ENG1021
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Unit 2 Essay Guidelines
Textual Analysis & Argument
In the blurb for Between the World and Me, Toni Morrison writes that “This [book] is required reading.” As racial tensions in the United States become more and more palpable each day, it’s clear why she believes this. Coates’ book is an invitation to the experience of being black in America. One of the claims he makes is that “race is the child of racism, not the father” (7). He writes, “Americans believe in the reality of ‘race’ as a defined, indubitable feature of the natural world” (7). It’s a difficult book filled with many stories from Coates’ life, as well as stories from our collective history as Americans. Your job will be to read this book, explore what claims it’s making, and think about your own position regarding these claims.
For this assignment, you will write an essay in which you articulate what you believe to be Coates’ central argument and use quotes from the book to support why you believe this to be his argument. After you have established his argument, you will articulate your own position regarding that argument: do you agree, disagree, both agree and disagree? You will support your argument with 4 sources. Two of the sources must be peer-reviewed articles retrieved from the library database; the other 2 sources must be credible. In this paper, you will consider someone else’s perspective, contribute your own voice in response to that perspective, and also find evidence to help support your claims for believing what you believe. If you’d like to write this assignment as a letter to someone in your life, you are welcome to do that.
Begin this task by taking an inventory of your own position regarding the issue of race. Did you grow up in a household that recognized itself as part of a particular race? How did that experience shape you? What are your thoughts about other races? Do you have preconceived notions of people based on the color of their skin?
Also, think about the climate of discourse regarding race in this country. What conversations about racism are currently taking place? Where are they taking place? How are they being received? What conversations still need to be had? What can be done to aid in making those conversations occur?
Requirements
· Clearly articulate what you believe to be Coates’ argument
· Provide quotes from the text to support why you believe this to be his argument
· A statement in which you agree, disagree, or both agree and disagree with his argument
· Support for your claim (including 4 sources: 2 must be peer-reviewed articles from the library database)
· Your essay should be 5-6 pages long
· Formatted according to MLA guidelines
· Double-spaced, with 1-inch margins
· 12-point Times New Roman font
· Free of grammatical errors: this means proofreading your final draft several times
ENG1021
College of Online Education
Johnson & Wales University
