Article writing homework help. Essay Four: Responding to an Argument
In 1A so far, we have explored three genres of writing: memoir, oral history, and explaining a concept. We are now going to read Ta-Nehisi Coates’s book, Between the World and Me, which, in many ways combines these three genres to construct an argument about American history and the experience of being black in the United States. We can think of Between the World and Me as a long letter Coates has written to his adolescent son, sharing his own coming-of-age experiences, but also passing along knowledge in solidarity of what it means to be a black man in America. The last essay you write for this class will respond to Coates’s argument using evidence from the text and several outside sources.
The Writing Assignment: In Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates consistently refers to what he calls “the Dream.” What is the Dream, and who are the Dreamers, according to Coates? How does the Dream set itself in opposition to Coates, who describes his experience of life as an awareness and protection of the security of his body?
Write a 1,200-word essay that 1. clearly explains Coates’s argument and 2. responds to it. Your response can answer the following questions if you choose, or it can include your own argument. The questions below are here to guide you, but don’t let them limit you. If you’d like to construct your own thesis in response to Coates, please do.
How do our different bodies affect our experiences of living in America? How does your lived experience compare with Coates’s? Why do you think Coates wants “Dreamers” to read this letter to his son?
Additional Requirements:
- Your essay must incorporate at least two credible sources outside of the primary text (Between the World and Me). However, I encourage you to use as much evidence as possible from the primary text! Try to find passages from Coates’s book that support your argument.
- The last page of your essay must be a Works Cited page, in proper MLA format. Please consult the SMG or the Purdue OWL website for guidance:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/
Note: Your works cited is not part of the word count!
- Your essay must be in 12 pt. font, double spaced, Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins.
Grading Breakdown:
- Essay 4 total value: 400 points
