Texts
The link to all texts can be found under Modules.
“How to Tame A Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua
“Leave Your Name at the Border” by Manuel Munoz
“Invisibility Is An Unnatural Disaster: Reflections of An Asian-American Woman” by Mitsuye Yamad
Requirements
This essay will be approximately 2 pages, and any essays that do not meet the requirement will lose points. Create a properly formatted works cited page, and correctly use in-text citations.
Writing Task
Our textbook states in Chapter 5, “Once we’ve assessed the quality of another person’s argument, there is an opportunity to take our reflection a step further.” For this midterm, you will be doing just that. Pick one text from this unit, and write a response that takes the author’s argument a step further. Some strategies for crafting a response include:
Add to the sense of urgency about the argument with our own explanation for why it matters.
Recommend ways to draw attention to the issue.
Suggest that the argument has implications even beyond what the writer discusses.
Remove limitations on the argument to make a broader claim.
Argue that the argument’s claim points us toward a particular course of action.
Call for clarification, more support or inquiry, or a middle ground on the topic.
Tips
Reading Chapters 5 and 7 from How Arguments Work will be crucial to your success.
Use quotes correctly (review LECTURE: Paraphrasing and Using Quotes and Chapter 7.7).
Even though you are stating your opinion, do not use first person.
Suggested Outline
Introduction. See Chapter 7.1 for tips on writing a conclusion.
A good thesis will craft a clear response to the author’s argument and present a rationale for your response. You may use the template below:
[Author] argues/clarifies/points out [author’s argument], and/but/so [your response] because [rationale].
EXAMPLE: Mitsuye Yamada points out that silence is extremely harmful for minorities, and this argument must be addressed in schools today because discrimination runs rampant.
Body #1: Summarize the author’s argument in detail
Body #2: Create your response that takes their point a step further
Conclusion. See Chapter 7.8 for tips on writing a conclusion.