The Norton Anthology of African American Literature Book

For your second formal essay, please chose and respond to one of the following prompts: 1. Write an essay that analyzes the represented strain of characters’ obligation to the (African American) race and obligation to their own personal fulfillment in literature from weeks 8-13 of class, from Passing through A Raisin in the Sun (though you could draw upon Wells’, Washington’s, and/or Du Bois’ work—from Weeks 6 & 7—for historical information and context). Your essay should be guided by a clearly identifiable thesis that organizes and blueprints your argument for your reader(s). In formulating your argument, you may wish to focus on one of the longer prose works, like Passing or “Sonny’s Blues”; or, you could draw upon a number of texts in a comparative analysis. In any event, the essay should incorporate the structure for sound academic writing we have discussed as a class. 2. Write an essay that analyzes the representation of the effect of housing discrimination (against African Americans) on characters’ behavior and viewpoints in literature from weeks 8-13 of class, from Passing through A Raisin in the Sun (though you could draw upon Wells’, Washington’s, and/or Du Bois’ work—from Weeks 6 & 7—for historical information and context). Your essay should be guided by a clearly identifiable thesis that organizes and blueprints your argument for your reader(s). In formulating your argument, you may wish to focus on one of the longer prose works, like “Sonny’s Blues” or A Raisin in the Sun; or, you could draw upon a number of texts in a comparative analysis. In any event, the essay should incorporate the structure for sound academic writing we have discussed in class. Format Requirements Your essay should be 3-4 pages in length (at least 3 full pages, but no more than 4), typed, double-spaced, contain standard 1-inch margins, appear in 12-point font, and adhere to the current requirements for the MLA form of citation. A Note about Research and Incorporating Outside Sources This essay requires no outside research. Instead, you are to craft a text-based essay relating to any of the literature we have read and discussed as a class in weeks 8-13.

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