“The hardships Hilda Satt faced an immigrant in the 1890s have a familiar ring to them.”1

Small Writing Assignment #3 Introductions and Outlines

Due date: FRIDAY, February 12 by 11:55pm in BB

Point Value: 50 points

Instructions: For this small writing assignment, you will prepare a full introduction, with a thesis statement, using the topic prompt for Paper #1. You will use these introductions and outlines when constructing the final draft of Paper #1. You must use the standards for introductions used in SWA #2, and available on BB. This means your introduction needs to have 3 parts, and be 5-7 sentences long. The outline portion of this assignment may be in any format you wish. However, the more information you include, the more feedback your TA can give you. There are outline guides available on Blackboard, should you need assistance. Topic Prompt for Paper #1: “The hardships Hilda Satt faced an immigrant in the 1890s have a familiar ring to them.”1 “Hilda Satt, like every immigrant, had to shape a new identity that reconciled her homeland culture with her American experience.”2 Topic Question: How does Satt’s autobiography reflect the larger 19th century immigrant experience? As you formulate you answer, you may want to consider the following questions:

-What ‘push’/’pull’ factors attracted Satt and others to the United States? (i.e. What is driving them from their home nations/drawing them to the U.S.?) -How did her daily life change after moving to the U.S.? -What institutions in the United States did immigrants use to help them identify as Americans?

These are by no means the only points/themes you may include in your paper! There are a TON of different ways this document reflects the immigrant experience (as delineated in lectures, the textbook, and the assigned readings).

Sources you may use in this essay (you are NOT permitted to use outside souces): -Going to the Source, Chapter 4, “Immigrant to the Promised Land,” p. 78-99 - Fraser, Pearson Revel textbook - Dr. Cornelius’ Lectures -Daniel E. Bender, “The Perils of Degeneration: Reform, the Savage Immigrant, and the Survival of the Unfit,” Journal of Social History 42, no. 1 (Fall 2008): 5-29. SWA #3 Example: 1 Victoria Bissell Brown and Timothy J. Shannon, eds., Going to the Source: The Bedford Reader in 2 Ibid, 81.

Susie F. Student AMH2020/2042 Spring 2016

Dr. Cornelius TA: Joe Schmoe

SWA #3: Introduction and Outline for Paper #1

Introduction:

• Commercials are an accepted part of television entertainment. Events and

characters on The Jerry Springer Show are used to market specific products

advertised during the commercial breaks. To sell these valuable products,

however, the show encourages its audience, middle-class viewers, to fear an

unrealistic threat to their social values from the Springer Show’s so called

“guests.” These fears are reinforced by the middle-class studio audience, which

takes pleasure from separating itself from the actions and social class of the

‘guests.’ Logically, the show reinforces the values presented in most of the

advertisements. The Springer Show advances its commercial purpose, to sell

products, in an unethical and potentially damaging way.

Body Paragraphs/Structural Outline:

• Major Point 1/Body Paragraph #1: The Springer Show reinforces white, middle-

class, conservative, heteronormative values from the late-twentieth century,

creating a dichotomy between “normal” Americans and the “freaks” appearing

on the program.

o Evidence: The Jerry Springer Show portrays guests as social, and often

sexual, deviants from the mainstream American “norm” frequently

portrayed in the commercials aired during its broadcast.

§ Specific Examples from Commercials aired during the Show:

Campbell’s Soup commercial; Pampers commercial demonstrate

that “acceptable” behavior is traditional marriage, social, and

sexual patterns as set by white, middle-class, America

• Major Point 2/Body Paragraph #2: The Jerry Springer Show carefully controls its

use of strong emotional appeals to effectively persuade its audience to adopt the

producers' values.

o Evidence: Characters are either cheered or “booed” by the studio

audience when they walk on stage. For viewers at home, this audience

reaction seems spontaneous or ‘natural’, but of course the audience is in

fact reacting to cue cards, scripted by the producers.

§ Specific Examples from the Show: When Crishon walks out on

stage he is instantly ‘booed’, effectively setting him up as ‘the bad

guy’ before he has even spoken his piece. Later, the audience

cheers enthusiastically as they watch him physically attacked by

Taiwana. These audience reactions signal to viewers which

characters are ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ as well as what values are

acceptable or unacceptable.

• Major Point 3/Body Paragraph #3: The Springer Show’s methods perpetuate

stereotypes and hatred, which makes social acceptance for people like its guests

more difficult.

o Evidence: The racist, sexist, and heteronormative stereotypes presented

in the Springer Show are at the forefront of anti-equality and hate groups

throughout the country.

§ Specific Examples from the Show/the Groups: Both the Springer

Show and the Organization for Traditional Marriage portray the

LGBT community as dangerous and deviant; the Springer Show

and many conservative groups portray poor people are licentious

and irresponsible

Conclusion:

• Though widely regarded as a paragon of lower-class entertainment, the Jerry

Springer Show is actually designed to reinforce the values of the white,

heteronormative middle-class. A close examination of its contents and

commercials demonstrates how the show dangerously perpetuates racist,

sexist, and classist stereotypes. This is not an issue limited to talk shows, but

one that permeates all of television entertainment.