Values Essay
You will interview a family member, mentor, or close friend with a different perspective
than your own on how a significant life decision was made (such as educational/career choices,
marriage or family choices, lifestyle choices, religious choices, etc.) You will analyze the
information given in the interview in order to discover the core, motivating value (or fear) that
has driven the interviewee’s decision. After completing the interview and analysis, you will write
a three- to four-page essay describing how that person’s experiences led to and have shaped his
or her values relative to that choice.
The essay should focus on a single thesis and should be approached as an academic work.
The most effective narratives select a few experiences and insights that tie back to the motivating
value or fear. Effective essays for this assignment are tightly focused on how the interviewee
developed his or her perspective. The essay should NOT simply be a summary of experiences (a
“life history”) nor a survey of the many ways in which they exemplify their value today.
Both direct quotations and paraphrases from the interviews themselves are welcome, but
students can also share insights and experiences they are aware of that did not come up in the
interview. Your audience is your teacher and classmates. You will have a correctly formatted
Work Cited page at the end of the argument (not included in the page length). This essay (unlike
future argument papers) will not include a cover sheet.
Thesis: A thesis for this paper could be as simple as “So-and-so’s value was self-
reliance.” The value (or fear) should be clearly stated somewhere in the introduction (which
should be the first two paragraphs) so your paper can then be “tightly focused” and “thesis-
driven.”
How much “me” should be in the essay: This essay is not about you—it’s entirely about
the other person. The point of the essay is to put yourself in the person’s shoes and focus on them
to “describe how that person’s experiences led to and have shaped his or her values relative to
[their] choice.” You will probably talk about yourself a little when you introduce the point of
disagreement in the introduction.
Do your best: In a way, it can be seen as presumptuous to “decide” what someone’s
motivating value was for a major life decision. But you can analyze without pretending to be all-
knowing. This paper is an exercise in analyzing someone’s values: an activity which is imperfect
but necessary, anytime you are writing to a target audience.
Interview: I recommend you take notes during the interview. Some students even choose
to record the interview to help them catch direct quotes to put in their paper. What you do is up
to you—you won’t be turning any notes in to me.
Style: 12pt font, Times New Roman, double-spaced, MLA formatting, correct header and
page number. The page length refers to full pages, so a two-and-a-half-page paper is not long
enough.
