How to Answer Both Assignments Without Overthinking Either One
Assignment 1 asks you to name five texts and check in on your headspace before a big essay. Assignment 2 asks you to write a short personal essay about your relationship with media. Neither is looking for perfection — both are looking for thoughtfulness. But “be thoughtful” is not exactly actionable advice. This guide breaks down what each question is actually asking and what a strong response looks like.
✍️ Need help with your media identity essay or argument essay preparation?
Get Expert Help →What These Two Assignments Are Actually For — and Why That Changes How You Write Them
These two assignments are prep work — they are not standalone exercises dropped randomly into your syllabus. Assignment 1 asks you to name your five texts and check in on how you are doing before the argument essay. Assignment 2 asks you to reflect on what draws you to media, which feeds directly into your ability to create your own required reading list. Your instructor is not just collecting paperwork. They are helping you think through your choices before you commit to writing 1,500 or 2,000 words about them. Treat both assignments as thinking tools, not boxes to tick.
The tone of these prompts is notably informal. “How are you feeling?” and “How much of a struggle is it going to be?” are not the phrasing of someone who wants a formal academic report. Assignment 2 uses the phrase “just make sure your writing is organized” — which signals that the instructor values clarity and structure, not academic register or elevated vocabulary. Write like yourself. A genuine, organized response beats a polished but hollow one every time.
Two Assignments, Two Different Registers
Assignment 1 is a check-in — think of it as a structured conversation with your instructor. You are not being graded on rhetorical sophistication here. You are communicating real information: your text choices and your actual state of mind. Assignment 2 is a short essay — it needs to be organized, developed, and demonstrate that you can make and support a point. Same course, same week, but the writing expectations are genuinely different. Do not apply essay-level formality to the check-in, and do not be so casual in the essay that it reads like a text message.
Both assignments have a formatting requirement: double-spaced, 12pt, Times New Roman. That is a hard standard, not a suggestion. Check your word processor settings before you type a single word. Students who submit in the wrong font or spacing signal to the instructor that they did not read the prompt carefully — which is not the impression you want to make before a major essay.
Picking Your Five Texts — What Makes a Good Choice and What Does Not
The prompt says “five texts that make up your required reading list — the ones you will be writing about in your argument essay.” These are your texts. You are not selecting from a course-assigned list. But “your choice” does not mean “anything goes.” The argument essay will require you to actually write about these five texts in depth. A text you barely remember, a film you watched once in middle school, or a book you only read the back cover of will leave you with nothing to say when the essay is due.
Think about the assignment in reverse. You will eventually argue something — some claim about media, culture, reading, storytelling, or representation — and these five texts will be your evidence. That means each text needs to be one you can speak about with enough specificity to support an argument. Not just “I liked it” but “here is what it does, here is how it does it, here is what I noticed about it.” If you cannot say those things about a text right now, from memory, it is a risky pick.
What Counts as a “Text” for This Assignment
The assignment brief for Unit 2 uses the word “media” throughout and Assignment 2 explicitly mentions “books, movies, video games, etc.” So a text here is not limited to print literature. A film is a text. A video game with a strong narrative is a text. A graphic novel, a television series, a podcast, a piece of music — these can all function as texts depending on how your instructor has framed the unit. If you are genuinely unsure whether something qualifies, ask before you list it in the check-in. That is what Question 2’s space for questions is for.
What to Consider When Selecting Each of Your Five Texts
Run each candidate through this checklist before committing. A text that clears all five criteria is a safe pick for the argument essay.
Can You Write About It?
- You remember it well enough to describe specific scenes, characters, or ideas without re-reading
- It has a clear theme or argument you could articulate in one sentence
- You have an opinion about it — not just “it was good”
- It connects to something you actually care about or find interesting
Does Your List Have Range?
- Not all five texts from the same genre or medium
- At least one that challenges or complicates your general preferences
- A spread of tones, formats, or perspectives that gives your essay something to work with
- No two texts so similar that they say essentially the same thing
Does It Connect to the Unit’s Focus?
- The text reflects something real about what you value in media — it is not just filler to reach five
- You could imagine defending why this text belongs on a required reading list to someone who disagrees
- It connects to at least one of the literary ideas in Assignment 2: genre, plot, theme, character
- You would genuinely recommend it to someone else
Do Not Pick Texts Just Because They Sound Impressive
There is a real temptation to list Dostoevsky and Toni Morrison because they feel like “correct” answers for a literature class. If you have actually read those works and can write about them in detail, great. If you are choosing them because you think they signal seriousness, reconsider. An argument essay about a video game you have played 200 hours of will be sharper and more specific than one about a novel you technically read in high school but remember nothing about. Specificity is what makes an argument essay work. Pick texts you can be specific about.
Thinking About Variety — Why Five Similar Texts Is a Problem
If all five texts are dystopian YA novels, your argument essay will essentially have five versions of the same example. That limits what you can argue and makes the essay repetitive. A stronger list has texts that can speak to each other across differences: a novel and a film that approach the same theme differently; a game that uses character in a way print cannot; something that challenged or surprised you alongside something you loved unreservedly. The contrast between texts is often where the most interesting arguments live. Think of your five texts as a conversation, not a collection of identical items.
Writing a Good One-Sentence Reason — What “Quick” Does Not Mean
The prompt asks for “a quick, one-sentence reason why you picked each one.” The word “quick” is not an invitation to be vague. A one-sentence reason that could apply to any text on Earth — “I picked this because it was really good and I enjoyed it a lot” — tells your instructor nothing and suggests you have not thought much about the text. The reason should be specific enough that it applies to this text and no other.
Notice that the good example is technically more than one sentence — and that is fine. The prompt says “one-sentence” in the sense of brief, not literally 30 words. A two-sentence reason that is specific and grounded is far better than a one-sentence reason that is padded and vague. Write what you actually think about why this text deserves a spot on a reading list. That is the real question underneath the prompt.
Frame Each Reason as a Claim — Not Just a Description
The best one-sentence reasons make a small argument: not just “this book is about X” but “this book does X in a way that Y.” Something like: “I picked Get Out because it uses the genre conventions of horror to make a point about liberal racism that would be harder to land in a straightforward drama.” That is a claim about what the text does and why it matters. It is also the embryo of something you could develop into a paragraph in the argument essay. Treat each one-sentence reason as an early draft of your essay argument, compressed to its core.
The Check-In Questions — How to Answer Them Honestly Without Oversharing
Questions 2 and 3 are not academic questions. They are check-in questions. Your instructor is asking how you feel about the upcoming essay and how much you have on your plate right now. Both have a two-to-three sentence target. That target is deliberate — these are not prompts for extended reflection. Two or three real, specific sentences are better than ten vague ones.
Question 2: How Are You Feeling About the Essay?
This is asking for your actual emotional and intellectual state, not a performance of confidence. If you are anxious about the argument structure, say so. If you are unsure how to make your five texts work together as evidence, say so. That is useful information for your instructor. What they cannot help you with is a generic “I feel pretty good about it, I think it will go well.” That response gives them nothing to respond to.
The prompt specifically mentions “any questions or concerns” and “anything you need reassurance about.” Those are clear openings. If there is something you genuinely do not understand about the assignment — what counts as a text, how long the essay needs to be, whether you can mix different media — this is the place to ask. A question asked here is answered before you spend three hours writing in the wrong direction.
| If You Are Feeling… | What to Write | What to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Confident but uncertain about one thing | Name the specific thing you are uncertain about. “I feel mostly ready to start but I am not sure whether my argument should compare the texts to each other or argue something broader about what they share.” | Avoid vague confidence: “I feel pretty good and think I will be fine.” That gives your instructor nothing useful. |
| Anxious about the whole assignment | Name what specifically feels overwhelming. “I feel anxious about finding an argument that genuinely connects all five texts rather than just describing them separately.” That is actionable for your instructor. | Avoid catastrophizing: “I have no idea what I am doing and I do not understand anything.” That is not specific enough to help. |
| Genuinely ready to go | Say so, and add one sentence about what part you are most interested in. “I feel ready to start and I am curious about how the gaming text will fit alongside the novels — I think that tension might be where the most interesting argument lives.” | Avoid turning a genuine answer into an exercise in appearing impressive. Just say what is true. |
| Confused about the prompt itself | Ask directly. “I am not fully clear on what ‘argument essay’ means in this context — are we arguing that these texts should be required reading, or arguing a broader claim that we support with them?” A specific question gets a specific answer. | Avoid pretending to understand something you do not. The check-in is precisely for surfacing confusion before the essay is due. |
Question 3: How Busy Are You?
This one is purely practical. Look at your calendar before you answer it. Do not estimate — actually look. How many assignments do you have due in other classes over the next two and a half weeks? How many hours are you working? What else is happening in your life? Then write two or three honest sentences. Your instructor is not going to penalize you for being busy. They are asking because they want to know if the timeline is realistic for you, and whether they need to flag any support resources.
An honest answer that says “I have two exams and a lab report due in the same week as this essay, plus I am working 25 hours” is useful information. It gives your instructor context for your situation. It also means that if you do struggle later in the assignment, there is a documented record that you flagged the workload early — which is always better than saying nothing and then missing the deadline.
If Your Schedule Is Genuinely Unmanageable, Say So Now
The two-and-a-half-week window is real, but so is your life outside this class. If the workload picture you see when you look at your calendar is genuinely alarming, this check-in question is your invitation to communicate that before a crisis. Instructors who ask “how much of a struggle is it going to be?” are asking because they would rather know in advance than find out when you submit something rushed at midnight. Use this question the way it was designed to be used.
What Assignment 2 Is Actually Asking — Not a List of Things You Like
The prompt for Assignment 2 is: “Write a short essay about what draws you to the media you enjoy. Think about what’s important to you when you are consuming media.” Then it adds a layer: “I’d also like you to think about the important things that are specific to you. How does who you are shape what kind of media you enjoy?”
That second question is the one students tend to skip. They write a list of genres they like, maybe cite a few examples, and call it done. But the assignment is explicitly asking for something more: a connection between your identity and your preferences. Not just what you like, but why — and specifically why in a way that is rooted in who you are as a person. That is a different kind of writing. It requires some degree of self-examination, not just catalog-building.
“How does who you are shape what media you enjoy?” is asking you to trace a line between your background, experiences, values, or community and your aesthetic preferences. It might be about representation — seeing yourself in stories. It might be about escape — media as relief from a particular kind of life. It might be about genre traditions tied to your cultural context. It might be about the specific kind of emotional experience you need from stories. There is no correct answer. The correct approach is being specific and honest about your actual answer.
The phrase “what’s important to you” appears twice in the prompt, and it is doing two different jobs. The first time, it refers to literary elements — genre, plot, theme, character, and so on. The second time, it refers to things that are personal to you specifically. Both matter. A strong Assignment 2 essay addresses both: it shows familiarity with how media works as craft, and it shows self-awareness about how your identity filters which media reaches you.
Connecting Who You Are to What You Watch, Read, and Play — Where the Real Essay Lives
This is the part most students underwrite. They describe preferences but do not explain the connection between those preferences and their identity. The connection is what the instructor is asking for. It takes honesty to write well, and it takes specificity to write usefully. Vague statements about “connecting with relatable characters” do not tell the reader anything about you. Specific statements about why you connect with a particular type of character — what that character carries that you recognize — are the raw material of a good essay.
Start by asking yourself a few questions before you write anything. These are thinking questions, not essay questions — they are just to get you to the material you actually need.
What Has Your Life Given You to Recognize?
Think about where you grew up, your family structure, economic context, cultural background, immigration history, or formative experiences. Which of those things do you see reflected — or conspicuously absent — in mainstream media? The gap between your life and what media typically shows is often where the most interesting identity-preference connections hide.
What Do You Need Stories to Do?
Do you need stories to comfort you or challenge you? To show worlds better than this one or worlds that explain why this one is broken? To have characters whose moral struggles resemble yours, or characters who are completely unlike you? Your answers to these questions are shaped by your values — what you believe matters, what you feel is missing, what you find meaningful.
Who Do You Want to See in the Stories You Consume?
Representation matters differently to different people. For some, seeing yourself in a protagonist changes everything about how a story lands. For others, the most important thing is seeing your community portrayed with dignity and complexity. For others still, the desire is to inhabit perspectives entirely unlike their own. Where you fall on that spectrum is part of who you are.
You do not need to answer all three of those questions in the essay. Pick the angle that is actually true for you and go deep on it rather than touching on everything shallowly. One well-developed identity-to-preference connection is worth more than five surface-level observations.
The best version of this essay does not describe what you like. It explains what you are looking for — and then connects that search to something real about who you are.
The distinction between a B essay and an A essay on this promptWhat If You Do Not Feel Like Your Identity Shapes Your Media Choices?
This is a common reaction — and worth thinking through rather than accepting at face value. “I just like what’s good” or “I read whatever seems interesting” sounds like identity-neutral media consumption, but it rarely is. The question is whose standards of “good” you are using, and where you encountered the media that seemed interesting in the first place. The recommendation algorithms that show you content are shaped by your prior choices, which were shaped by your context. The tastes of the people around you influenced what you tried. Your definition of “good” comes from somewhere. The essay is asking you to trace that somewhere.
Using Literary Ideas — Genre, Plot, Theme, Character — Without Turning the Essay Into a Glossary
The prompt asks you to “consider literary ideas like genre, plot, theme, characters.” It does not ask you to define these terms. It does not ask you to write a paragraph on each. It asks you to think about them when reflecting on what matters to you in media. These are lenses, not topics. Use them to get at something specific about your preferences — not as a checklist to run through.
| Literary Idea | The Question It Helps You Answer | How to Use It Without Sounding Like a Textbook |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | What kind of world do you want to enter when you pick up a book or start a film? What conventions or promises does a genre make to you as a reader/viewer, and which of those promises do you need? | Do not define genre. Instead, name the specific thing a genre gives you that you cannot get elsewhere. “I am drawn to horror not because of the fear but because horror is the genre that takes the thing that is quietly wrong about ordinary life and makes it big enough to see.” That is genre analysis that reveals preference. |
| Plot | What kinds of narrative arcs do you need? Do you want resolution or ambiguity? Momentum or reflection? Plots that punish or reward particular behaviors? Stories that end or stories that open outward? | Do not summarize plots. Instead, name what a certain plot structure does to you as a reader. “I have almost no patience for plots where the ending is never in doubt — I need to feel like things could genuinely go the other way.” That is a plot preference that says something real. |
| Theme | What ideas, questions, or tensions do you keep finding yourself drawn back to across different texts and different media? What does the pattern of your media consumption suggest you are working through? | Do not list themes abstractly. Connect them to something you are actually interested in or living with. “I keep gravitating toward stories about loyalty and betrayal — probably because I grew up in a context where those two things were never very far apart.” That is theme analysis with personal grounding. |
| Character | What kinds of people do you need to spend time with in fiction? Protagonists who resemble you, who differ from you, who carry something you recognize, who model something you want, who fail in ways that feel honest? | Do not describe character types generically. Get specific about what a character needs to do for you to stay engaged. “I cannot connect with protagonists who have no flaws or who learn nothing — the arc has to go somewhere real, even if it goes somewhere hard.” That is a character preference worth writing about. |
You Do Not Need to Cover All Four — Pick the Ones That Are Actually True for You
The prompt lists genre, plot, theme, and character as examples of literary ideas to consider — not as a required list to address in order. If character is the thing you care most about in any media you consume, write a focused, developed essay about character and identity. Do not force a paragraph on genre just to cover the list. The instruction to “consider” these ideas is an invitation to think, not a requirement to enumerate. A focused essay that goes deep on one or two ideas is more interesting than a surface-level tour of all four.
Structuring the Essay — Organization Without Rigidity
The prompt says “make sure that your writing is organized.” That is not asking for a five-paragraph essay template. It is asking for writing where each paragraph has a clear purpose and the whole piece moves in a direction. A short personal essay does not need a formal thesis in the first paragraph — but it does need to be doing something identifiable from the first sentence to the last.
Think about the essay in three loose movements rather than rigid sections. The opening tells the reader what territory you are entering — what kind of media consumer you are, or what question your preferences raise. The middle develops the specific connection between who you are and what draws you to media — with examples, details, and the literary ideas the prompt mentions. The close does not need to “conclude” in any formal sense, but it should land somewhere. Leave the reader with a clear sense of what the essay added up to.
| Section | Approximate Length | What It Should Do |
|---|---|---|
| Opening paragraph | 75–100 words | Put yourself in context as a media consumer. This does not mean listing everything you watch — it means establishing the angle or question the essay will explore. A strong opening might name a tension: “I have always been someone who needs stories to be difficult, and it took me a long time to figure out why.” That gives the essay somewhere to go. |
| First body paragraph: literary preferences | 100–150 words | Identify one or two specific literary elements that matter most to you — genre, character, theme, plot — and say something specific about why. Use at least one concrete example from a text to show what you mean rather than just asserting it. “I care about character above everything else” is an assertion. Showing what a specific character does that earns your investment is demonstration. |
| Second body paragraph: identity connection | 150–200 words | This is the key paragraph. Make the explicit connection between who you are and what you look for in media. This is where the personal work of the essay happens. Name something real about your background, experience, or values and trace its influence on your preferences. Do not generalize — stay with your own specific story. |
| Third body paragraph (optional but strong) | 100–150 words | If you have a specific text — book, film, game — that crystallizes everything you have described, bring it in here. Walk through what it does and why it satisfies the preferences you have identified. A specific example grounds the abstract claims of the previous paragraphs in something the reader can hold. |
| Closing paragraph | 75–100 words | Do not summarize — extend. Take one step past everything you have already said. What does your relationship to media ultimately say about what you are looking for? What does the media you love give you that other things do not? A closing that asks a small question or points outward is more interesting than one that restates the opening. |
Verified External Resource: Purdue OWL — Personal Essays
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers free guidance on personal and reflective essay writing, including how to organize a short essay without overformatting it and how to move between specific examples and broader reflection. Their writing resources are openly available at owl.purdue.edu. For this assignment, the “Writing the Personal Essay” section under academic writing guides is the most relevant. Their guidance on using concrete detail to support general claims applies directly to Assignment 2 — particularly the section on moving from observation to significance.
How to Start When You Do Not Know Where to Start
Do not open with “Media is very important in our world today.” That is a sentence that says nothing and signals to the reader that the real essay has not started yet. Start with a specific image, a specific memory, or a specific claim. “The first time I read a book with a character who came from the same kind of place I did, I did not know what to do with myself.” That is a first sentence with energy. It promises something. It makes the reader want the next sentence.
If you are genuinely stuck on the opening, skip it. Write the body paragraphs first — the parts where you actually have something to say — and come back to the opening once you know what the essay is about. The opening’s job is to frame what comes after it, which means you have to know what comes after it before you can write it well.
Common Mistakes to Avoid — Across Both Assignments
| # | The Mistake | Why It Hurts | The Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Answering check-in questions in one sentence when the prompt says two or three | A one-sentence answer to “how are you feeling about the essay?” reads as dismissive of the prompt. The instructor asked because they want to know. A single sentence does not give them enough to respond to. It also signals that you did not engage seriously with the check-in. | Aim for two or three specific sentences. If the first sentence states your feeling, the second should name why or what specifically you are uncertain about, and the third can ask a question or note what you plan to do about it. That is two or three sentences with actual content. |
| 2 | Picking texts for Assignment 1 that you cannot actually write about in detail | The argument essay is where these choices matter. If you pick a book you only half-remember, you will have to re-read it before you can use it as evidence — and that takes time you may not have. You are also limited to general claims about texts you cannot remember specifically, and general claims make for weak argument essays. | Before finalizing your list, spend two minutes per text asking yourself: can I name a specific character and describe their arc? Can I name a specific scene? Can I state the theme in a sentence? If you cannot do all three without Googling, reconsider that pick. |
| 3 | Assignment 2 reads as a list of preferences rather than an essay | “I like fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction. I also enjoy character-driven films. My favorite video game is one with a strong narrative. I like themes of justice and redemption.” That is a list. It has no organization, no development, no argument, and no identity connection. The prompt says the writing should be organized — which means a list does not fulfill the prompt. | After you draft, read your response and ask: is there a central claim this essay is making? Is there a reason paragraph two comes after paragraph one? Does the last paragraph land somewhere? If you cannot answer yes to all three, you have a list, not an essay. Rewrite around one central idea. |
| 4 | Skipping the identity question entirely | The prompt explicitly says “I’d also like you to think about the important things that are specific to you. How does who you are shape what kind of media you enjoy?” Skipping this means you have answered half the prompt. The literary preferences section alone is not enough. The identity connection is where the essay does its most interesting work — and where most students leave marks on the table. | After drafting, look for a sentence or paragraph that makes a direct connection between something about you personally — your background, experience, community, values — and your media preferences. If that sentence does not exist, the essay is incomplete. Add it, then expand it. |
| 5 | Generic examples that could apply to anyone | “I like books with strong characters” or “I enjoy media that makes me think” are preferences so general that they say nothing distinguishing about you. Every reader likes strong characters. Every reader who seeks out quality media enjoys being made to think. These observations do not advance the essay because they have no specificity. | Every time you make a preference claim, follow it with a specific example that demonstrates what you mean by that preference in practice. Name the text, name the character, name the scene. “I like complex morality in stories — specifically the kind where I am not sure whether the protagonist made the right call, the way No Country for Old Men leaves the Sheriff’s choices genuinely open” is a preference claim with specificity. |
| 6 | Submitting in the wrong format | Both assignments require double-spaced, 12pt, Times New Roman. This is not a suggestion — it is a stated formatting requirement. Submitting in Calibri or with 1.5 line spacing does not meet the prompt and signals inattention to basic instructions. If you are proofreading before submission (which the prompt explicitly reminds you to do), check the formatting too. | Set your document formatting before you type anything. Change the font to Times New Roman, the size to 12, and the spacing to double. Do it first, not last. Reformatting a finished document sometimes introduces spacing errors or changes pagination in ways that are hard to catch. |
Pre-Submission Checklist — Assignment 1 and Assignment 2
- Assignment 1, Q1: Five texts listed — each one you can actually write about in detail for the argument essay
- Assignment 1, Q1: One-sentence reason per text that is specific to that text — not a generic “I liked it”
- Assignment 1, Q2: Two to three sentences about how you feel — names a specific concern or question, not just a general feeling
- Assignment 1, Q3: Two to three honest sentences about your schedule — actually looked at your calendar before answering
- Assignment 2: The essay is organized — each paragraph has a clear purpose and the whole thing moves in a direction
- Assignment 2: Addresses at least one literary idea from the prompt (genre, plot, theme, character) with a specific example
- Assignment 2: Makes an explicit connection between your identity and your media preferences — the “who you are” question is answered
- Assignment 2: Uses at least one specific text as an example, named and briefly described
- Assignment 2: Does not read as a list — has a central claim or idea running through it
- Both assignments: Double-spaced, 12pt, Times New Roman formatting confirmed
- Both assignments: Proofread before submission — the prompt explicitly asks for this
FAQs: Assignment 1 Quick Check-In and Assignment 2 What’s Important to You
What Makes These Assignments Easy to Do Well
Both assignments reward honesty and specificity over polish and performance. The check-in questions are not looking for the right answers — they are looking for your real answers. Assignment 2 is not looking for a formal literary essay — it is looking for genuine reflection, organized well enough to be readable and specific enough to be interesting.
The student who struggles most with these assignments is the one who spends their energy trying to figure out what the instructor wants to hear and then produces something generic. The student who does well is the one who treats the questions as real questions — who actually looks at their calendar before answering Question 3, who actually thinks about why they chose each text before writing the one-sentence reason, who actually sits with the question of how their identity shapes what media they enjoy before they write the first word of Assignment 2.
Both assignments are short. Neither requires you to be an expert or demonstrate advanced literary knowledge. They require attention to the actual questions asked, honest engagement with your own experience, and the organizational skill to put that experience into clear, readable sentences. If you do those three things, you have done what the assignments are asking for.
If you want help brainstorming your five texts, developing your one-sentence reasons into stronger argumentative claims for the essay ahead, proofreading either submission, or drafting any component of Assignment 2, the team at Smart Academic Writing covers composition assignments, personal and academic essay writing, and argument essay development at undergraduate level. You can also reach us through our contact page.