Assignment: Prompts for Final Examination
Write an outline for each of the following essay prompts. You will not know which prompt you will be responding to until the day of the exam. Be sure that your outline addresses all aspects of the question, and includes concrete examples and quotes from the text; essays that do not fully address the prompt and/or do not include examples from the texts (with proper citations) will not receive a passing grade.
(A) Critical Analysis
Authors often employ a variety of rhetorical modes in order to emphasize their arguments, however there is usually one tactic they rely most heavily upon, be it logos, pathos, or ethos.
Write an essay evaluating which rhetorical mode Arielle Bernstein uses most effectively in her article "Marie Kondo and the Privilege of Clutter", and compare its efficacy with another author who employs the same rhetorical mode.
(B) Comparison/Contrast
In Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates discusses the notion of the "Dream" and how this construct works to oppress and alienate minorities, particularly African Americans.
Using concrete examples from Coates' description of the Dream, write an essay comparing or contrasting the role of the Dream in Between the World and Me with two other texts we have read this semester.
Consider how the Dream is used as a tool for alienating and "othering" individuals, and be sure to explore whether the characters in each text are victims or perpetrators of the Dream.
(C) Argumentative
We have discussed a variety of characters this semester who could be described as possessing solipsistic qualities and perspectives. Some characters thrive as a result of this self-contained view of the world; others suffer.
Write an essay analyzing how a solipsistic outlook can either help or hinder the trajectory of one's life, using examples from at least two of the texts we have read.