This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women

Studs Terkel once stated, “I want people to talk to one another no matter what their difference of opinion might be.” To what extent do the beliefs that Terkel espouses in the Foreword align with the messages and aims of This I Believe?

Compare and contrast essays written for the 1950s radio series with those written for the 2000s series. What are the main differences and similarities between the two groups of essays? How do they reflect the social and cultural context in which they were written?

Select one essay for close reading. What rhetorical techniques and literary devices (e.g., imperatives, rhetorical questions, repetition, etc.) does the author use in their essay? How do these techniques shape or reflect the ideas in the essay?

To what extent do the essays in this volume abide by the guidelines detailed in “Appendix B: How to write your own This I Believe essay”? Identify any essays that appear to significantly flout the prescribed characteristics, and discuss why they might have been included in this collection nonetheless.

What ideas and assumptions about American culture are expressed throughout the This I Believe essays? What insight can they provide into American ideals?

Essays in this book are ordered alphabetically by their author’s last name. What is the impact of this organizational choice of the structure and effectiveness of the book? How would an alternative ordering or categorization of the essays have affected the reading experience of the text?

Although radio broadcasting is still an extant media form, other means of mass communication—particularly the internet—have been invented since the 1950s, and expanded significantly since the 2000s. How might the format of the This I Believe radio program be adapted or modified for internet distribution or social media communication? How would this affect the impact and effectiveness of the show’s goals?

Compare and contrast two essays that advance an opposite point of view to one another, such as those in favor of a belief in god and those that have no such belief. How does each author explain or justify their viewpoint? What does reading such essays in tandem reveal about pluralism in modern America?