1) Select a
topic
that you think you have a lot to say about—for this assignment,
at least
1,500 words.. only one topic
WA#2 = Analytical Essay Due Tuesday, October 19 = 250 Points I. Topics: Select only one. A) In “Stickeen,” John Muir presents a vivid portrait of a dog. Based on that portrait, what is Stickeen’s most remarkable trait? Defend your case with evidence from the text. B) “How do Negroes feel about the way they have to live?” (170). Discuss in detail three or four episodes from Richard Wright's “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow: An Autobiographical Sketch” that best illustrate how Blacks “ha[d] to live,” and that show, or at least suggest, how Blacks, including Wright, “fe[lt] about the way they ha[d] to live.” C) Write an essay in response to one of the following sets of questions based on Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” 1) “For years now I have heard the word ‘Wait!’” (267). What reasons does King put forward that blacks should not “wait”? Is his argument persuasive? Why or why not? 2) “One may well ask, ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’” (268). Discuss in detail King's response to this question. Is his argument persuasive? Why or why not? D) In “How It Feels to Be Colored Me,” Zora Neale Hurston takes a far different tone on the subject of race than do other writers that we have or will read. With which one of the following essays does Hurston’s piece most contrast: Wright’s “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow: An Autobiographical Sketch,” Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Chapman’s “Coatesville,” Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Baldwin’s “Notes of a Native Son,” or Coates’ “Between the World and Me”? Why? For this topic, you need not prove that Hurston’s piece contrasts more with the reading you’ve chosen than it does with any other reading. Instead, you should present specific passages/points/messages in Hurston’s essay that contrast strikingly with specific passages/points/messages in the text you’ve selected, and in each case explicate how and/or why those passages/points/messages starkly contrast. In other words, illustrate your thesis with examples taken from the two essays that make the contrast between them clear. 1,500-2,000 words = Single-sided copy + 12-point font and double-spaced II. Student Performance Outcomes addressed by this assignment 1) Apply reading comprehension strategies appropriate for a wide range of academic, professional, and other texts; 2) Identify, analyze, and evaluate explicit and implied claims, support, and reasoning in a wide range of academic, professional, and other texts; 3) Draw sound inferences from a variety of texts; 4) Compose academic and/or professional level expository essays characterized by a controlling idea, logically sequenced paragraphs, and focused body paragraphs; 5) Develop varied and flexible strategies for generating, drafting, and revising essays; 6) Support paragraph level claims with explanations of relevant and specific evidence; 8) Correctly integrate, quote, paraphrase, and/or summarize without plagiarism; document source material according to MLA standards in an expository essay; 9) Construct concise, grammatically correct, and varied sentences following the principles of standard edited American English and conventions of genre; 10) Recognize and use effective style characterized by complexity of syntax and vocabulary, appropriateness of diction, and awareness of audience. Writer's Final Draft Checklist A) Does your analytical essay have a proper heading and title? B) Does the first page include the title of the essay(s) that you are analyzing in quotation marks, and the author's full name(s)? C) Does your analytical essay contain at least 6 quotations taken from the essay(s)? If so, are they smoothly integrated into your argument? If you’re not sure, look to a document titled “Quotation Punctuation Online Lesson for Canvas,” which is posted as a file in Canvas. D) Are your transitions between paragraphs reasonably smooth? E) Does your analytical essay possess a clear introduction and conclusion? F) Does your analytical essay contain sufficient support of your thesis? Hint: The second page of this assignment sheet indicates you should write at least l,500 words; however, shoot for 2,000 or more. G) Did you proofread your ar after you printed it out? Analytical Essay Advice 1) Select a topic that you think you have a lot to say about—for this assignment, at least 1,500 words. Note that Topics A) and B), as well as both King topics, are either identical or very similar to previous journal entry topics. If you choose to write an analytical essay in response to one of those topics, you may already have a rough, rough draft of it. 2) Be sure that you read and understand the specific advice regarding your essay topic, which can be found in a document titled “WA#2 Advice for each topic 9.18.21” that is posted as a file on Canvas. 3) Research! In other words, know the piece you’re writing about extremely well. a) You should read it several times. b) You should highlight and annotate as you read. 4) I recommend, but don’t require, that you organize your essay in the same order that the piece you’re writing about is organized. 5) State your thesis early on in your essay—probably in the first paragraph, and certainly somewhere in the first full page. A good rule of thumb: Your thesis = your answer to the topic question. Thesis Example: “Stickeen” WA#2 Topic Question: In “Stickeen,” John Muir presents a vivid portrait of a dog. Based on that portrait, what is Stickeen’s most remarkable trait? Thesis: Stickeen possesses many noteworthy virtues, the most remarkable of which is his courage. 6) The remainder of your essay should be devoted to defending that thesis. Virtually everything you write should serve the purpose of supporting your argument. 7) Use the 3-Step Strategy for Presentation of Evidence: See below. 3-Step Strategy for Presentation of Evidence 1) Introduce the evidence = Set the stage and/or create a context for the quotation 2) Transcribe the quotation—the “evidence”—accurately 3) Interpret and/or analyze the quotation/evidence=explain how and/or why the passage/evidence supports your thesis. 4