This is what will be on the third section of the midterm, except only two of these three essays will be present for you to choose from.
Essay Questions
Choose one of the following two questions and write an insightful, cohesive essay in response to each. Be sure to have a clear thesis and support it with specific textual examples and careful analysis (61 points).
- What are the conditions for good reading? In addition to the basic skills of literacy, we’ve read authors that portray reading in a variety of ways and oriented toward a variety of ends. Make a claim about the proper methods and ends of reading that draws on at least three different authors.
- Several of the authors we’ve read draw parallels between the treatment of different minorities, such as Native Americans, African Americans, women, and even the land. Make an argument about the means these authors (include at least two) imagine that might foster justice and harmony.
- What are the major features that define a conversion narrative, and how do the authors we’ve read this semester harmonize different rhetorical purposes in crafting their versions of this genre? Begin by defining the genre of conversion narrative and then draw on at least three examples to argue which one wields this genre to the most redemptive effect.