American Identity Unit: Essay



Native Americans and American Identity: In Class Essay

Focus: Persuasion. If you have met the level 5 standard for persuasion, you may write a cause and effect, compare and contrast, or literary analysis.

Process: You will follow the writing process, and write the essay in class. Follow each of the following steps:

1. Gather Information

2. Determine your position

3. Organize your information

4. Draft

5. Check your work

6. Edit and revise

*You must show me your thesis statement and pre-write before beginning to work on the essay.

Date: The essay will be written during class time on Tuesday, November 22. Submit to at the end of 2nd period.

Grading: 100 points in formal assessments. Revision required. You will receive no credit for this assignment if you fail to revise after receiving teacher feedback.

Format:

• 2-3 Pages. At least six paragraphs (five for LA or C/E).

• Double-spaced, normal margins, size 11 or 12 formal academic font.

• MLA format.

• Third person only. No “I” or “You.”

• Don’t talk about the essay: No “This essay will show…”

• Use evidence from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

• You may also use other class materials:

o “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes

o “Sorry for Not Being a Stereotype”

o “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora

o “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan

o “Mi Problema” by Michelle Seros

o “30 Days: Life on a Reservation”

o History Project Research

o Mascot Articles: posted on my website with more pro and con articles

Persuasive Prompts

(The purpose of a persuasive essay is to convince you audience to think or feel a certain way. It contains arguments, examples, and refutes counter arguments)

• *Numerous school districts around the nation have banned the use of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in their schools. Argue in favor or against banning the book for use in high school classes. Consider the appropriateness of the book for high school students as well as its value to students’ learning. What valuable themes or lessons can students gain from this book? Do these outweigh the problems of any inappropriate content?

• *Many readers would call The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian a story about a Native American teen. Persuade your reader that the novel’s themes are more universal. What ideas about identity, expectations, humanity, etc. could apply to any American, any teen, or anyone? Establish that some readers will pigeonhole the book.

• CHALLENGE: Do Americans truly value and respect diversity, or are there specific or narrow expectations of what it means to be American that exclude or marginalize some citizens of our nation?

Persuasive Essay Structure

• Introduction (General to specific—bridge between audience and your essay topic)

o Frame the Issue

▪ Briefly introduce the book.

▪ Explain that it has been banned.

o Thesis Statement:

▪ State your position

▪ Provide direction for your essay (How will your essay support your position?)

• Body Paragraphs: 3 paragraphs with one specific argument in each.

o Arguable topic sentence.

o Evidence that supports this statement.

▪ Evidence from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Direct quotes or paraphrases with page numbers cited)

▪ You may use other class materials if they support your argument.

o Analysis / Commentary

▪ Explain how the evidence you’ve presented supports the argument in your topic sentence.

▪ Connect this sub-argument back to your overall thesis.

• Antithesis / Refute Paragraph

o State and Refute (explain why it is wrong) the strongest opposing argument.

o New Evidence

o Analysis / Commentary

• Conclusion (Specific to general—bridge from your topic back to reader)

o Restate your thesis statement in a new way. DO NOT start with “In conclusion…”

o Leave the reader with something to think about.

Cause and Effect Prompts:

(The purpose of a C/E essay is to help your reader understand the relationship between an event and its causes and / or its effects. A good C/E effect essay will not only make this relationship apparent, it will also explain why this is important / significant.)

• How has history shaped the present state of Native Americans that we see in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

• *In the novel, the negative effects of alcoholism on reservation life are clear. Causes of this alcoholism are less obvious, but we can infer some likely causes. Analyze how Alexie infers the causes of alcoholism on reservations in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

• *In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, how does Sherman Alexie demonstrate the negative effects of stereotyping? What is the message?

Literary Analysis Prompts:

(The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to interpret and speculate on author’s intention. It looks for patterns in several passages that give insight into the author’s style or themes.)

• Any prompt above with an asterisk (*) if specifically directed at analyzing the book.

• Sherman Alexie has said that he would like to pass on to his children “the magic and the beauty, but not so much of the pain” of his childhood experiences. Has he successfully done this with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian? Support with specific passages from the book.

• What does the complex friendship of Junior and Rowdy show about the nature of friendship?

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