English

Read: Looking for Work (page 19) Answer Questions: Engaging the Text 1 – 5 AND… Read: What We Really Miss About the 1950s (page 25) Answer questions: Engaging the Text 1, 2 & 4 Exploring Connections 5 & 6 Extending the Critical Context 7 AND… Read: The Color of Family Ties: Race, Class, Gender and Extended Family Involvement (page 44) Answer questions: Engaging the Text 1 – 4 Exploring Connections 6 ENGAGING THE TEXT Why is the narrator attracted to the kind of family life depicted on TV? What, if anything, does he think is wrong with his life? Why do his desires apparently have so little impact on his family? Why does the narrator first go looking for work? How has the meaning of work changed by the end of the story, when he goes out again “in search of an overgrown flower bed and the dime that would end the day right”? Explain. As Soto looks back on his nine-year-old self, he has a different perspective on things than he had as a child. How would you characterize the mature Soto’s thoughts about his childhood family life? (Was it “a good family”? What was wrong with Soto’s thinking as a nine-year-old?) Back up your remarks with specific references to the narrative. Review the story to find each mention of food or drink. Explain the role these references play. Review the cast of “supporting characters” in this narrative — the mother, sister, brother, friends, and neighbors. What does each contribute to the story and in particular to the meaning of family within the story? ENGAGING THE TEXT According to Coontz, what do we really miss about the 1950s, and what don’t we miss? Explain how it might be possible for us to miss an era that’s now half a century in the past. In Coontz’s view, what was the role of the government in making the 1950s in America what they were? What part did broader historical forces or other circumstances play? Although she concentrates on the 1950s, Coontz also describes the other decades from the 1920s to the 1990s, when she wrote this piece. Use her information to create a brief chart naming the key characteristics of each decade. Then consider your own family history and see how well it fits the pattern Coontz outlines. Discuss the results with classmates or write a journal entry reflecting on what you learn. EXPLORING CONNECTIONS The mythic nuclear family of the 1950s included kids. Do you think people today place less emphasis on raising children, and if so, why? How might Coontz respond to the “Future Salmon” cartoon on page 24 or to the frontispiece to this chapter (p. 15)? Review “Looking for Work” by Gary Soto (p. 20). How does this narrative evoke nostalgia for a simpler, better era for families? Does it reveal any of the problems with the 1950s that Coontz describes? Look at the image on page 525 and discuss which elements of the photo — and of the 2016 Trump-Pence campaign more generally — could be considered nostalgic. Do you think the title “What We Really Miss about the 1850s” would be an apt one for this image? In paragraph 1, what might politicians and social commentators mean when they describe black and Latino/a families as “more disorganized” than white families? How accurate is this label in Gerstel and Sarkisian’s view? Why might a politician find the term “disorganized” useful? What evidence do Gerstel and Sarkisian give that social class is even more important than ethnicity in understanding differences among families? Why is this a critical distinction to the authors? What examples of “extended family solidarities and caregiving activities” (para. 1) do the authors provide? How common or uncommon are these in your own family or community? Do your personal experiences and those of your classmates tend to support, refute, or complicate Gerstel and Sarkisian’s analysis? Explain why you agree or disagree with the claim that “social policy should explicitly aim to rectify economic disadvantages” (para. 20). What would this abstract language mean in practice? Carefully study the frontispiece to Chapter Four on page 341. What symbols of affluence does the photograph contain? How might Gerstel and Sarkisian read the importance of family background in the man’s level of economic achievement?

This is a personal paper.  In other words, you may use the “I.” Always capitalize the I, and own your experiences.  For example, there is no need to generalize them by using the general “you.”  Avoid the “you,” as in:  You like Christmas because that is the time when every single member of your family comes together. This is your personal experience, not others’!   TOPIC: Think of a possession that is valuable to you mostly because its associations, i.e. it links you in some way to a person, an event, or a dear memory.  Note:  I prefer that you do not write about an object like your iphone, or your car, which you value mostly for its utility. You might then end up listing conveniences that are predictable, and that all of us share.  Your introduction will begin with a ‘hook’ sentence, and then give the what, who, when, where, of your possession.  You will end in a thesis statement which is your claim about the significance of this possession.  For example, a thesis like, “My wooden carving of a mountain lion reminds me, not only of my Mexican grandfather, but also of the precious summers I spent on his farm,” invites detailed descriptions of your grandfather and your memories on his farm.  However, a thesis like this, “My carved wolf holds precious memories,” is too vague and general.  If you are left with questions like ‘what kind of memories’?  or who, in particular does it remind you of? your thesis is too general and thereby invites generalized comments. Organize your paper as follow: Introduction: 5 – 6 lines, ending in a thesis statement. Descriptive paragraphs of the object, the person, place, event, etc. Analytical paragraphs of the significance of these memories – how they shaped you, changed you, impacted you, advanced your growth, etc. etc. For organization, please refer to the Basic Essay Format file  under Writing Guides on Modules and also the link above for organizing an academic essay.  Every paragraph should begin with a topic sentence and then give details of, and only of, that particular topic.

The assignment comes from the play Antigone (Sophocles). You can pick any topic from the play you would like to write about.  Your main goal in every literary criticism paper is to analyze your text(s). In other words, your aim is to discover, refine, and support your own interpretations — not summaries or translations! — through a technique Writing Manifesto 2013 1 which we will call “close reading.” Please remember, then, that the heart of every paper you write for this course should consist of careful, detailed, and nuanced close reading.

The two essays you read leading up to this were largely about the perception of art by those who don’t (necessarily) have an investment of the art they (the perceivers) are perceiving (often wrongly, or at least misguidedly). Hip-hop and politics are two of the most often discussed spaces without the necessary knowledge of either in order to be some kind of credible “expert” on either (or both at the same time). But, it is a fact (I assume, I think I know this 100%) that the people discussing these things don’t have an intimate investment in either to call themselves an expert, or even a student of (said things). So with that in mind…I want you to write a paper on the perception of hip-hop. And on the perception of politics. And I won’t you to write, in the first paragraph (this is THE first paragraph)…the first 20 words that come to your head when you hear the word hip-hop. Don’t think, just type. Twenty words. Twenty full words. Okay, that will be the first paragraph. The second paragraph, do the same thing with your perception of politics. Twenty words, don’t think, just type. DO NOT THINK. Twenty words, boom, done with the second paragraph.  Your third paragraph (and third part of your paper) will go deeper into hip-hop. I want you to think about this sentence: “The profanity in hip-hop, the perceived misogyny in hip-hop, is nothing but punctuation.” Think about that sentence (I didn’t write it). And write AT LEAST a two page (double-spaced paper) that has, as its context, that sentence. You can take that sentence to mean anything you want. I want you to really, really think about it in terms of language, in terms of what you think hip-hop might mean, but especially what hip-hop is perceived to be by those who don’t listen to it (I’m sure you know MANY who don’t). That sentence is your prompt. The fourth part of your paper will deal with politics in a similar way. The sentence around this part will focus is: “Politics is: theater with blood consequence.” (I wrote that). Really think about that. Think about every word as a WORD, and then suss that out and make it a paper around which you talk about your own ideas and the ideas about the perception of politics. This part will be two pages, double-spaced, as well. And again, you can write whatever you want that has something to do with that sentence–just make whatever you write connect to that sentence somehow.  So what you’ll have here is two paragraphs first, each with twenty words. Then, a two page paper (double-spaced) about hip-hop. Then, a two page paper (double-spaced) about politics. I hope that makes sense!

In one or two well-developed paragraphs explain your topic and purpose for the research paper. Include mention of what specific points or topics you envision including in your research paper, what kind of research you think you will need to find and your tentative thesis statement. Your main objective is to explain how you envision the paper coming together for you. This will be half a page to a page long using our standard formatting guidelines from previous essay assignments.

Write a persuasive letter to someone related to homelessness in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Provide the name, position, and mailing address of one person you could contact regarding the local issue at the top of your submission. Then write a four-paragraph (no more than 2 single-spaced pages, including references) letter using this format: Paragraph 1: introduce yourself (Daniel Doherty) and explain the problem.  Paragraph 2: explain the relevant history of the problem (cite your sources).  Paragraph 3: explain concepts and theories related to the problem (cite your sources and relate to course materials if possible). Pick one international relations theory, term, or concept that we studied to make your case relevant. Here is where to also think about the “think global” aspect of the local issue. Why does the local issue have global implications or relevance even though it might seem small?  Paragraph 4: Propose possible solutions and explain what you want this person to do. Name specific organizations that could help, such as specific state agencies or programs, IGOs, NGOs, MNCs, or civil networks (presumably we are not seeking the help of uncivil networks for this exercise).  Your letter should have a professional tone and look and follow the standard letter format.   Add legitimacy to your claims by providing citations using the Turabian style and include a list of your references (required). Use 12 pitch, Times New Roman font and 1 inch margins.

Write about going to Macdonald’s with A friend  DO NOT USE ANY BIG WORDS BECAUSE ITS FOR SPANISH SO I HAVE TO TRANSLATE THIS JUST WRITE IT LIKE A YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT DONT USE ANY BIGS WORDS I REPEAT AND IT ONLY NEEDS TO BE 90 words that’s it

compose a thesis statement that expresses your opinion about the internet, bullying and sexism

ENGL 1302 Fall 2020 Instructor: Dr. Ronald Gordon Essay #1 (Responsive) : Paradise Regained, Paradise Lost The prompt below is for an essay of a minimum of 500 words, consisting of what you think in response to the prompt. Feel free to draw on personal experience, family history, your education to date, the views of your peers, and, of course, the work to date in this course. This is not a research assignment involving the investigation, support, and citation of secondary sources. It is but the first of a series of individual and group assignments that will culminate in a major research-based essay at the end of the semester. Your response paper should, however, be organized around a specific thesis statement and logically structured. It should address each of the questions below in turn. Prompt Background In Notes of a Native Son (1955), the African-American novelist and essayist James Baldwin wrote that “the story of the Negro in America is the story of America–or, more precisely, it is the story of Americans. It is not a very pretty story: the story of a people is never very pretty.” If the discovery and settlement of America by colonists from the Old World (i.e. Europe) was evidence of God’s will made manifest, the establishment of a second, New World Eden, then the appropriate title of that particular story would be Paradise Regained. But that story is a mythic tale. The title of the historical narrative might well be Paradise Lost–through the Original Sin of slavery, beginning with the arrival in the Jamestown colony in 1619 of the first shipload of captive Africans. Questions 1. Did the Old World sin of slavery doom the embrace of genuine “diversity” in our culture down to our own time? 2. Is slavery only the most heinous expression of a much broader sin of exclusion and discrimination inherent in “the story of America,” beginning with the indigenous peoples as well as African slaves, but applicable to all the waves of immigration—nations, races, religions, ethnicities, and women—that flowed into the melting pot and became, at least for a time, “the other?” 3. Is disapproval, if not outright hatred of an unacceptable “other,” to whomever the term applies according to time and circumstance—a condition of acceptance as a “true” American? 4. If “discrimination” is both the recognition of and opposition to diversity, is there, in fact, “diversity in discrimination?” Due Dates First Draft: Submit to Blackboard no later than end of day Tuesday, 9/15 (daily grade of 100% for on-time submission). Final Draft: Submit to Blackboard no later than end of day Tuesday, 9/22 (15% of final grade in course).     Format   1. Online submission must be Word or .pdf file only. 2. Margins: 1 inch on top, bottom, and sides. 3. Font: New Times Roman 12 pt. throughout (no exceptions). 4. Spacing: Double space the entire paper. 5. Heading: Name, Dr. Gordon, assignment name, date in upper left (double spaced). 6. Title: An original title (not the title of the assignment) centered on the first page on the first line below heading, no bolding, no italics, no font change. 7. Page numbers: student’s last name and the page number in the header, right justified, not on first page. 8. Justification: Left, not full or right.  9. Staple all pages together. 10. Do not use a cover page. 11. Paragraph indentations: 1?2-inch. 12. Do not skip extra lines between paragraphs. Double-space the entire paper. 13. Do not use the first or second-person point of view (I, you, we, us).

1) Scan the course description and send me a memo answering the following questions. What do you notice about how this written message is presented visually, i.e. what format features does the writer use to get the readers’ attention and direct it to important points? If this were a quiz, you could get a mark out of 5. 2) Prepare an outline, i.e. a heading and point-form set of notes, you would use to write a letter introducing yourself as a business writing student to me, your instructor. Draft, i.e. turn your points into sentences, your first and last paragraph. If this were a quiz, you could get a mark out of 25. Please note, I am using these first 2 assignments to determine your reading and writing ability. Clues to how to do these well are given in the course description sheets. Be relaxed, but alert—just do your current bestJ)