Posts Tagged ‘Nonfiction Essays’

Exploring Cultural Identity

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by   |  03.08.10  |  In-Class Writing Assignments, Research and Cultural Identity, Thesis

To practice thinking and writing about the idea of a research question, which is required for the research paper, please choose to focus on either “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” by Sherman Alexie or “My Faith in Nonviolence” by Mohandas Gandhi and respond as a group to the following items about your selected text and post your response in a comment to this blog post:

  1. Which text are you responding to and who is in your group?
  2. An issue is more specific and more focused than a topic. Given the topic of exploring cultural identity, what specific issue(s) can you identify regarding cultural identity in this text?
  3. What specific evidence (language, details, ideas) from the text creates this issue?
  4. A research question, I would argue, is even more specific than an issue. Try to frame your response to item #2 above as a question that could generate further research.

Below is a photo of Sherman Alexie:

Alexie photo by Larry D. Moore – (CC) Larry D. Moore.

Freedom to Interpret – Reading for Wednesday

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0 Commentsby   |  02.23.10  |  Announcements, Film and Visual Art, Interpretation and Purpose, Nonfiction (Essays), Thesis

For Wednesday, please print a copy of Roland Barthes’s very short (3-page) essay “The Death of the Author” from the Link below and read the essay before class. I encourage you to annotate your copy of the text—underline key lines or phrases, write notes in the margin, and be able to articulate the thesis of the essay.

The Death of the Author

Also, please be prepared in class on Wednesday to discuss the topic you selected for on the viewing guide for the movie Doubt.

Writing Assignment for Friday Feb 19

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0 Commentsby   |  02.18.10  |  Interpretation and Purpose, Nonfiction (Essays), Rhetoric & Persuasion (Argument), Rhetorical Analyses

Linked below is an excerpt from a book-length work of nonfiction by Annie Dillard titled An American Childhood.  I would like you to treat this piece as if it were a complete essay for the RA due on Friday February 19:

from An American Childhood

When reading, consider the rhetorical strategy of the essay, the essay’s primary argument, and pay particular attention to the identity of the speaker.  This work also takes a major turn at one point in the essay that significantly changes the interpretive landscape of the piece.

Reading Assignment for Wednesday, February 17

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0 Commentsby   |  02.15.10  |  Announcements, Nonfiction (Essays)

In addition to reading “The America I Love” by Elie Wiesel in The Conscious Reader (835-37), please read and be prepared to discuss the following 1988 essay by Peggy McIntosh on Wednesday, February 17:

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Elie Wiesel claims in “The America I Love” that racism “has vanished from the American scene” (836). McIntosh takes a different approach. How do you account for the difference in these perspectives?

Nonfiction Essays – “Somebody’s Baby”

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by   |  01.27.10  |  In-Class Writing Assignments, Nonfiction (Essays), Rhetoric & Persuasion (Argument)

Regarding the essay “Somebody’s Baby,” please respond to the following items as a comment to this blog post:

  1. Describe the rhetorical (persuasive) strategy of the essay (how does it accomplish its argument?).
  2. Does the essay have an emotional appeal (pathos)? If so, exactly how is the emotional appeal created?
  3. In what ways does the essay appeal to logic or reason (logos)?
  4. How exactly does the speaker establish her credibility with an audience (ethos)?
  5. What is the thesis of this essay (or its persuasive goal)?
  6. Include the names of the people in your group.