We're using this writing log entry to think about what ideas/points we might develop from the John Gillis reading "Myths of Family Past." First, consider what your ideas about "family" are and what the idea of "family" makes you think/feel. Especially important here is your own understanding of your place in your family structure and your sense of what your family history is and what kind of family you see yourself as belonging to in the future.

Think/write also about Gillis' argument-- Does reading his article make you think any differently about "family"? Did you share the myths of family he describes? Does his analysis match your experience of the world? Differ from it? How?

What kinds of issues/themes might you want to write about from this essay? If you have disagreements with Gillis' analysis, you might write an argument paper. If his experience partly matches yours and partly differs from you, you might do an analysis that qualifies his argument; that is, that explains his argument as partly correct but missing some key point or idea, which you then explain. Perhaps you find his experience matches your own but in a way that he has not fully explained-- if so, you might write a paper that focuses on a specific family myth/ideal and explain your own experience of this.

Whatever you decide to write about, remember that you have only 2-3 pages in which to develop your paper. You will have to pick a single key element/theme/point/idea that you can fully develop in a short space. What kinds of evidence/support will you need in order to fully develop your point? Write a tentative thesis statement-- a point that you think you can make well in 2-3 pages.