Essay

E N G L 1 B - B r o w n e l l

E s s a y # 1 " R e c i t a t i f " For Essay #1, you will write a

formal essay about "Recitatif," a short story by Nobel-prize

winning author Toni Morrison.

Toni Morrison was a Nobel-prize winning author. She was also a professor and literary critic. Morrison is most famous for the Beloved trilogy (Beloved, Jazz, and Paradise). The book Beloved was adapted into a film with performances by Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and Thandie Newton in 1998. She has written a highly acclaimed book of criticism titled Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination. In it, she argues that an "Africanist presence," replete with a history of stereotypes and negative connotations is deeply intertwined in the concept of America and American literature. In her short story "Recitatif," Morrison intentionally triggers the reader's mental history of stereotypes about whiteness and blackness to reveal how deeply ingrained beliefs about race are in the U.S. 

Final Draft due Tuesday, September 8th

Value: 15% of overall course grade

"The condition of truth is to allow suffering to speak, and the condition of being the truth is to transform your suffering with great creativity and compassion into forms and deeds that empower others to do likewise in their own ways."

West, Cornel. Race Matters, 25th Anniversary . Beacon Press. Kindle Edition.

Prompts (Select ONE)

Examine the way "Recitatif" was written. How has priming factored into the way the story is read? Why do you believe Morrison wrote "Recitatif" in a way that provokes the reader to rely on stereotypes to fill in the blanks? Examine why the author included Maggie in the story. Maggie is a racially ambiguous character who is also disabled. What does Maggie symbolize? Why is Maggie important to the story? How does the misinformation effect relate to the plot line about Maggie? Twyla as the narrator of the story has a laundry list of things she does not like about Roberta. Does Twyla have legitimate reasons for disliking Roberta, or is Twyla herself biased or lacking in critical thinking skills? How so? (Support your answer.)

Essay Minimum Requirements: MLA style (page format, header, page numbering, title, 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced) 1000-1150 words (excluding Works Cited page) Thesis-driven (make an argument; someone may disagree with you) Showcase critical thinking skills (making inferences, identifying biases, analyzing assumptions, cultural awareness, etc.) Essay organization (introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion) Use A.X.E.S. to build analytical paragraphs Use textual evidence (quotes from the short story and quotes from YNS) Synthesize sources with your own voice Use third-person (do NOT use "you" or address the reader) You must use at least two quotes from You Are Not So Smart Standard English spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics The final draft should be proofread and generally free of mistakes Include a Works Cited page

Due Dates: Brainstorm uploaded to Canvas by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, 9/2 Full-sentence outline uploaded to Canvas by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, 9/2 Upload the rough draft to Canvas by Thursday, 9/3 Peer Review completed by Friday, 9/4 Final draft uploaded to Canvas by Tuesday, 9/8

Tips: Read the Claude Steele essay about stereotype threat located in Canvas Other research sources are accessed through the college library databases  The video lecture gives you tips and pointers for writing about the essay

Lesson: Brainstorming B ra i n s t o r m i n g i s w h e r e

yo u p l ay w i t h d i f f e r e n t

i d e a s a n d a p p r o a c h e s .

Le t yo u r m i n d f r e e l y

ex p l o r e i d e a s !

Example of Listing

For more details and advice about brainstorming, visit OWL Purdue's Website: https://owl.purdue.edu/engagement/ged_preparation/part_2_lessons_1_5/index.html