Overview Essay 1 requires students to demonstrate one of the
Overview Essay 1 requires students to demonstrate one of the
Overview
Essay 1 requires students to demonstrate one of the skills required in all of the papers for this semester: close reading. For this assignment, students will select at least two pieces of textual evidence from Coming of Age in Mississippi and use close reading analysis to demonstrate how this evidence supports a clear thesis argument.
Essay Topic
Since coming up with a viable thesis is usually the most difficult challenge for students, we have provided the following prompt to help focus your argument:
Essie recounts the childhood confusion she experiences while trying to decipher who is considered Black or White even within her own family, which included two African American uncles who appeared phenotypically white. Throughout her adolescence, she describes African Americans according to skin tone, such as black and white, but also includes a third category, yellow, to refer to those whose skin appeared lighter in color. Study the various passages throughout the text in which Essie discusses skin color within the Black community, and make an argument about how her experiences shape her understanding of the construction and significance of racial identity. Consider the following:
What do particular encounters teach Essie about racial identity construction in the Black community?How do specific experiences cause Essie to develop an awareness of the significance of racial identification?To make your argument, select at least two passages from the text in which Essie discusses the skin color of African Americans, and offer your interpretation of what these passages reveal about the development of Essies own understanding of why racial identification was important to so many.
Important: this assignment asks you to close-read evidence from the text to support your interpretation. Do not seek outside evidence or research to support your argument.
Tip: make sure to watch the Essay 1 Writing Workshop scheduled for Tuesday, September 11 for sample thesis statements, as well as important information on how to formulate a strong thesis statement.
Essay Components
1) Thesis Statement: Make sure you have a clear thesis, which makes an argument (not a summary) about how you interpret Essies understanding of the implications of racial identification2) Textual Evidence: Make sure to support your argument by quoting at least two pieces of evidence from the text3) Analysis: Make sure to close read all of the evidence, and tie your reading into your thesis argument
Pay attention to Dr. Allens writing workshop for detailed information about the requirements for close reading.
Essay Structure
Paragraph 1:A short, specific introduction that leads up to a clear thesis statement (offering an argument, with a point of view, instead of a summary), and ends in a strong transition to your next paragraph
Paragraph 2:A clear topic sentence forecasting your next paragraph, one argument that supports your thesis, textual evidence (quote from the text) supporting your argument, close reading of that evidence, and a strong transition to your next paragraph
Paragraph 3:A clear topic sentence forecasting your next paragraph, another argument that supports your thesis, additional textual evidence (a new quote) supporting your argument, close reading of that evidence, and a strong transition to your next paragraph
Paragraph 4:A clear topic sentence forecasting your conclusion, which should present no new arguments, but instead offer analysis that ties together the topic sentences and evidence presented in each of your body paragraphs to point to your larger thesis argument and its implications
Essay Requirements
Academic Honesty Statement: Must include the academic honesty statement at the top of the first pageLength: Must be a minimum of 1000 words in length, not including the heading, the title, the works cited page, and the academic honesty statementTitle: Must have an interesting and original titleArgument: Must offer a clear argument (not just a summary or description)Analysis: Must provide close reading analysis of at least two passages from the primary text that were not previously discussed in lectureWorks Cited: Must include a works cited pagePaper Format: Must be typed, double-spaced, written in 12-point Times or Times New Roman font, and formatted according to standard MLA styleFile Format: Must conform to the following file name format: essay1lastnamefirstname.For example, if your name is John Doe, your file name would be: essay1doejohn
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