The purpose of this essay is to find connections between different writers and the themes of the class on the issue of slavery. Watch the film, Twelve Years a Slave based on the book of the same name by Solomon Northup. Write your essay in response to one of the following three questions. Use the books and the film we have read directly to answer the questions, use evidence from the documents/film. You can use my lectures for reference. The film is available in the library.
Prompt Options
Think about what each author wants from their audience. How do they communicate with the reader? Who and what are they arguing against? What are the major arguments used in Twelve Years a Slave, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, and Incidents in the Live of the Slave Girl against slavery and for abolition? Also compare these to Fitzhugh’s arguments, and those of Fredrick Douglass, Sojourn Truth, and others.
In what ways did gender affect the experiences of enslaved individuals? To answer this question, you will have to analyze descriptions of the experiences of male and female slaves and discuss the similarities and differences between them. How do the experiences of Northrup and Equiano compare to those of Harriet Jacobs and Sojourn Truth and the other women in the documents?
In what ways are settler-colonialism and manifest destiny related to slavery? How did the politics of the two affect each other in the colonial and antebellum period? Use the lectures, On Civil Disobedience, Lincoln, Douglass, in addition to Olaudah Equiano, 12 Years A Slave, and Harriet Jacobs to answer this question.
QUICK RECOMMENDATIONS
Good writing is essential to clear communication. We expect you to be able to organize your ideas logically and express them clearly. To do that, you will need to write more than one draft. Keep in mind that, as with any written assignment, your paper should have:
1) a clear thesis statement near the beginning of the paper;
2) a coherent argument that you support with your evidence throughout the body of the paper;
3) a logical organization;
4) a concluding paragraph or two that summarizes the main points of your argument and/or restates your thesis.
PROOFRD YR PAPPERS!!! Some people find that reading their papers aloud helps them to spot potential problems early. Watch out for the grammatical and stylistic errors mentioned below. If you quote from the book, add a Chicago style footnote. If you are quoting directly, be especially sure the quotation is reproduced accurately in your paper. Use direct quotations only where they will be most effective in your paper; do not use them to excess, or to “pad” your paper. If you need help in writing this essay, visit either one of us during office hours, make an appointment with either one of us, or visit the Writing Center.
Here are a few common writing errors:
shifting verb tenses within sentences or paragraphs. Use the past tense consistently.
confusing possessives with contractions. “It’s” is a contraction of “it is”; “its” is the possessive form of “it.” Contractions are not usually acceptable in formal writing.
using colloquial language or slang. Although it is not necessary to write stiffly, one should avoid using colloquial or excessively formal writing. For example, avoid sentences like the following: “The colonists saw themselves as getting hosed by the British during the Seven Years’ War.”
sentence fragments. All sentences must have a subject and a verb.
run-on sentences and comma splices. Use a semi-colon to separate independent clauses in a sentence, or connect them with an appropriate conjunction.
careless spelling errors or word use, such as “could of” for “could have,” “incite” for “insight,” “then” for “than,” “effect” for “affect,” “lead” for “led,” and “colonist” for “colonists.”
dangling clauses or misplaced modifiers. Remember the standard fifth-grade example of the dangling clause: “Walking down the street, the car ran over the man.”
Components of the Paper
The paper must be an integrated analysis based on evidence. It must include:
an introduction that:
clearly identifies the topic or theme.
clearly outlines the thesis.
lays out an argument or debate that answers the prompt in a definitive way.
a narrative that:
is crafted as an integrated, analytical essay, not a source review or description.
conveys complexities and offers cogent and sophisticated analyses and well-reasoned arguments.
conforms to research paper guidelines in the Chicago Style guide (check at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html (Links to an external site.)).
makes appropriate and judicious use of the evidence provided in sources listed in the bibliography. (Careful research and judicious choices will make integration of the sources in a cohesive essay much easier.)
is well organized and proceeds logically from one point to the next.
is well written using standard English and clear and concise prose.
offers an interpretation based on evidence, not an opinion based on personal judgment (should not convey the sense of “I think” and does not contain the word “I”).
does not “over cite” sources. (Long quotations cannot substitute for effective analysis.)
is carefully proofread and spell-checked.
is written in formal English (without contractions, colloquialisms, slang, etc.).
a conclusion that:
is a concise statement that wraps up your argument.
is substantiated in the body of the narrative.
a bibliography that:
list the books, lectures, documents used in the essay
is properly formatted in letter-perfect bibliographical format according to the Chicago Manual of Style.
FULL GUIDELINE FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
There will be writing assignments focused on the subject areas listed below in the schedule of readings. Every writing assignment will have as its goal the same ideal: each student will provide a commentary on the readings under that subject area. By commentary, I do not mean summarization. Any paper that solely summarizes the readings will result in poor grade. I am looking for analysis of some issue or argument or fact or interpretation raised in the readings and learning of your interpretation of said readings. These are, effectively, interpretive opinion pieces and there are not likely to be correct or incorrect answers, so each student should feel free to explore their ideas. Each student should keep the following points in mind:
a, I expect each assignment to be printed in 12-size font with standard margins. Each student should print, in the header of the page, his or her name. A front page is not needed.
b, I expect every single statement a student makes in writing which is derived from the student’s research to be properly and adequately cited. This is history, each student should use the Chicago Style end notes. For a guide see:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html (Links to an external site.)
EXAMPLE: 1. Zadie Smith, Swing Time (New York: Penguin Press, 2016), 315–16.
c, I expect each student to follow all directions and requirements that I have outlined in this document and that I may provide verbally in class or in emails to the class. Failure to follow directions will result in substantial grade reductions
d, I expect each student to hand the assignments in as scheduled. Failure to hand the papers in on time for any reason other than the most extreme of situations (such as hospitalization for a serious and unanticipated medical issue) will result in the loss of one grade per date late. There are absolutely no exceptions to this policy
Effective Writing
Although this is a History course, not an English course, no student is exempt from respecting proper grammar and style in their writing. Regardless of what field a student plans to pursue for a career, readers of a person’s work always appreciate clear, lucid, superb writing. Conversely, poor writing reflects poorly upon the writer. Even if a student becomes a chemist or an accountant, each person will at some future point need to write a letter or a report. Part of the point of this class is to help students develop good writing skills to.
What follows is a discussion of common problems I frequently see on student papers. If a student does not understand any of these points, she/ he should consult with me.
Follow directions. Be sure you are writing an analytical paper, not a summary of the readings.
All papers will be double-spaced.
Use the header function to print your name at the top of your paper.
Always observe proper page spacing. Always utilize 12-size font and never adjust margins or font style to take up space or to cram information into a paper. If you do not have enough to say, reread your notes and think more about the subject. If you have too much to say, concise writing is almost always good writing.
Do not write broad, sweeping statements that have no relevance to your topic. Avoid writing statements like:
“Since the dawn of mankind . . .” or
“Throughout the ages, mankind has . . ..”
Do not write short, choppy sentences. Successions of short, choppy sentences make for cumbersome reading. Your sentences should be complex, compelling, and grammatically correct without being run-on or using superfluous clauses. Short sentences are better utilized for emphasizing major points. You may wish to review the rules of the semicolon.
Be as clear and specific as possible with your writing. Do not assume your reader knows what you are talking about.
Always use specific examples to prove your points.
Avoid any construction, particularly with pronouns, that may be vague. For example, if you are discussing multiple persons in a sentence, do not write “they . . . “ as it becomes unclear as to which person you mean. Remember that a pronoun refers directly to the most recently used noun.
All case structures in sentences should be correctly coordinated. For example, “they liked their cars and he liked his.”
Do not repeat thoughts or ideas. This becomes a hindrance to clearly expressing your thoughts. Also, try not to repeat words if possible. A solid thesaurus is an excellent tool for writing.
If you are using quotations, you must do so properly. Quotes may not stand on their own as independent sentences. They must be integrated into other sentences. For clarity, ALL quotes MUST be cited properly.
You must cite every single idea or thought you derive from another person or source. Failure to do so is plagiarism.
Always use quotation marks correctly.
Do not use contractions. They are for spoken language, not formal writing.
Do not use parentheses. You should incorporate any information into your sentences through the proper use of commas. Parentheses are acceptable only when they are used to explain the meaning of an acronym, and only the first time the acronym is used. For example:
“SNCC (The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) led a series of sit-in demonstrations
during the 1960s.”
Do not write unusually short or long paragraphs. Paragraphs should be approximately five sentences in length. Visually, one paragraph should never take up more than one full page, nor should a large number of short paragraphs be crammed on to one page. Formal paper writing is not journalistic writing.
Never use passive voice. Always construct active verb sentences. Consider the difference between the following two statements:
“The light was turned on.”
“I turned on the light.”
The former is passive voice because the actor in the sentence is unclear. Who turned out the light? It is uncertain as to who turned the light on. The latter is active voice, and clearly states who the actor is. Passive voice is vague and should be avoided; active voice is direct and leads to concise writing.
Be sure to utilize proper punctuation at the ends of sentences. Also be sure that you utilize commas, semicolons, and colons correctly.
Phrases that end with periods must still incorporate periods at the ends of sentences. For example:
As Lee Greenwood sings in his song, “There ain’t no doubt, I love this place, God bless the
U.S.A..”
Whenever you have more than two items in a series, you must separate each item with a comma for the sake of clarity. For example:
“Postmodern design created rich and complicated visual imagery in direct contrast to efficient,
austere, and rational modern designs.”
I understand that there has been some debate and leeway on this point, but since we are working on effective and precise writing, I insist on this stylistic point.
When discussing decades, do not utilize apostrophes in the decade. For example:
The 1950s.
Never use the words “interesting” or “important.” If you are including some detail in your papers, I will assume that you find it to be interesting or important. In and of themselves, these words are meaningless.
Never use the word “very” to describe degree. For example, there is no difference in meaning between:
“I am tired” and
“I am very tired.”
You may utilize “very” only as a dramatic tool to describe timing; for example, you might write:
“She walked into the room at the very moment when I walked out.”
Always use the third person (“he,” “she,” “it,” “they”) in formal papers. Even if you are asked to state an opinion, never, ever say “I” or “we” (first person singular, first person plural) in a formal paper, unless I specifically grant you permission to do so. State your points in the third person. Similarly, never use second person (“you”) in a formal paper; “you” is reserved solely for items like instruction manuals, cookbooks, and self-help guides, none of which you will be writing as a part of this course.
Every statement that you make in a paper should be clear, specific, and explained in a lucid manner. If a statement does not make sense or is unclear, either fix it our delete it.
Utilize an online thesaurus, or better still, own a good thesaurus. Paired with an informative dictionary, a thesaurus can help you to expand your vocabulary and become more precise in your writing. A varied, diverse vocabulary is a sign that you are contemplating your topic and using good writing skills.
Proofread your papers. Do not rely on Microsoft Word to underline a problem. An excellent way to check your writing is to read your sentences aloud, checking that your sentences are grammatically correct and logical and that your points are coherent and clearly stated. If it does not sound “right,” i
