Essay 2
5-6 pages
Essay Prompt: Pick one of the poems or short storiesthat we have studied in Unit II in order to compose your own argument about the text regarding discrimination and/or stereotypes. In order to support your position on the primary text, you must use twoof the secondary sources provided and reviewed in class.
Primary choices: Dang, Johnson, Wiley, Carver, Marquez
Secondary choices: Adichie, Acosta, Gay, McIntosh, Valenti
Questions to Consider:What kind of power does art (poems, movies, stories) have on cultures? What is the relevance of the text you are exploring? How does it’smessagehelp make sense of the world in which we live? Who should care about these topics and why?Why are topics of power or privilege important to understand for everyone?
Important Reminder:You can introduce both primary and secondary sources in the introduction. Primary source must be in intro/thesis/topic sentences. Do not rely on the secondary sources for your interpretation. Figure out your own views on the text/topic and then see how the secondary sources can help support, complement, or establish your ideas. Think of it like a research paper. You will spend the most time analyzing your primary source, using secondary sources to help prove your analysis. Ideally, you will have 1 quote from the primary and 1 from secondary per body.
Requirements: Paper must be 5-6 pages double-spaced, Times New Roman size 12 font. Include a Works Cited page and in-text citations. Everything must be in MLA format. Paper should refrain from use of personal examples or overuse of personal pronouns (but it can use language such as “In this paper, I argue…”). **Avoid the 5 paragraph essay format.
