Writing

Please compare and contrast two oral histories from your Speaking History reading assignments.

Requirements

• You must choose one oral history from pages 7 to 38 in Speaking History and the other from pages 39 to 52 in Speaking History.
• Then write a paper that summarizes, compares and contrasts, and reflects on these oral histories.
• You must be specific. Cite your oral history by using parentheticals and page numbers. Example: (John Holway, 37)
• Make sure your writing is free of grammatical mistakes and typographical errors.
• Your paper should be double-spaced, 12-pt. font, Times New Roman, with 1” margins.
• Your paper must be between 450 words and 600 words. (This is about 1 ½ to 2 pages)

Reflect on and answer the questions below.

1. Who are your historical actors and what era or event did they discuss?
2. What kind of struggles did each of these historical actors’ face? Why? What about their race, class, gender, place, or nationality (or a combination of these identities) contributed to their struggles?
3. How did they overcome their struggles?
4. What do we learn from the interviewee about the era or event that they discussed?
5. In general, what can we learn from oral histories?