5 pages
Mr.Q
requirements.zipAssignment-Paper3(1).docx
WR098 Yoder / Fall 2015
PAPER 3: ARGUMENTATIVE THEME SYNTHESIS
PURPOSE:
In this essay you will build on the skills that you have developed over the semester to construct a synthesized analysis in which you will examine a thematic element of Julia Alvarez’s novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents in conversation with two Globalization essays that share the same theme, allowing you the opportunity to draw more complex connections and to gain greater understanding of topics discussed since our course began. Your final version of Paper 3 will also serve as the capstone assignment of your final portfolio—I will distribute the portfolio assignment to you shortly.
TASKS:
For this assignment, you are to write a paper of 1100-1300 words in which you argue for a claim based on the Garcia Girls in light of two thematically similar essays from your Globalization reader. Garcia Girls is your primary source (the focus text under analysis); because the claim is centered on this text, it should receive the most attention (and analysis) in your paper. Your two selected Globalization essays will then serve as secondary sources, helping to add dimension to your argument by providing you with either: meaningful anecdotes and experiences, theoretical frameworks, terminology, historical or scientific facts and data, and/or alternate points of view. The essays should help you to view the novel in a unique way, just as the novel will help to add human faces to many of the complex psychological (and cultural) processes we have discussed since September. The meaning that you glean from placing the 3 texts in conversation with each other will be evident through your analyses.
Requirements for this paper: Successful completion of this paper will incorporate…
1. a 5-part intro that you used for Paper 2 (hook > common ground > problem statement > “so what?” response > claim), but with the inclusion of a Glob. essay before your problem statement.
2. Topic sentences that guide your reader through the development of your argument and provide clear, logical transitions from one point of analysis to another
3. PED paragraph structure, including evidence and integrated comparative analyses of key passages from each text under analysis (the novel and your Globalization essays)
4. *NEW* an acknowledgement and response to an alternate point of view (a “naysayer”/counterargument – see TSIS Ch.6 “Planting a Naysayer”).
5. *NEW* a 3-part conclusion in which you summarize your main points and then broaden to the larger discussion, expanding upon the relevance of this issue beyond the two texts
POTENTIAL QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE: (*If you have another idea, please consult with me!)
1. Why do you think Alvarez chose How the García Girls Lost Their Accents as the title? Is “losing one’s accent” a metaphor for something else? What else is lost? How does losing one’s native language or accent contribute to one’s sense of belonging and cultural vs. self identity? (Boroditsky, Traves, Leonard, Sharma, Hill, Iyer, Appiah…)
2. How can the Garcias be viewed as consumers of American culture throughout the novel, whether via actual products (emphasized through descriptions of clothes, hair products, advertisements, food, TV, etc.) or via language (English, Yo’s literary studies, slang, etc.), and how does their consumerism impact their assimilation process and cultural identity? (Wasserstrom, Leonard, Cole, Zuckerman, Sharma, Traves, Hill, Gleiser, Boroditsky…)
3. Overall, do you interpret this novel as a story about the importance of adhering to one’s roots or about the importance of assimilation and cultural merging? How might the reverse chronological structure of the novel contribute to your interpretation? (Gleiser, Appiah, Traves, Sharma, Leonard, Hill, Ahmed, Wasserstrom, Zuckerman…)
4. How do memory, nostalgia, and the past help and/or hinder the Garcias’ assimilation process in the US? How does memory connect to place and identity and the characters’ evolving definition of home? Consider, for example, the role of the Dominican Republic and how it travels/evolves with the Garcias in the US. (Afridi, Hill, Ahmed, Iyer, Appiah…)
5. Yolanda is the primary narrator of the novel, and she is also a poet who takes words and language very seriously. What defines her evolution with language and how does it affect her relationships with others and the world around her? (Boroditsky, Traves, Appiah, Leonard, Sharma, Zuckerman…)
6. What message(s) does the book have about respecting cultural differences and/or the effects of globalization? How might you use Appiah’s concept of the cosmopolitan to enhance your understanding of the family’s experience as new “adventurers” to the US? (Appiah, Zuckerman, Cole, Ahmed, Hill, Traves, Iyer, Gleiser, Wasserstrom, Sharma, Leonard, Boroditsky…)
** Narrowing Your Focus: Since you are dealing in some way with three texts in a fairly short paper, it will be important to keep your focus specific. In many of the examples above I refer to “the Garcias” or “the family.” By doing this, I do not mean to suggest that you need to address every member of the family, though you are welcome to do so as long as you can narrow in on a very specific aspect of their experiences (otherwise you would end up with a very long paper!). You are more than welcome (and encouraged) to focus your argument on only one/some of the characters.
DUE DATES AND TIMELINE:
Weds. 11/18: Draft of your intro & general outline + Works Cited page
Mon. 11/23: First Draft due in class for peer review (at least 750 words + Works Cited page with 1-2 sentence annotation detailing the purpose of each Globalization essay in connection to your argument)
Tues. 11/24: Draft due by 11pm to BB > Assignments > Paper 3 > Draft for feedback
Week of 11/30: REQUIRED CONFERENCES FOR PAPER 3!
Weds. 12/9: FINAL VERSION OF PAPER 3 DUE BY 11:59PM AS PART OF YOUR FINAL PORTFOLIO TO BB > ASSIGNMENTS > FINAL PORTFOLIO
STRUCTURE GUIDELINES:
Introduction: You must introduce Garcia Girls and at least one of the essays you are using in the introduction. Although more of your analysis will be focused on the novel, it is often a good strategy to introduce a central idea from one of the essays first and then move toward the claim by suggesting how the novel complicates those ideas (creating your problem/question). *Use the 5-part intro structure!
***Please make sure to follow formatting and MLA style requirements, properly paraphrase and cite all of your sources to avoid plagiarism. If plagiarism is detected anywhere in your final paper or portfolio, you will receive a zero and a report will be filed with the Academic Conduct Committee.***
Handout-Conclusions.docx
WR098 PAPER 3: WRITING AN EFFECTIVE CONCLUSION
Just as your introduction paragraph is composed of three essential parts (Common Ground > Problem > Claim), your conclusion is also essentially composed of three parts.
Three steps to a successful conclusion in general, and for Paper 3 in particular:
1. SUMMARY (at least 3 sentences)
A. Brief summary of your original claim (thesis) and your paper’s primary sub-claims (main points), but formulated in a new, fresh way. (DO NOT SIMPLY COPY YOUR CLAIM WORD-FOR-WORD FROM YOUR INTRO!) Keep in mind that, by the end of your paper, your reader is very familiar with your topic, the characters, the themes, and your argument; therefore, you can take advantage of that assumed knowledge in your conclusion (which you could not do in your claim in your introduction).
B. Also re-acknowledge the 2 Globalization essays and summarize the conversation that exists among all 3 texts (García Girls + 2 Glob. essays)
2. EXTEND THE CONVERSATION (at least 3 sentences). After you’ve completed #1 above: Assume by the conclusion that, through textual evidence, you have proven your substantiated and proven your claim. Now push the conversation forward in a new—but not wholly unrelated—direction by engaging one of the following techniques:
a. LOOP BACK TO THE IDEA/QUESTION/QUOTE YOU REFER TO IN YOUR HOOK SENTENCE OF THE INTRODUCTION: This can be a good way to bring your paper full-circle if you began your essay with a quote or a question. Make a nod back to that initial quote/question in your first sentence,, and then offer your own response to conclude your paper.
b. RETURN TO AND EXPAND ON THE LARGER SIGNIFICANCE (“SO WHAT?” RESPONSE) FROM YOUR INTRO: What did you acknowledge to be the larger significance or relevance of your argument? Considering the theme/issue of your paper and acknowledge the bigger picture. You have focused on a specific text; how does your argument apply to the world beyond that text?
c. CONSIDER A HYPOTHETICAL “WHAT IF?”: Imagine that a plot point of the book had turned out differently. How might it alter or reinforce your argument? Ask your paper a hypothetical “What if . . .?” (*Note: You logically wouldn’t want to stress a hypothetical unless your response would continue to support your argument!)
d. ASK YOUR READER A RELATED QUESTION TO CONSIDER AND TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION ON YOUR TOPIC: As we’ve discussed all semester, academic writing is a conversation; by writing an essay, you are engaging in a conversation or debate about an issue that is already being discussed by other scholars. In your conclusion, you can explain another problem that your argument has led you to consider, and then pose a related question to your reader—a question that arises out of your argument.
3. CONCLUDING FOCUS ON YOUR PRIMARY TEXT & THEME (at least 1 sentence) . Finally, at the end of your conclusion, bring the conversation back a few steps to make a final nod back to the García Girls and your primary theme.
**Consider these three key steps as you revise the conclusion of your final paper, focusing specifically on step 2, which is arguably the most important (and difficult) step of your conclusion.
SAMPLE PAPER 3 CONCLUSION
DIRECTIONS: Below, I have included the last two sentences of an introduction and the entire conclusion from a former WR098 student’s Paper 3. Read the text below and decide whether, for Part 2 of the conclusion, the student chose to engage option a, b, c, or d to push the argument forward?
“SO WHAT?” STATEMENT & THESIS:
Indeed, if we ignore the complexities of assimilation and its relationship to identity, our globalized citizens may never feel at home and secure in the world, and we may not have the tools to aid in the process. Hoffman’s experiences in Lost in Translation prove that passive acceptance and adoption of a target culture will not always lead to a sense of belonging; Eva forges her own path to self-discovery through language and self-acceptance.
CONCLUSION:
Lost in Translation demonstrates the complex relationship between language, culture, and identity. When facing a new environment, many multicultural individuals assume that assimilation is the key to survive, to gain approval, and to feel at home in the world. Yet, Hoffman shows that this is not necessarily the case; identity can be found through the establishment of one’s personal language expression and development, and by accepting one’s fate as distinct from others. Just as Iyer and Hooks demonstrate in their essays, identity for Hoffman cannot be dictated by anyone other than herself. But why is the search for one’s identity so important? Iyer asserts that “to lack a center, after all, may be to lack something essential to the state of being human,” and he further acknowledges a philosopher’s belief that to feel a sense of home “is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul” (201). In other words, the very thing that makes us human—the very core of our identity—is knowing where we belong and knowing that we do, indeed, have a “home.” Throughout all of the obstacles Hoffman faces, by uncovering her multicultural center, she ultimately recovers her Self and, therefore, her home.
GG-FinalChapterGroupDiscussion.docx
“The Drum” (Chapter 15—the final chapter of the book)
Directions:
In your groups, read through the following passages and then discuss the following with your groupmates:
1. What do you think the following images represent to Yolanda and to the novel as a whole?
· The drum
· Schwarz, the kitten
· The mother cat
2. In what ways does this final chapter tie up loose ends and/or leave you dissatisfied or uncertain?
I) p. 281:
“Immediately, I singled out one who had four little white paws and a white spot between its ears, fully dressed, so it looked, as opposed to the others who were careless and had lost their shoes and caps. This one, a curiosity, was the one I intended for me.”
II) p. 284 to p. 285:
“`About drumsticks,’ I said. And then, because I was sure I had found my man, I hurried my questions: `Can you play with a brand-new kitten or will the mother abandon it or blind you if she catches you and by when can you take a kitten from its mother to keep as a pet?’”
[…]
“you must wait until that kitten can make it on its own. Don’t you agree?”
III) p. 286 to p. 290 (end of the book):
“I did not know at the time the word for saying one thing and doing another, but I did know plenty of practicing adults, and I was not going to be gypped of a well-dressed kitten by a moral imperative given to me by an exception to the rule!
[…]
“At that hour and in that loneliness, I hear her, a black furred thing lurking in the corners of my life, her magenta mouth opening, wailing over some violation that lies at the center of my art.”
Handout-CounterargumentPaper3.docx
WR098 Yoder/Fall 2015
Acknowledging and Responding to
Alternate Points of View and Counterarguments
(TSIS Ch. 6: “Planting a Naysayer”)
One of your requirements for Paper 3 is to acknowledge and respond to a point of view or interpretation other than your own. Experienced writers make their arguments stronger by comparing their own claims with other reasonable approaches to the same issue. When readers don’t think you’ve considered the alternatives, they may question how well you’ve thought through your own ideas; when readers see that you have considered the alternatives, they're more likely to be persuaded that your claim is the best option among all possible perspectives. As stated in chapter 6 of They Say/I Say, while it may seem paradoxical, “the more you give voice to your critics’ objections, the more you tend to disarm those critics, especially if you go on to answer their objections in convincing ways.”
Other names for “naysayers”: counterarguments counterclaims objections
alternate points of view skeptics
I. ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR NAYSAYER
See Chapter 6 of They Say/I Say for templates to introduce and acknowledge your naysayer. Below are some common structures that you could use:
Unnamed Naysayer:
Some readers may challenge my interpretation of ____ by insisting that…
Some might argue that…
Of course, many may disagree on the grounds that…
Named Naysayer (referring to a specific person or a group of people):
Yet, Gleiser would likely take issue with this point of view and insist that…
Here, many American immigrants may object that…
Introducing an Objection in the Form of a Question:
Is it always the case, as I have been suggesting, that…?
Yet, does the evidence prove conclusively that…?
II. RESPONDING TO YOUR NAYSAYER
Once you acknowledge your naysayer, you must explain that alternate perspective with fairness and objectivity (summary) and then respond in a convincing manner that reinforces your own argument/claim. Rather than completely dismissing the objection as a whole (saying, for instance, “That’s just incorrect”), you want to acknowledge the objection’s validity and/or relevance and then respond by challenging only the part that you disagree with. In this way, you are essentially making a concession while still standing your ground.
Templates for Making a Concession:
Although I grant that X can be interpreted as_____, I still maintain that…
While it is true that ______ , it does not necessarily mean that…
III. SAMPLE MAIN BODY PARAGRAPH CONTAINING A COUNTERARGUMENT:
This paragraph was the final main body paragraph of the student’s paper (just before the conclusion), as it addressed an interpretation that was completely counter to the student’s entire claim/thesis. You may have a counterargument that merely offers a different interpretation to just one of your points of analysis (not your paper’s overall claim), in which case you could acknowledge/respond to the counterargument in that same main body paragraph.
As you read the sample below, consider which template(s) the student has chosen to acknowledge the naysayer, and divide the paragraph into ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (A) and RESPONSE (R).
Of course, some might argue that Ashima’s home is back in India where she grew
up and where her family members are. Or that her home eventually becomes the States
because that is where she spends most of life, with her husband and children and builds
lasting memories. Both of these views are valid and can be supported by the text, but
Ashima’s feelings about home evolves throughout the novel and this can be seen at the
end of the novel when she decides to live 6 months in India and 6 months in the States
which indicates that she feels she doesn’t belong in one specific place. Ultimately, Ashima accepts her messy identity as both Indian and American: “She has learned to do things on her own, and though she wears saris, still puts her hair in a bun, she is not the same Ashima who had once lived in Calcutta. She will return to India with an American passport. In her wallet will remain her Massachusetts driver’s license, her social security card” (Lahiri 276). Though it is true that she will always associate her family and India with “home,” she has established a sense of belonging and her own home in America as well. Rather than choose one over the other, she accepts both as a part of herself and has come to peace with it.
GROUP EXERCISE: Logical counterclaims/objections. In your group, acknowledge the validity of each of the claims below. Then, come up with a logical objection (counterargument) for each claim. For #s 4-5, use specific passages/moments in the book to support your response.
Example: Technology should be permitted and employed in all classrooms.
1. Globalization unites us more than it divides us.
2. English is becoming a global language, but it is not threatening minority languages and cultures.
3. One’s identity is determined more by nature (genetics, biology) than by nurture (our experiences, society and the environment).
4. In Alvarez’s novel, the sister with the least amount of struggle in the United States is Fifi because she is the youngest and, therefore, not as connected to the family’s Dominican roots when they move to America.
5. In the final chapter of Alvarez’s novel, “The Drum,” the kitten and mother cat symbolize… (come up with your own interpretation and then anticipate what a logical counterargument might be)
Workshop-Paper3Intro(1).docx
WR098 Yoder / Fall 2015
Paper 3: Introduction Peer Review
Wednesday, 11/18
[ GROUPS OF 2 OR 3 ]
PEER REVIEW & DISCUSSION: Introduction, General Outline, & Annotated Works Cited
Writer’s Name: Reviewer’s Name:
You will work through this peer-review TOGETHER, stopping after each question to discuss your answers with one another and acknowledge any points of uncertainty, confusion, concern.
A. Read your partner’s introduction and divide it into the 5 parts with a backslash ( / ).
· Hook
· Summary/common ground
· Problem statement/question
· “So what?”/larger significance
· Claim/response
DISCUSSION: Once you’re both done reading and identifying the 5 parts, discuss any uncertainties or difficulties you had in identifying the 5 parts. Ask for clarification from your partner.
B. Working backwards in the intro, begin by re-reading the CLAIM. 1) What primary theme is at the focus of the student’s argument about the García Girls?
2) What character(s) does this argument focus on?
3) In 1-2 sentences and in your own words, paraphrase what the student is arguing in this paper:
DISCUSSION: Did you understand each other’s arguments? Look closely at the language and content of the claim and discuss how debatable and argumentative it sounds – do you have concerns that it sounds more like a factual statement or summary of the novel? Also discuss the character(s) under analysis and why you chose them over the other characters in the book.
C. Still working backwards, now re-read the PROBLEM STATEMENT. What is the theme-related question that the student is raising about the novel? (Note: in your intro, you can directly ask a question, or you can create a statement in which your question is implied)
?
DISCUSSION: Look back at your responses to part B above (claim). The claim should directly respond to the question posed by the problem statement. Is there any disconnect in your partner’s intro or your own? Does the question lead to a conceptual analysis rather than to a simple yes/no/one-word response or a factual informative response from the novel?
D. Now re-read the SUMMARY of The García Girls and compare it to your own. Considering the problem/question you discussed in part C above, describe how the student’s summary of the novel sets up that problem? Is there sufficient information and logical transition from summary to problem? Explain.
DISCUSSION: Compare your summary of the novel to your partner’s. How/in what ways do they overlap and how do they diverge? Why do you think they diverge in those ways? Considering the problem and claim, is there any information in the summary that you think is extraneous (unnecessary) or, conversely, any information that you feel is left out?
E. In addition to the 5-part intro, you are required to introduce one Globalization essay in your introduction in order to help broaden the scope of the primary theme under analysis in your paper. You can introduce the essay as part of your hook or as part of your summary/common ground in order to set up the question/problem that you’re raising about the novel. Which essay does the student include and what function(s) is it serving?
DISCUSSION: Explain the connection/common ground between the novel and the Glob. essay included in the intro. Compare how you and your partner each use the essay in your intro – are you each using it to fulfill the same function? How do you plan on bringing the essay back in the main body of your paper?
F. Re-read your partner’s claim at the end of the intro. From the claim, how do you expect the argument to develop in the main body of the paper? What do you expect the main points of analysis to be? Outline them here.
I.
II.
III.
IV. (if applicable)
DISCUSSION: Look over the general outline for the student’s main body and compare with the outline you had anticipated above. Discuss if there are any unexpected points that the claim did not forecast.
G. Read through your partner’s Annotated Works Cited Page. Which 2 Globalization essays will be engaged in the paper and how/why?
Essay #1:
Essay #2:
DISCUSSION: Considering the primary theme under analysis in the paper, do these 2 essay selections seem logical to you? What other Globalization essay(s) might be useful for the student to consider in relation to this theme? What purpose will the essay introduced in the introduction serve in the main body?
FINAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Right now, what concerns do you and your partner have about this paper as you think about writing your first draft? What difficulties do you anticipate encountering as you write?
2. How do you think this paper (topic + writing process) might differ from Papers 1 and 2? Do you expect it to be more difficult/easy, and how/why?
Workshop-Paper3Draft.docx
Draft of Paper 3
Writer: Reader:
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Read the intro and draw lines ( / ) to divide it into the 5 parts. If you have any difficulty identifying a part, ask your partner for clarification.
2. What Globalization essay is introduced in the intro and what theme is it connecting to for the novel?
3. What is the underlying question being posed by the problem statement? What question is the student asking about the novel?
?
4. Re-read the claim. Does it respond directly to the question you identify above, or is there a disconnect? Explain and offer feedback to your partner.
5. From only the claim, what do you expect to be the main points of analysis in the main body of the paper? How will the argument develop? Make a brief, general outline below, and discuss with your partner if you’re not sure.
II. MAIN BODY PARAGRAPHS
Read the rest of the draft. As you read, place a PLUS SIGN ( + ) next to any part of the paper that you find effective or interesting for some reason. Place a QUESTION MARK
( ? ) next to any part of the paper that confuses you, raises a question for you, or is unclear for some reason. Once you are done reading the full draft, respond below.
1. Overall, does the argument proceed as you expected (in #5 above)? If not, why/how does it differ? Explain and discuss with your partner.
2. Pick one of the main body paragraphs that engages a Globalization essay and focus only on that paragraph for the following questions.
A. Do you feel that it effectively follows PED structure, introducing an argumentative sub-claim of the thesis, then providing evidence (a quote) early on in the paragraph, and focusing on discussion/analysis for the remainder of the paragraph? If you feel that it does not contain PED structure, comment to your partner.
B. What Globalization essay is engaged in this paragraph and what is its function in relation to the student’s argument? Is it providing an additional example that relates to experiences in García Girls? Is it providing background information or data/facts? Is it serving as a counterargument? If you are unsure, discuss with your partner.
C. Does the student quote from both the novel and from the Globalization essay in this paragraph? YES / NO If yes, do you feel like there’s a clear connection between the two passages? And, if so, what is that connection? Is it based on theme? Idea? Experience? Explain. If you are unsure of why the student is connecting the essay to the novel, discuss with your partner.
D. Consider the quotes from each text. Do you feel that they really help guide the analysis and/or can you think of another passage in either text that might connect to the same theme and be equally (or more) illuminating for the discussion? Brainstorm with your partner about other passages (particularly for the novel) that connect to the same theme.
E. Go back through the draft and consider your question marks (?) that you included while reading. What is the primary question that you have for your partner? What do you feel could be clarified or improved as the student continues on?
Handout-SamplePaper3IntroAndMB1.docx
WR098 Yoder / Fall 2015
Sample Paper 3 Introduction
Directions: Read the intro and divide it into the 5 parts. Note any difficulties that you have.
In his essay “A Mickey Mouse Approach to Globalization” Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom claims that it is superficial to equate globalization with Americanization because, in his experience, American products are endowed with new meaning when transplanted to different cultures (22). Even a food item as American as a cheeseburger, Wasserstrom asserts, can be experienced in a distinctly different way in another part of the world. In Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake, food figures prominently into narrative as Ashima and her new husband immigrate to America and struggle to maintain a connection to their Bengali roots. Their American-born children often illustrate the distance between their Indian past and their American present, and the parents frequently use food to reestablish their Bengali traditions. Yet, as time passes, Ashima and her son Gogol endure a relationship with food in America that complicates Wasserstrom’s view. In looking more closely at the bridge between food and culture, we can learn more about how even choices that seem trivial can reveal important insight into our process of engaging with the world around us. While Ashima and Gogol are often able to separate American culture from the products they are consuming, in line with Wasserstrom’s argument, their relationship to food over time suggests that the adaptation to America and its products is far more complex. For both characters, food consumption ultimately transforms their Bengali transitions, signifying that food is not only a link to old traditions but also an important factor in the Americanization of new generations.
TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR PARTNER:
1. Do you agree on the divisions of the introduction into its 5 parts? Any uncertainties?
(1) Hook > (2) Summary/Common Ground > (3) Problem/Question > (4) “So What?”/Larger Significance > (5) Claim/Response
2. Describe the function that Wasserstrom is serving in the intro. How does he connect to the student’s argument?
3. What would you say is the primary theme under analysis in this paper? What theme do both texts share (Wasserstrom’s essay and Lahiri’s novel)?
4. What is the implied question being asked about the novel in the problem statement?
5. Re-read the claim and then discuss how you expect the argument to develop throughout the main body paragraphs. What will be the first point of analysis? second? etc.
Sample First Main Body Paragraph
In the early chapters of The Namesake, Ashima frequently adapts American food products to suit the Bengali traditions. From the very first moment she moves to the United States, Ashima modifies American products to cater to her needs. While she is still pregnant with Gogol, she tries to replicate the snack from Calcutta she likes so much by using Rice Krispies cereal, peanuts, and chopped red onion from her local New York supermarket, but she only gets to a “humble approximation” (Lahiri 1). Similarly, Ashima teaches the other newly arrived Bengali wives how to make halwa from a very popular children’s hot cereal in America: Cream of Wheat. She fries the shrimp cutlets in sauce pans, and she and the other Bengalis drink tea with evaporated milk (Lahiri 38). Ashima does her best to adapt the American products to her Bengali dishes, giving them new meaning as Wasserstrom alludes to in his essay. Yet, while Mickey Mouse took on a whole new meaning for the Chinese while Wasserstrom was living in China in the 1980s, the Americanness of Rice Krispies and Cream of Wheat cannot be ignored for Ashima (Wasserstrom 23). In fact, having to adapt these American products to her Bengali traditions brings her much sorrow since nothing is quite as it used to be back in her own country: “But now, with a baby crying in her arms, her breasts swollen with milk, her body coated in sweat, her groin still so sore she can scarcely sit, it is all suddenly unbearable” (Lahiri 32). The opposition of the evaporated milk used to make the modified hawla and the natural mother’s milk in her breasts highlights Ashima’s conflict between the two cultures. The situation only makes her miss India even more. Ashima’s early attitude towards food seems to suggest that in fact, much unlike Wasserstrom claims, American products can Americanize other traditions, forcing them to adapt to American culture instead of the other way round. She is forced to adapt her traditions to what she owns and has no option but to Americanize them, making them lose some of the original quality to adapt to the American standards.
TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR PARTNER:
1. Re-read only the topic sentence. What character(s) will this paragraph focus on analyzing, and what will the student try to prove? Does this sub-claim connect to the student’s claim (refer back to the intro paragraph)?
2. How many texts are discussed in this paragraph, and which text receives the most attention?
3. What function does Wasserstrom serve for this paragraph? Consider the conversation that the student sets up between the two texts.
4. How many quotes are included in the paragraph? Do they come from one text or both texts? How well does the paragraph follow PED structure? Any improvements you would make?
Handout-Paper3PlanningWorksheet.docx
WR098 Yoder / Fall 2015
Paper 3: Argumentative Theme Synthesis
Planning Worksheet for Monday 11/16
I. Important information for understanding the objectives for Paper 3
For this paper assignment, the objective is to explore a theme and its significance to Alvarez’s novel How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, using 2 Globalization essays to add dimension and support to your argument. Therefore, the 2 Globalization essays should also meaningfully connect to your selected theme; you will expand upon those connections in your main body paragraphs as the essays help you to illustrate and prove your claim about the novel.
II. Paper 3 vs. Papers 1 & 2: A new genre of text, a new argumentative focus
Up until now, your papers have centered on non-fiction (essays); Paper 3 marks your first time creating an argumentative claim about a work of fiction (a novel). The primary distinction is that a novel concerns made-up, invented characters and situations, unlike your Globalization essays, which focused entirely on actual, documented human experiences. That said, fictional stories have their origins in real life (springing forth from an author’s own observations, thoughts, and experiences); as with all art forms, literature can serve to expand our thinking about important themes, relationships, events, and processes that reflect the world around us. Fiction can provide us with new (often complicated) ways of viewing the human experience. Your argument for Paper 3 will focus on your interpretation of the characters and events in the novel and what these experiences show you about the significant themes and issues we’ve been discussing all semester in connection to globalization.
III. Getting started on planning your paper
To begin planning your introduction (which will be due Weds, 11/18) and your first draft (which will be due the following week), you first need to figure out which individual theme you want to explore. Many themes eventually overlap and intersect (for example: sense of home and belonging also reflects on one’s identity)—those intersections are expected (and encouraged!) in your paper—but it is important as you plan your paper that you can narrow in on one specific theme to maintain your focus.
A. Below, jot down your top 2 theme choices, considering the chapters you’ve read so far and which theme(s) are standing out to you as being the most significant to the characters/story.
Theme preferences:
1.
2.
B. Now, refer back to the “Potential Questions to Explore” section on your Paper 3 assignment sheet, and re-read the 6 potential problems for you to explore in the novel. Select the two questions/topics that most concern your preferred themes above:
Question/Problem Selections from the Paper 3 Assignment Sheet:
1. Question #
2. Question #
C. Now, take some time to reflect on your theme, its role in the novel so far, and the potential questions/problems from the assignment sheet. Then, select the theme and question/problem that you tentatively want to explore and respond to for Paper 3.
Selected Theme to Explore and Analyze:
Selected Question/Problem Corresponding to Your Selected Theme:
D. Now, considering your theme and question/problem, select at least 3 Globalization essays that share the theme and which might help you to illustrate and support your argument about the García Girls. (For your paper, you will only need 2, but for now, consider 3 that may be useful and you can then narrow down to the 2 most useful later.) *Consider the various functions that the Globalization essays might serve in your paper as described in the “Tasks” section on your Paper 3 assignment sheet.
Globalization Essays That Share Your Selected Theme (give title or author):
Essay #1:
Essay #2:
Essay #3:
E. You will once again use the 5-part introduction structure for Paper 3. Unlike Paper 2, though, Paper 3 is asking you to focus your argument on just one text (the García Girls). The two Globalization essays will serve as secondary (supplemental) sources in your paper. Similar to Paper 2, however, I would like you to introduce a second text in your introduction paragraph: choose one Globalization essay that you can use as background information to establish the broader significance of your central theme as you move toward your claim by suggesting how the novel complicates those ideas, thus creating your problem/question. (We will discuss this more in class on Monday.) For now, which of the 3 essay selections in part D above do you think would be most useful to introduce as background information for your selected thematic focus in Paper 3?
Essay You Will Introduce in Your Intro to Set Up Your Theme:
F. Summarizing a novel is quite a different experience from summarizing an informative or argumentative essay, though you should of course still adhere to effective summary guidelines (introduce author/title/genre of text, remain objective, use present tense, etc.). You want to be strategic about what information you do/do not include in your summary, however. For example, if you know that your argument is going to focus only on Yolanda, then it’s not necessary to introduce her sisters by name. You also want to make sure that you’re emphasizing (albeit objectively) your theme in connection to the story line and main characters so that you are helping to set up your problem and claim.
Though you are not done reading the novel, you can still create a tentative brief summary (2-3 sentences) of the book with your current knowledge. Draft a summary here:
IV. Works Cited. Review the format for your essay citations on your Works Cited pages in Papers 1 & 2 and refer to RfW to establish the Works Cited citation for the novel. I’ve begun it for you:
