What am I supposed to write about exactly? 2.1.9 Write: Prepare a Speech I know this speech is about cultural identity and that you’re supposed to use what I’ve learned from “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, but what exactly do I write about? About the story? About what culture means to me? I don’t know. I don’t want someone to write the speech for me, I just need someone to clarify what I need to write about. I’ve been stuck on this assignment for weeks.

These are the assignment’s instructions and questions:

Research to prepare a speech about cultural identity using what you've learned from the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker.
Your speech will need to be two to three minutes long and use at least two credible sources. At least one of your sources should be text, such as a newspaper article, and at least one of your sources should be something other than text, such as an image, chart, or audio or video clip.

Write a short answer to each question.

1. Write three or four sentences about how you view cultural identity. What important elements shape cultural identity? Your ancestors? Your immediate family? Where you live? Your religion? Your language, ethnicity, or family heritage? Your values? What defines the cultural identity of a community or a country?

2. Use a brainstorming technique that appeals to you: creating an idea cloud or a list, freewriting, or even drawing graphics that illustrate ideas. Think about cultural identity, how the characters in "Everyday Use" seem to define it, how you define it, and how experts might define it. Think about ideas that are related to cultural identity, like religion, race, language, and even food. Write your brainstorm here.

3. Look back at question 2 and think about which ideas from your brainstorm might work best for this speech. Keep the assignment's requirements in mind as you consider the best options. Then, in the space provided, list your top three topics from your brainstorm in order from most favorite to least favorite. Explain why the topic at the top is your favorite and why it will probably work for this speech.

4. Write a list of three or four things you already know about your topic.

5. Write down four or five questions you have about this topic. These questions can be informational (such as "How many people speak Spanish in the United States?") or analytical (such as "How does this expert define cultural identity?"). Use what you already know about the topic as a place to begin asking questions.

6. Write a list of four or five search terms that you can use to search online.

7. Try searching for a source — print or online — that answers some of your research questions from question 5. When you find a source that looks like it will be useful, write the title, author, publication information, and a short summary in the space provided.

8. Search for some nontext sources that help you answer your research questions. Once you find one that you think is useful, describe and explain it. What type of source is it? What message is it sending? Where and when was it published? What does it teach you about your topic or research questions?

9. Now that you have a good understanding of how to judge your sources' credibility, let's look back at the sources you summarized in questions 7 and 8. In the space provided, evaluate the two sources in one to three sentences each. Discuss when the source was published, how transparent it is, and how trustworthy the author is.

10. Write your main point in one or two sentences. Remember to make your message statement either informative or argumentative. An informative statement will provide a true, accurate message about your topic based on your research. An argumentative statement will work to convince listeners that your point of view is correct.

11. Summarize or paraphrase information from one of your sources. Remember that summarizing and paraphrasing require you to use only your own words.