essay

Purpose: While writing questions into an expository essay often lead an audience to internalize and might lead them to stop reading your paper, using a question as a jumping off point can be effective in helping you write. The key is to remove the question from your writing or to rephrase it as a statement. Simply put instead of writing:

 

· What does Sherman Alexie’s “Evolution” mean?

 

You would write

 

· In “Evolution” Sherman Alexie addresses the issue of colonization through…

 

Changing the question into a statement.

 

Instructions: Read Sherman Alexie’s “Evolution” on p. 699-700. Take some notes about what is going on and what is happening in each stanza of the poem. Then, read the following questions. Answer the questions for yourself, and use those answers to write a 250 word response to the poem.

 

Questions to help you focus:

In Sherman Alexie’s “Evolution,” he uses the character of Buffalo Bill to stand in for colonization. How does this metaphor work? What is the meaning behind using Buffalo Bill in this manner?

 

How does Alexie use irony in the form of sarcasm to make a point about colonialism and its effects?  

 

Ultimately, what does the title “Evolution” end up meaning when you reach the end of the poem? How has colonialism “evolved?” How is the evolution progressively worse in Alexie’s eyes?

 

What you need to write: What is your response to this poem using the questions and your notes as a guide? Is this poem effectively creating a meaning that you can understand and follow? How does the form effect the message? How do the uses of the literary tropes of metaphor and irony convey meaning?  

 

Due Date: Sunday, April 14th, 2019