defined and has a unique voice (10)
Borges-Inspired
The Borges prose poem inspired the piece, but the student
did not copy Borges words (10)
Grammar and Mechanics
Appropriate word-choices for the two defined selves (15)
Precise word-choices to create imagery and emotion with
languages(15)
Spelling, capitalization, punctuation (10)
Varying sentence structure (10)
Formatting
At least 1 1/2 pages in length on college ruled paper (5)
Written in blue or black pen (5)
Written in neat cursive or immaculate print (+5)
Presentation For Class: 2 min
Presented the concept behind the piece and the two
chosen selves (5)
Read a favorite excerpt of the piece aloud and articulated
why is it a favorite (5)

TOTAL

20

10

50

10

10