Southwest Career College Creative Expression Essay

Creative Paper Assignment 

This paper is an opportunity for creative expression and should be approx. 4 pages, formatted
poetically. 

Essay topics:
 

1. Imagine that a city you know well was under siege for months before it was completely
destroyed (by an army or by a disease). Following the acrostic model of Lamentations,
write a lengthy narrative poem (or series of poems) that describes the events that
transpired and mourns the loss of the city, its diverse inhabitants, and its cultures,
pastimes, and/or religious identities. Use a variety of biblical poetic devices throughout,
especially parallelism. Begin with a 2-paragraph prose discussion of (1) why you chose
this city and (2) the poetic devices you intend to use.
 

2. Choose one of the Twelve Minor Prophets whose book sparked your interest, and update
its message to reflect a modern situation in our world today. Write your prophetic text
using the poetic devices (especially parallelism) and rhetorical methods of your chosen
prophet. Begin with a 2-paragraph prose discussion of (1) your reasons for choosing this
topic and prophet and (2) the poetic devices you intend to use.
 

If you wish, you may use non-standard formatting, elements of graphic design, and illustrations
to enhance your presentation. However, ensure that your work would fit the page requirements if
these elements were removed. You do not have to reference gods or God in your text if you do
not wish to do so. You may base your writing on real life, on your imagination, or on both. I
want you to take this assignment seriously, but it can have a comical or ironic tone, if you wish.