Essay One on Malcolm X’s “Black Revolution,” Stokely Carmichael’s 1966 “Black Power,” and Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
This essay will require you to do a comparative analysis of two or more of our texts for this unit: Malcolm X’s 1964 “Black Revolution,” Stokely Carmichael’s 1966 “Black Power” Speech, and Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Although a superficial reading of these texts would suggest that our writers are sometimes opposed in their assumptions, positions, and solutions, it is important to recognize that each shares important similarities in their perception of the racial tension that dominates American life and their criticisms of the white moderate, and that each’s position evolved over time, taking on characteristics of the others.
To what extent should our authors be understood as opposed, and to what extent should they be understood as similar? Your essay should explore one or more common themes in each text and develop an argument based on your analysis. In most cases, it is better to focus on only one common theme (i.e. each’s opinion of white moderates) rather than cover several things superficially. Our class discussions should help you to focus on a theme that interests you. To make a strong case, you will need to carefully qualify your interpretation to be sure that it accurately reflects the relationship between these texts.
Close analysis of specific, related quotations should form the foundation of your argument. This should include a detailed consideration of the actual language of our texts, their assumptions, their evidence, and their rhetorical strategies.
Essays should be 1250 words in length and formatted in MLA format.
Rubric:
Your thesis statement should be a demonstrable assertion that is supported by the essay as a whole. The thesis should be an inference, not a statement of fact. It should also do more than designate a topic to be explored in the essay. It should not be an unanswered question. The thesis is what you will demonstrate through close analysis in the essay.
Your topic sentences should be demonstrable assertions that are supported by the analysis in your paragraph. Like the thesis, a topic sentence is an inference or argument, not a statement of fact or question. An effective topic sentence should contribute to the demonstration or defense of an aspect of your thesis. This may include anticipating and refuting a potential objection to the argument of your paper.
No essay will be effective without carefully selected textual evidence. It should be evident from your use of quotes that you have mastered the text under consideration and chosen relevant quotes to support your argument. These quotes should be clearly focused and consciously chosen. Obviously relevant textual evidence that is neglected in your essay will make it appear that your choices were not the product of a mastery of the text under consideration.
Your commentary should demonstrate and defend your interpretation of the evidence in your essay. It isn’t enough to imply how your using evidence. You should defend your interpretation and elaborate on your understanding of details. You should also make an effort to create a dialogue with your reader to fully explore your evidence and the implications of it. Summarizing is usually not effective in commentary. Elaboration, explanation, and application are required to effectively demonstrate your claims.
Being able to express your ideas clearly is crucial to effective writing. While this criterion is worth 15 points, I reserve the right to deduct points for grammar up to 100% of the essay if grammar or stylistic flaws make your essay difficult to follow. Your writing should be free of grammar errors and should make use of sentence variety. It should also be clear and efficient, not unnecessarily complex. Your prose should be reader friendly, and complexity should be justified by necessity in conveying your ideas. Choosing the right word is more effective than complicated sentence structures.