our first paper is worth 10% of your grade and will be 3-4 pages in length. This first paper is really structured. While for future papers you will have the option of creating your own prompts, for this paper I would like you answer the following question:
Bernice Johnson Reagon’s “Coalition Politics” has a particular understanding of coalition. What is Reagon’s main argument? How would you describe Harriet Jacobs’ political agenda? How is coalition useful for her? How do you see Jacobs building coalition in the text to achieve her political goal? The body of your paper should revolve around textual evidence from Incidents from the Life of a Slave Girl. You may find the RWL article “Meditations on History: A Slave Woman’s Voice,” by Mary Helen Washington, helpful for background in formulating your argument.
For this paper, you are also expected to peer review each other’s arguments because we often learn the most about writing when we critique one another. For the peer review in class, you are expected to come with two copies of a full draft. This expectation will be reflected in your final paper grade. Please see the rubric.
Tips for this paper:
Your intro paragraph should:
Summarize Reagon
Summarize (briefly) Jacobs’ text
Locate both women’s intersectional social location (gender/race/class/citizenship) and why that matters to their arguments (this is your FEMINIST ANALYSIS)
Zoom in on a literary convention:
A 3-4 page paper can’t do everything! Focus on one of the following literary conventions we’ve talked about in class: characterization, voice/tone, metaphor/simile, audience.
How does this literary convention give you a clue to how Jacobs might understand coalition?
End your intro paragraph with a THESIS STATEMENT that addresses both your literary convention and your conclusion about how Jacobs does or does not understand coalition.
Much of the work in any given paper is in the introduction so don’t be worried if it’s a page long!
The rest of your paper will have 3-4 paragraphs that each address a textual example. Make sure after your excerpt from a text, you thoroughly analyze that excerpt, ALWAYS coming back to your thesis statement.
Your conclusion paragraph will probably be short. Simply re-state each paragraph’s main point and finish with your thesis statement.
All papers are expected to be typed, double-spaced, with 11- or 12-point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins. All papers must adhere to the MLA research paper format and should include in-text citations as well as a Works Cited page. You must have a definite thesis supported by specific details from the text(s) in an organized argument. Your thesis statement must be underlined. Your papers should not merely repeat class discussion, consist of plot summaries or descriptions, or be an “issue paper;” rather, your papers should argue a thesis from a definite position about the literary texts we are covering.
Jermaine Byrant
Nicole Johnson
OVER
RATING
YEARS
