Short Paper #2

Due: Thursday, February 11

REQUIREMENTS

Each paper should be 3-4 pages long, double spaced in Times 12 point font with standard spacing and margins, and turned in on paper at the beginning of class on Thursday, January 28. Students should follow MLA guidelines on the formatting of their paper and in their citation methods. Papers will be evaluated according to the following criteria, although +/- grades may be present in order to indicate the relative strength of the work within these general categories.

A: This paper addresses the question in a manner that demonstrates a comprehension of the assignment as well as the social and political contexts discussed in class. The thesis is clear and concise, allowing the argument to develop in a structured manner. Additionally, the paper is original as it provides a unique perspective. All MLA guidelines are correct and there are minimal technical problems.

B: This paper completes the basic requirements of the assignment, follows MLA guidelines, and is generally clear and concise. It does, however, need to improve in one or a few of the following areas: organization, argument development, or mechanics.

C: This paper answers the question of the assignment, but lacks useful citation from the primary text and contains an underdeveloped thesis statement. MLA citations may be incorrect, and/or other technical problems may be present.

D: This paper does not complete the requirements of the assignment.

TOPIC CHOICES

1. Create an argument on why Gwendolyn Brooks used the rhyme scheme she did in "the mother" on page 4 of Selected Poems.

2. How does "The Last Quatrain of the Ballad of Emmett Till" revise your understanding of "A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile, a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon?"

3. Compare or contrast the depiction of motherhood in Gwendolyn Brooks' "the mother" with Audre Lorde's "Now That I am Forever With Child" from your packet.

4. Why does the protagonist of "poem at thirty" by Sonia Sanchez write "I am not afraid of the night?"

5. How does Gwendolyn Brooks depict the husband in "A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon?" How does this depiction jar with the wife's desire to see him as a hero?