ALL OF THE
QUESTIONS REQUIRE THAT YOU REFER TO
THESE FOUR TEXTS:
=Sherman Alexie, “Superman and
Me”
=Isabel Allende, “Reading the
History of the World”
=the “Transcript” of the
interview between Michiko Kakutani and President Barack Obama
=Alison Bechdel, Fun Home
I expect a QUOTE from each text.
Make sure to use the formats we have reviewed! Please write an essay—not a
list. As always, please do more than just list examples and then stop—I expect
a patient and challenging conclusion to the essay.
Please do NOT refer to any
outside sources or to our other readings, such as The Great Gatsby.
There are THREE questions. Choose
ONE. Please do not copy the question—just indicate the letter of your choice.
QUESTIONS:
A) In all of these texts, these
writers speak of how reading allowed them to claim their identity, to raise
their voice, to see their world more clearly, to find the words they had been
unable to say. Refer to a specific example of this process from each
of the texts. Which readings
(or types of readings) are mentioned? What sort of effects did these readings
have on the people reading them? What might be significant about the choices
they made or the reactions they had?
B) In all of these texts, these
writers speak of reading and writing as a social process, one that
deeply involves their families. Refer to a specific example of this process
from each of the texts. Which readings are chosen and shared? Who shares
them with whom? Why and how might these exchanges of texts and ideas matter?
C) In all of these readings, the
writers recall that they were very curious about a range of different texts. In
what ways were they influenced by “classic literature” and in what ways did
they also search for inspiration in texts that might not be considered
“literature?” Refer to a specific example of this process from each of the texts. Which
readings (or types of readings) are mentioned? What sort of readings seem to
have the most profound effects on each author? What might be significant about
the types of readings that they chose and considered most influential?
It is worth 8
points (all-or-nothing). It needs to be emailed in a Word file (or just
“pasted” into an email), by NOON on Thursday, June 10th.
To get 8 points,
you need to:
—Write at least 600
words.
—Refer to ALL four
texts.
—Refer to specific
and relevant statements. Please include a quote from EACH of the texts, and
when you “quote,” follow the formats we’ve reviewed.
—Do more than write
a “list” of references. What MATTERS about the statements and texts you chose?
One more key
thing>>
Unlike all of our previous assignments, this one will NOT
feature the option of sending me a “draft”—you have two weeks to do this, SO
GET IT RIGHT!
