girl named maria ” H u m a n i t i e s

girl named maria ” H u m a n i t i e s

Prompt:

  • In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus states that “… it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird” (119). For your Midterm Essay, you are to answers two parts:
    • first, define what a Mockingbird means in this context;
    • second, choose a character from To Kill a Mockingbird, a character from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and any characters from any of the ISM readings from your Week 5 Compare/Contrast Essay who represent the innocence of mockingbirds.
    • You only need TWO mockingbirds. They can come from both novels, the articles, or a combination of a novel and an article.
  • You are to state why they are Mockingbirds. You must use the context from the novels/articles to support this. There have to be reasons in the books/articles why you chose these two characters.
  • How are the two mockingbirds similar and/or different? Be sure to cover this in the thesis.
  • You need at least one in-text citation from each of the readings to further support your claim/your stance for your characters. You need at least four in-text citations. Refer to the Requirements.

Possible Essay Format:

  • (You do not have to follow this format, though.)
  • .Introductory Paragraph
    • Introduce the characters.
    • Define what a mockingbird is according to Lee’s novel.
    • A thesis that clearly states what the essay is about.
  • Body par. #1
    • Topic sentence
    • Support for the first mockingbird
      • Be sure that you support and give enough context so that someone who has not read the novel/article will be able to understand why you chose this person as a mockingbird.
  • Body par. #2
    • Topic sentence
    • Support for the second mockingbird
      • Same as above
  • Body par. #3
    • Topic sentence
    • How are these mockingbirds different/similar?
  • Conclusion par.
  • Works Cited page.
    • Be sure that this is on its own page.
    • It does not go directly after the essay is completed.

Requirements:

  • Due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 18.
  • The essay should contain at least 1000 words. This does not include the words from the Works Cited page.
  • Remember to include at least one in-text citation for each of the characters. There must be a total of four in-text citations. They must come from at least two different sources.
  • Use the back of the Patterns book, Purdue Owl, or email me if you have any questions regarding MLA.
  • At the bottom of your initial thread, include your Works Cited.
  • I will also be looking at grammar/mechanics very closely, so you may want to have someone edit your post before submitting it. For the remainder of the semester, all writing will be expected to be at a higher level.

Readings:

  1. Brent Staples, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” from Patterns on pages 240-243.
  2. Deborah L. Rhode, “Why Looks Are the Last Bastion of Discrimination” from Patterns on pages 246-250.
  3. Judith Ortiz Cofer, “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria” from Patterns on pages 230-235.
  4. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.
  5. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.