ENG 360 Paper 1 argument: Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah
Basic requirements:
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12pt Times New Roman font
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3 FULL pages (not including your name/class “ENG 360”) on the top or Works Cited)
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Works Cited (MLA)
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Numbered pages
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STRUCTURING YOUR INTRO/ARGUMENT PARAGRAPH (in general, for all papers)
Remember, an argument is not a summary or a review of the novel/short stories
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INTRO PARAGRAPH
In order to make a claim or argument, you need to have a clear:
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WHAT – what is the specific point or issue or thing (characters, recurring tropes we’ve identified) are you focusing on? What exactly do you want to communicate to readers about the story?
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WHY is this significant/ why tell readers about this? (ie. it’s not something obvious, or self-evident in the text).
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PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE
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Each paragraph is a unit of logic
Each para begins with a sentence that announces the point you want to address (make sure you connect this paragraph “mini thesis to the main argument of the paper)
rest of para is proof to back up your mini thesis -
Para 2: Next para: same
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In paragraphs, provide proof/evidence (from primary text and secondary texts like peer-reviewed articles, interviews).
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2. NOW LET’S FOCUS ON CONSTRUCTING YOUR INTRO PARA + ARGUMENT
Thread together the following ideas to construct an argument:
WHAT:
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The broader idea: Begin with reference to how each character is stuck in larger systems of power – patriarchy, class, white supremacy (in varying degrees), the state (which often enters the immigrant characters’ lives by way of visa regimes/requirements).
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Narrow the broader idea to what you want to focus on, to illustrate what happens to a specific set of characters: Some characters are looking to live / survive / maintain power within those structures (perhaps accepting the violent conditions, not knowing how to escape them, or not even imagining “escape” as an option), while others seem to be (very messily!) trying to step out/away from these structures, knowing how damaging they are… or simply realising that they cannot survive or feel comfortable within these structures (even if they are benefitting in some way).
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(It would be a good idea to identify who seems to be trying to navigate existing power structures, no matter how damaging they are, rather than attempting to change them. Also identify: who seems so profoundly damaged/uncomfortable that they begin to be critical… eventually wanting to change the accepted norms within powerful structures)
WHY:
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A few (two?) characters seem to be looking for total liberation, but of course, there is a price to pay for that. That is, Adichie’s characters realise that if they exercise agency/power/ability to decide, and direct your life according to what you desire/find ethical (what happens)? What does this tell us? WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO NOTICE? WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?
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(In this discussion about powerful structures that govern us, we may also need to refer to “agency” – the individual’s ability to choose, decide, turn away or towards something. How much agency does one have, if the structures (social, economic, political) are so powerful that few options are available outside of what is “acceptable”? What if the supposed “choices” come with violence/destitution… is that really a choice, or a decision one has to make between one type of violent result and another?).
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HOW DO SYSTEMS THAT GOVERN US ACTIVELY/LESS OBVIOUSLY DISCOURAGE OR PREVENT US FROM EXERCISING OUR WILL? What effects does it have on the characters? Why is it important to notice – what does this show us?
BODY PARAGRAPHS:
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Use the character/s you identified to show how they operate/how they navigate existing power structures. What is their way of dealing with X? Do they adjust/work within… seemingly undamaged?
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What happens when they run into a wall – that is, they cannot work within the system? WHY CAN’T THEY? WHAT STOPS THEM? What do they then do/what happens? (Dissociation, breakdown of mental health; profound isolation and despair). How do they deal with that/what gets them out (if at all)?
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Oooh interesting thought: Uju seems to navigate all systems “within the system, somehow; it may have effects, but her whole attitude seems to be
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All the notes you’ve added below are great clues/ideas… but they need to be focused, and reshaped into questions (see above plan for shaping arguments):
please include What and why as demonstrated below
Also please relate paper to the what described below
WHAT: As an immigrant from Nigeria Ifemelu comes to America to continue her education. Due to her scholarship not coming through Ifemelu faces extreme hardships. She is unable to make rent payments which leads her to leads her to finding multiple different jobs.
WHY: