Final Essay

Final Essay

In the beginning of the semester you were asked to write an essay on reading and writing. In order to self-assess how far you have come, you will take this essay and reshape it into a new and improved version of the essay. Your first essay will serve as your first draft; you may need to make substantive changes to content as you have surely come a long way since then.

Write a 5-paragraph essay discussing your thoughts feelings and experiences regarding reading and writing so far.

My Sorority Pledge? I Swore Off Sisterhood

Based on the NY Times Article, My Sorority Pledge? I Swore Off Sisterhood, answer the following questions. I'd like you to consider the implications of what the author has written in her essay. Some of your responses will require you to make inferences based on logic and the actual text.

Respond to each question fully and then respond to two of your peers posts for a total of 8 posts.

1. What comparison does the author make about the female and male responses to her unwilling participation in the "ledge party?"
   
2. If you had to choose which side is more "right" than the other?
   
3. What is the author's reason for not reporting this crime either to the police or her school authorities?
   
4. Would treating the incident as a crime have been helpful in healing the pain she experienced as a victim?
   
5. How might reporting the incident have impacted her situation as someone who was ostracized in the sorority and on campus? How does the author's self-image change in the wake of this incident?
6. Why does the author choose to avoid the word "rape" in her essay? How might it affect her essay and you the reader if she chose to include it in her writing? How has this incident impacted the author's life? (Hint: You may find it useful to research the terms "date rape" or "acquaintance rape" in order to get a more rounded perspective on the topic.)
   

Reading Schedule: A Virtuous Woman

• November 13th to page 43
• November 20th to page 93
• December 4th to page 138
• December 11th to page 165
  
  Please formulate two substantive questions for our classroom discussion for each reading. These should be typed and ready for submission..

Essay: Night

Basic English 2
Essay 2: Night


First Draft Due Tuesday November 18th
Second Draft Due: November 25th
Third Draft Due November 9th


In a well-developed five paragraph essay, discuss dehumanization in the novel, Night. Your essay should include at least three specific examples of events that occurred which dehumanized Eliezer, his father, or his fellow Jews.

The essay should be comprised of a thoughtful analysis of the example, and not merely a retelling of the scene or incident that considers the significance of the example. You should also consider what effect this has upon the Jews such as how it impacts their mental state, interactions with one another and their self-concept, as well as how it may influence non-Jews to treat them.

Online discussion: Night

Consider the following from on online source:

"Convincing an average citizen to commit a violent act or to murder a fellow human being is extremely difficult. Our moral code tells us that such acts are immoral and indefensible. However, through the skillful use of dehumanization, leaders throughout history have succeeded in doing just that. Once the enemy has been stripped of humanity and becomes an object worthy of punishment, the idea of mistreating or even destroying this threat becomes morally justifiable." (from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-dehumanization.htm on November 6, 2008)

Discuss at least three specific examples of events that occurred which dehumanized Eliezer, his father, or his fellow Jews.
In your response you should also consider what effect this has upon the Jews such as how it impacts their mental state, interactions with one another and their self-concept, as well as how it may influence non-Jews to treat them.

Posts should be 7-10 sentences each.
For further reading on dehumanization you may consider online sources on the topic such as Wikipedia to inform your opinions.

For Some, Uncertainty Starts at Racial Identity/In Generation Seen as Colorblind, Black Is Yet a Factor

I continue to be impressed with this class and the critical thinking skills you've been building since we first met in September. Tonight we're going to change this up a little bit. You will be discussing sentiments expressed by citizens about race and the upcoming presidential election. You will be making inferences about the ideology of the people interviewed in these articles based both on the text and on your own logic.


Answer each bulleted prompt and then respond to two of your peers' comments. This is a total of 10 posts of 5-7 sentences each. There should be enough time to finish the assignment in class, but the remainder may be completed as homework if you run short on time.


In Generation Seen as Colorblind, Black Is Yet a Factor

• What is significance of the sentiments about Senator Obama being expressed on a college campus?
• What does the following excerpt from the article indicate to you about the culture on the campus of the University of Kentucky:

“I might have heard something like that,” he said.

Asked if what he had heard was hard to talk about, Mr. Osborne stopped talking altogether and simply nodded, looking miserable.

• Pick out one significant quote or point of interest from the article and discuss it in a post.
  

For Some, Uncertainty Starts at Racial Identity

• How might the interviewees referencing the Bible in his statement relate to their ideology
• How does this impact your evaluation of their statements?
• Looking at Mr. Reynold's statements on race, provide an analysis:

“I would think of him as I would of another of mixed race,” said Glenn Reynolds, 74, a retired textile worker in Martinsville, Va., and a former supervisor at a Goodyear plant. “God taught the children of Israel not to intermarry. You should be proud of what you are, and not intermarry.”

Mr. Reynolds, standing outside a Kroger grocery store, described Mr. Obama as a “real charismatic person, in that he’s the type of person you can’t really hate, but you don’t really trust.”

• Based on the first part of the statement, how believable is the second part? Explain.
  
• Pick out one significant quote or point of interest from the article and discuss it in a post.

What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage

Please address all of the questions below in separate posts of 5-7 sentences each. In addition you will be responding to two of your peers' comments as well for a total of 6 posts.




NY Times Article: What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage

We are often required to use our experience as a guide for how we must act in any given situation. Sometimes when we are not sure how to act, we interpret cues about what is acceptable or unacceptable based on the reactions we get from others.

1. How do people telegraph the treatment they expect from others?


2. Is there a difference between telling someone what you expect of their behavior and showing them by training them. Explain.


3. Is training a spouse acceptable behavior in a relationship? Explain.


4. The author makes a comparison of training husbands to the animal world. Does this implication reflect her feelings toward him in any way? Use parts of the text to support your rationale.