Personal, Persuasive and Research essays - struggling to write them

hi there
I am an international student and have got enrolled in English 102 in Canada.My coursework includes three essays Personal, Persuasive and Research essay. My teacher told in the class that out of these three the personal essay is the most easy to write but I am struggling with the very first essay.the word length is ranging from 750-1250 words and I am unable to write even 200!

I have never studied this kind of English..its like studying English scientifically..and I am having sleepless nights over it! I have started looking on the internet to get some idea about this essay writing but finding it very difficult.

The class has been given following topics

best or worst sporting event
favorite place on earth
your city, hometown or village
past job you loved or hated
saddest person you met
your favourite pet

Now I do want to write essays on job i loved and the favourite pet but the problem is how do i stick to the conditions put by the teacher..for instance he has told us to keep in mind..

TO SHOW AND NOT TO TELL
CONCRETE AND EVOCATIVE DETAILS
EXPRESS NOT ONLY WHAT EVENT OR WHATEVER YOU ARE DESCRIBING IS IMPORTANT TO YOU BUT ALSO WHY IS IT SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD.He has given us the following sequence

(I>family>partners>friends>culture>society>country>world)

the last criterion put by the teacher is really driving me crazy. i have no idea how my past job or how my favorite pet could be significant to the world.

I end up crying every time I sit down for writing and I am still clueless what kind of title i should use,or what exactly should i really write about to incorporate all these things in the essay.

Please guide me over this so that at least I can have a start or an outline what am i supposed to do actually and how should i go for it.

THanks

Hi frd,
I jusr came to open my essay and i saw your page. I guess you were stuck in these eassy topic which was given by your teacher. Umm!.. For my concern, the way you wrote the English on top. Looks like you are good writing. So, i think its not difficult to you to write this simple eassy.

Try... you will get it!...

Write like this:
One paragraph = about 4 or 5 sentences.
One paragraph = about 100 words.

Each paragraph has a topic sentence that tells the paragraph's main idea.
One paragraph = one idea.

That means you need 8 ideas! 8 ideas = 800 words, and they should be expressed in 8 body paragraphs between the intro paragraph and the conclusion paragraph.

you will write 10 paragraphs for a total of 1,000 words.

Now, what are your 8 ideas? Write a sentence about each. Then, develop each sentence into a 100-word paragraph. These 8 ideas must all support ONE BIG IDEA that is the theme for the essay.

:-) I can't wait to see it!

Explore Essay Forum for more advice.

OK Shika, here is a skeleton of an outline using the topic of favorite pet:
1) Intro - what it is and why it is your favorite,
2) Background - circumstances behind its origin- how it came into your life, recount your most poignant experience and circumstances forming your close relationship with your fav pet. This could include its importance to your family (is it a member of your family and in which pecking order or hierachy?) how your best friends interact with it.

3) Context - the importance of pets, how they came into being (the domestication of animals.) Maybe include something historical, sociological, cultural (to the breed?) Some animals are indigenous to specific countries or parts of the world and have historical significance/importance.

4) Conclusion - recap your thesis statement and state its personal relevance

Now let's see a first draft!! Good luck and have fun!!