If I Were ????? Assignment (50 points)

Historical fiction can be very interesting because it places fictional characters in actual historical settings. Your assignment is to write a typed, double-spaced biographical account of yourself in the role, location and occupation of the person you have chosen below, on the date indicated. The essential elements of the assignment are to describe your character and place him/her as fully as possible in historical context. If, for example, you were an Aztec noble in 1519, you would describe the nature of the life of an Aztec noble and your role in the invasion of Cortes. You are invited to create a name and age for yourself. You must adequately describe yourself and your relationship with the events and circumstances taking place that day. You will be graded on how thoroughly you do this. Your paper should be at least two full pages with a one-inch margin and twelve point Times New Roman font; you are also required to submit works cited that include at least one source other than your textbook. You will need to research and find out what you may have experienced in that location during that time. Remember, this is historical fiction, so be as creative as you want.

Choose one of the following for this assignment.

If I Were:

– An African American former slave in Alabama in the late 1860s.

– A Native American of the northern Great Plains in the 1870s.

– A European immigrant working in a factory in New York in 1880.

Grading Rubric

Correct Length and Format 8 points
Correct Number of Sources and Citation 8 points
Correct English Usage, Spelling and Grammar 8 points
Correct/Thorough Description of Event 26 points
50 points total

photographs on the Library of Congress online catalog . Write a brief reflection (at least 1 paragraph) in response to the photos , maybe addressing any of the following:

• Why you chose it;
• What attracts you to it;
• What questions does the image bring up;
• What would you say to the people in it;
• Any visceral response you have to it;
• Et cetera…

Include the photographs in the document. 1 reflection per photo (3 photos, 3 reflections).

Based on your 3 chosen photographs:

• Further investigate why you were drawn to them. You should understand their original context and content. Do your research!
• For each photograph, find 3 other images to pair with them:
  Ask yourself how the meaning of the original photograph changes when paired with each new image. What different stories can you tell when you juxtapose a different image? Which story is most compelling? What story do you want to tell???

#2 Read this ARTICLE. Reflect upon our discussion of the myth & cult of the artist, and the new ideas brought forth in this article. A few q’s to consider:

How do/did you think about artists?

Do you agree with the idea of “artistic genius” or the connection (necessity?) between creativity & madness?

Reflect upon some aspect of the article: agreeing, disagreeing or questioning.

critical analysis : Watch this video (maybe multiple times.) Find your chosen art pieces and describe their usage in the video. Discuss the context of the following: overall imagery, lyrics, contrasting imagery, choreography, costume, etc. Go back to the questions from the beginning of the semester (see photo attached) and discuss the video and artworks with analysis & evaluation guiding questions.

MAIN POST (NOT THE ASSIGNMENT) JUST THE VERBIAGE ON WHAT THE INTITIAL RESPONSE IS ABOUT

For this discussion, choose one of the following two readings:

• Option 1 – Elbow, P. (2014). Freewriting. In G.H. Muller (Ed.), The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines pp. 105-108. New York. NY: McGraw-Hill.
  • p. 108, “Writing,” Question 4: Writing an Argument: Write [a response] in which you support or discourage the act of freewriting.
  • Be sure to quote and cite Elbow when writing your response.
• Option 2 – Martin, S. (2014) Writing is easy. In G.H. Muller (Ed.), The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines pp. 114-117. New York. NY: McGraw-Hill.
  • p. 117, “Writing,” Question 3: Writing an Argument: Argue for or against the proposition that one must find the ideal place (“Location, Location, Location,” as Martin calls it) in order to write effectively.
  • Be sure to quote and cite Martin when writing your response.

First, read the article carefully. Answer the question associated with the reading. (100+ words)

Second, after answering the selected question, identify what the prompt was asking of you as a writer. Using the video above, identify what the best rhetorical mode would be to respond to the prompt. Support your ideas with direct support from each reading. Recall that direct support means using a quote. The quote should be integrated into your own ideas. An example can be found here. Make sure that you provide a proper citation. (100+ words)

Third, we want you to do more than just answer a question. Think about what the author is suggesting you do in your writing. How will you apply these ideas to your own writing process? Give concrete and specific examples. (100+ words)

This is the third discussion assignment worth eight points. You are to read Chapter 7 in the text, the Indian lecture. Then you choose ONE Indian leader from the following: Pontiac, Tecumseh, Chief Joseph, and Red Cloud. You are then to view the video on your chosen leader and also read the follow websites on your chosen leader: Pontiac: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Pontiac (Links to an external site.)and http://www.nndb.com/people/072/000049922 (Links to an external site.) Tecumseh-: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecumseh (Links to an external site.) and http://history1800s.about.com/od/leaders/p/tecumsehbio.htm (Links to an external site.) and http://www.historynet.com/tecumseh-red-cloud-and-sitting-bull-three-great-indian-leaders.htm (Links to an external site.) (this site also discusses Red Cloud) Chief Joseph: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Joseph (Links to an external site.) and http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/a_c/chiefjoseph.htm (Links to an external site.) and http://www.indians.org/welker/joseph.htm (Links to an external site.) Red Cloud- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Cloud (Links to an external site.)and http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/i_r/redcloud.htm. (Links to an external site.)

You are to become this leader and describe how you challenged the English or the United States government and what type of tactics your used and your level of success.

Finally you are to review all the Indian leaders covered in lecture and Chapter 7 along with your chosen leader and tell which Indian leader do you feel was the most successful and why. You are also to comment on two other students’ choices of leaders.

WP # 1 Prompt: Rhetorical Analysis

Now that you are familiar with rhetorical devices, you will compose a three-page essay that identifies, analyzes, and evaluates the claims of an argument.

For your essay, you will examine Van Jones’ TED Talk, “The Economic Injustice of Plastic,” to identify: 1) what rhetorical devices are used 2) argue whether these devices persuaded you to support or reject Jones’ idea.

Tips:

• Explain why a rhetorical device is effective or not; do not simply identify it.
• Consider the reader’s needs when describing evidence or examples from the talk.
• Use all your senses when breaking-down Jones’ arguments.
  • Creativity is always appreciated by your audience!

Resources:

TED Talk:
https://www.ted.com/talks/van_jones_the_economic_injustice_of_plastic?language=en

TED Talk Transcript:
https://www.ted.com/talks/van_jones_the_economic_injustice_of_plastic/transcript?language=en

Rules and Guidelines:

• All essays must conform to the academic writing rules and format of the genre to be accepted for grading.
• Your essay must use:
  • 12-point font size
  • Times New Roman font
  • Double-spaced paragraphs
  • Proper heading and page numbers
  • 1-inch margins
• Be sure to spellcheck and proofread your work to ensure credibility.
• Rough drafts will be one to two pages in length; Final drafts will be three-pages in length.
• Any draft that is submitted late will incur a half-letter grade deduction for every class day the assignment is late.
  • See your syllabus for deadlines and dropbox locations.
• Cover the required length and matter of the essay.
• You must use MLA format when citing evidence/quotes in your work.
• Do not use any outside sources in your work.
  • Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference texts included.
• Consider the reader’s needs when writing your work.
• See the grading rubric for further instructions on how to write an effective essay.