Essay Assignment #2 – Illustration
In his essay “Just Walk On
By” (pp. 211-3), Brent Staples uses specific examples from his personal experience to illustrate how, as a young black man, he was misperceived as
dangerous, threatening, and even criminal. He also uses examples to illustrate
how he alters his behavior to appear less threatening to others in public
spaces.
Write
an illustration (example) essay on one of the following topics.
(1) Discuss how you have been misperceived based on your
appearance.
(2) Discuss how you have altered your behavior in public
to affect how others perceived you.
(3) Discuss how a specific group is portrayed in
commercials, in print advertisements, in video games, in movies, or on
television. If you choose this topic, be sure to examine the portrayal of a very specific group. Groups such as
“black people,” “women,” or “white kids” are too broadly defined. Choose something more specific, such as
light-skinned black women or young women with tattoos and piercings or Latino
professional men.
Guidelines
- Your final draft
should be at least two full pages long and have at least five paragraphs.
- Your essay should
contain an explicit thesis
statement that expresses the point you are trying to prove in your
essay.
- Your thesis statement
should be supported by evidence
in the form of specific, concrete
examples from your personal experience or personal observation.
- You may use the
first-person voice (but you don’t have to).
- Please title your essay!
Due dates
__________Thesis statement + three examples (see sample
below)
__________ First draft (typed or
handwritten – please double-space!) __________ Emall final
draft and bring printed version to class
SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENT + THREE EXAMPLES:
Thesis: In contrast to stereotypical portrayal of homosexuals, the
gay characters in the HBO television series The
Wire are depicted as powerful and dynamic.
Example
1: Omar – openly gay “stick-up
boy,” the most feared man on the streets
Example 2: Kima –lesbian detective, respected for her strength and
integrity
Example 3: Major Rawls – an unsympathetic character: ruthless, ambitious,
highly competent “closeted” gay man
No comments:
Post a Comment