Dear 1A Students,
If you find my essay prompts for Essay 2 to be too detailed, causing you to exceed the 1,200-word limit, I’ve provided five simplified prompts below. If you're content with your current direction, feel free to continue as is. However, if you're looking for a more streamlined approach that helps you stay within the word count, you may want to explore one of the following options:
5 Simplified Essay Prompts Geared Toward 1,200 Words
Simplified Version 1:
Using Frederick Douglass’ memoir and Clint Smith’s essays "Monuments to the Unthinkable" and "Why Confederate Lies Live On," explore how African-American history functions as a critical tool against the dangers of historical revisionism and cultural forgetting.
Simplified Version 2:
Through a comparison of Frederick Douglass’ memoir and Jordan Peele’s Get Out, write an essay that defines the concept of the "Sunken Place" and explores its metaphorical significance in both works.
Simplified Version 3
Compare how Frederick Douglass' memoir and Spike Lee’s film Malcolm X depict the restoration of the African-American spirit. Focus on how both figures help uplift the community from a figurative Sunken Place of racial oppression.
Simplified Version 4:
Write an essay comparing the depiction of the Sunken Place in Jordan Peele’s *Get Out* to its representation in Donald Glover’s Atlanta episode “Rich W, Poor W” (Season 3, Episode 9). Examine how each work uses the concept to critique racial identity and social entrapment.
Simplified Version 5:
Using Clint Smith’s essay "Why Confederate Lies Live On" and John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight segment on the Confederacy, analyze the causes behind the nostalgic whitewashing of slavery and the Jim Crow era.
Simplified Building Blocks for All Prompts:
Building Block 1: Define the "Sunken Place" as a metaphor for the psychological and social effects of racism. Discuss its implications for both individuals and communities in the context of oppression.
Building Block 2: Write a thesis that clearly outlines your argument. For example: "Both Douglass and Peele use the concept of the Sunken Place to illustrate the dehumanizing effects of systemic racism, yet they also offer paths to personal and communal redemption through education and self-awareness."
Feel free to choose whichever prompt helps you achieve clarity and maintain focus within the 1,200-word count. Good luck with your essays!
Sincerely,
Jeff McMahon
What Frederick Douglass Teaches Us About Weaponized Misinformation
For five decades, I've had the privilege of teaching African-American history in my college writing classes, exploring the works of intellectual giants like bell hooks, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Toni Morrison, Isabel Wilkerson, Donald Glover, and Jordan Peele. Through these profound narratives, especially the writings of Frederick Douglass, I’ve come to understand that racial oppression in America—embodied through slavery and Jim Crow—has its roots deeply embedded in weaponized misinformation.
Douglass revealed that this weaponized misinformation operates in three distinct phases:
Phase 1: The Cynical Original Story
This phase begins with the greed-driven opportunists who were lured by the enormous profits of the European slave trade. Lacking any spiritual or moral integrity, these individuals cynically twisted Christianity to concoct a world where they claimed it was God’s will for white people to be rulers and people of color to be servants. These cynics didn’t believe their own rhetoric, but they knew their white audience would eagerly swallow this poison, embracing a perverted version of religion that justified slavery. This initial corruption of Christianity into a racial doctrine laid the foundation for slavery and segregation, marking the birth of weaponized misinformation.
Phase 2: The Cosplay Stage
As highlighted by Dr. David Pilgrim’s Jim Crow Museum, this phase involved a society-wide role-play where whites adopted the persona of entitled aristocrats, while blacks were forced into servile roles. Every aspect of life—food, games, entertainment, commerce, politics, relationships—was dictated by this racial cosplay. White people couldn’t even engage in activities like playing chess with black individuals because such an act implied equality, thereby threatening the very foundation of the racial hierarchy. This relentless, obsessive cosplay, which demanded strict adherence to these artificial roles, became the second phase of weaponized misinformation, reinforcing the illusion of white superiority and black inferiority.
Phase 3: The Denial Stage
Following the horrors of slavery, Jim Crow, lynchings, and redlining (the systemic denial of black people’s access to premium housing), this phase saw whites engage in a collective denial of the brutality and atrocities they had inflicted. They downplayed the violence, claimed, “it wasn’t that bad,” and concocted a twisted narrative known as The Lost Cause. In this revisionist history, whites nostalgically mourn the “good old days” when blacks and whites supposedly “knew their place” and lived harmoniously—until, they argue, the “evil Northerners” disrupted this harmony with their so-called “Northern aggression,” violating “state rights.” This form of historical revisionism is yet another insidious example of weaponized misinformation.
Critically examining these phases of weaponized misinformation is not about promoting any political agenda, Wokeness, or Critical Race Theory. Instead, it’s about uncovering the truth, restoring historical accuracy, and ensuring that the atrocities of slavery and racial oppression are never allowed to persist unchallenged. By bearing witness to the truth, we resist the perpetuation of these horrors and commit ourselves to a more just and informed society.
***
Critical Analysis of “Why Confederate Lies Live On” by Clint Smith
Racist Iconography and The Lost Cause Myth
In his essay “Why Confederate Lies Live On,” Clint Smith explores the persistence of Confederate symbolism in American culture, particularly in places like Petersburg, Virginia. Here, the Blandford Cemetery draws thousands of white visitors annually to honor Confederate soldiers. But why? Smith argues that these individuals are captivated by a false narrative of the Civil War—one that glorifies the Confederacy as defenders of "states' rights" against "Northern Aggression," all while upholding the institution of slavery as a harmonious relationship between blacks and whites.
These visitors are not just paying respects to fallen ancestors; they are participating in a distorted version of history that flatters them and their forebears as "honorable" and "courageous." This romanticized view of the Confederacy is deeply rooted in a dangerous mythology that continues to shape public memory in the South.
Narcissism and Wishful Thinking
Smith delves into the psychological underpinnings of this historical distortion, arguing that it stems from a form of pathological narcissism. These individuals compartmentalize their understanding of history—they whitewash the atrocities committed against black people while elevating the "honor" of their ancestors. This compartmentalization is not just an innocent misunderstanding; it is a deliberate act of tribalism and clannism, rooted in a desire to maintain a sense of superiority.
Smith astutely observes, “For so many of them, history isn’t the story of what actually happened; it is just the story they want to believe. It is not a public story we all share, but an intimate one, passed down like an heirloom, that shapes their sense of who they are. Confederate history is family history, history as eulogy, in which loyalty takes precedence over truth. This is especially true at Blandford, where the ancestors aren’t just hovering in the background—they are literally buried underfoot.”
What Does Nostalgia for Slavery and Jim Crow Reveal?
Smith’s exploration of Confederate nostalgia reveals a troubling truth about those who cling to these symbols. Their fondness for the Confederacy is not just about heritage; it’s about an enduring belief in white supremacy. These individuals long for a time when white people were served by a subjugated class, and they embrace stories that reinforce this racial hierarchy.
Smith suggests that this nostalgia speaks to a deeper moral failure:
1. Servitude and Superiority: These individuals cherish the idea of being served by a servile class, willingly believing in a narrative that positions whites as the privileged race, with others existing merely for their convenience.
2. Mythical Storytelling: They perpetuate tales of "white superiority" through rituals and re-enactments that affirm their sense of dominance.
3. Defensive Reaction to Truth: When confronted with the harsh realities of racism or comparisons to Germany’s post-World War II moral reckoning, they respond with defensiveness, hostility, and even violence.
4. Fragile Identity: Their identity is so intertwined with the myth of white superiority that challenging this narrative feels like an existential threat.
5. Moral Blindness: They engage in Confederate rituals with a complete disregard for black suffering, making their existence a moral abomination rooted in white supremacist cosplay.
The Resistance to Removing Racist Statues
Smith highlights the intense resistance to efforts aimed at removing Confederate statues. This resistance is not just about preserving history; it’s about clinging to a narrative that justifies and glorifies the Confederacy.
In a striking passage, Smith recounts a speech by Paul C. Gramling Jr., a prominent figure in the Sons of Confederate Veterans, who equates those advocating for the removal of Confederate symbols with terrorists, likening them to "ISIS in the Middle East." Gramling’s speech is emblematic of the deep-seated fear and anger that fuels opposition to removing these statues. His call to "take back the narrative" is a rallying cry for those who wish to preserve a version of history that absolves the Confederacy of its sins.
Smith contrasts this perspective with the tireless efforts of those who have fought to remove these symbols—teachers, parents, civil rights veterans—who see these monuments as an affront to the truth and a glorification of an unjust cause. The fervor with which individuals like Gramling defend Confederate symbols reveals the extent to which they are willing to go to protect a version of history that serves their interests.
Smith’s analysis underscores the need for a reckoning with the truth of America’s past. The resistance to this reckoning is not merely a defense of history; it is a defense of a deeply entrenched system of white supremacy that continues to shape the present. To move forward, America must confront these lies and work towards a more honest and inclusive public memory.
Using ChatGPT to use helpful essay outlines:
My Prompt:
I want to write an essay that compares the nostalgia for Jim Crow evident in “Why Confederate Lies Live On” by Clint Smith and John Oliver's video about the Confederacy on Last Week Tonight. Give me a five-point outline for such an essay.
ChatGPT Response:
1. Introduction: The Enduring Myths of the Confederacy and Jim Crow Nostalgia
- Introduce Clint Smith’s essay “Why Confederate Lies Live On” and John Oliver’s video on Last Week Tonight about the Confederacy.
- Define the concept of "nostalgia for Jim Crow" as the idealization of a time when racial hierarchies were overtly maintained, particularly through the lens of the Confederacy and post-Reconstruction America.
- Present the thesis: Both Clint Smith’s essay and John Oliver’s video critique the nostalgic longing for the Confederacy and Jim Crow, exposing how these myths continue to shape contemporary racial attitudes and undermine progress toward racial justice.
2. Romanticizing the Confederacy: Myths and Monuments
- Discuss how both Smith and Oliver critique the romanticization of the Confederacy as a "lost cause" that glorifies white supremacy while minimizing or erasing the brutal realities of slavery and segregation.
- Smith’s analysis of the cultural and historical revisionism that persists in textbooks, public monuments, and political rhetoric, which softens the Confederacy’s role in defending slavery.
- Oliver’s satirical breakdown of how Confederate monuments and symbols are treated as heritage, ignoring their deep ties to racial oppression, particularly in Jim Crow-era attempts to rewrite history.
- Highlight how both sources emphasize that this glorification perpetuates a false narrative, creating a dangerous nostalgia for a period marked by racial violence.
3. The Weaponization of Nostalgia to Sustain White Supremacy
- Explore how nostalgia for the Confederacy and Jim Crow is used as a tool to uphold white supremacy in both Smith’s essay and Oliver’s video.
- Smith’s argument that the continued reverence for Confederate symbols reinforces systemic racism and provides cover for contemporary racial inequities.
- Oliver’s comedic but cutting take on how Confederate apologists weaponize historical inaccuracies to resist changes that would promote racial equality, such as the removal of statues or changing school names.
- Discuss how both Smith and Oliver reveal that nostalgia serves as a barrier to confronting and dismantling present-day forms of racism.
4. The Psychological and Social Consequences of Confederate Nostalgia
- Analyze how both Smith and Oliver address the psychological and social impacts of Confederate nostalgia on racial identity and memory.
- Smith’s discussion of how the idealization of the Confederacy distorts collective memory, particularly among white Americans, by fostering a sense of grievance or loss tied to racial privilege.
- Oliver’s focus on how the continued existence of Confederate symbols, especially in public spaces, affects communities of color, perpetuating feelings of alienation and exclusion.
- Examine how both authors argue that this form of nostalgia not only distorts history but also deepens racial divisions and prevents the healing necessary for societal progress.
5. The Call to Confront and Correct the Historical Narrative
- Compare how both Smith and Oliver advocate for confronting and correcting the historical narrative around the Confederacy and Jim Crow.
- Smith’s insistence that Americans must reckon with the truth of their history, not the sanitized or nostalgic version that upholds white supremacy, and his emphasis on education as a crucial tool for breaking the cycle of myth-making.
- Oliver’s humorous yet forceful argument that the removal of Confederate monuments and the reshaping of public memory are essential steps toward addressing historical injustices and creating a more equitable society.
- Conclude by emphasizing how both Smith and Oliver argue that dismantling these nostalgic myths is necessary for America to move forward in its pursuit of racial justice and equality.
My Prompt:
I want to write an essay that compares the way Frederick Douglass’ memoir and Spike Lee’s movie Malcolm X address how Douglass and Malcolm X championed the rehabilitation of the spirit in the African-American community and helped lift the community out of the Sunken Place. Give me a 5-point outline for such an essay.
ChatGPT Response:
1. Introduction: The Power of Self-Rehabilitation and the Fight Against the "Sunken Place"
- Briefly introduce Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave and Spike Lee’s Malcolm X.
- Define the "Sunken Place" as a metaphor for the psychological and spiritual oppression of African Americans, tying it to both historical enslavement and modern systemic racism.
- Present the thesis: Both Douglass and Malcolm X, through their transformative journeys, championed the rehabilitation of the African-American spirit and led efforts to lift their communities out of oppression, providing models of self-liberation and empowerment.
2. Spiritual and Intellectual Awakening: Douglass’ Education and Malcolm X’s Prison Transformation
- Compare how Douglass and Malcolm X experienced intellectual awakenings that served as catalysts for their personal and spiritual rehabilitation.
- Douglass’ self-taught literacy as a tool for liberation and empowerment, symbolizing freedom from the mental enslavement of ignorance.
- Malcolm X’s transformation during his time in prison, embracing knowledge, Islam, and Black nationalism as tools for his own spiritual redemption and as a path to lift the community.
- Discuss how both men saw education as the first step toward reclaiming dignity and power, pulling themselves and others out of the "Sunken Place."
3. Challenging the Dominant System: Confronting the Tools of Oppression
- Explore how both Douglass and Malcolm X actively confronted the systems that oppressed African Americans.
- Douglass’ fight against the institution of slavery, not just physically but by dismantling the moral and psychological justifications for it.
- Malcolm X’s critique of systemic racism, particularly white supremacy and the internalization of Black inferiority, and his call for Black pride and self-sufficiency.
- Examine how both men redefined the African-American identity and challenged the submissive, docile image of Blackness that the dominant culture imposed.
4. Rehabilitation of the African-American Spirit: From Submission to Empowerment
- Analyze how Douglass and Malcolm X each focused on the rehabilitation of the African-American spirit—moving from the hopelessness of subjugation to empowerment and action.
- Douglass’ emphasis on human dignity, self-worth, and the essential right to freedom as a means of restoring agency to enslaved African Americans.
- Malcolm X’s insistence on self-respect, Black nationalism, and the refusal to accept second-class citizenship as key to liberating the African-American psyche.
- Discuss the role of faith in both men's journeys—Douglass in his Christian belief in justice, and Malcolm X in his embrace of Islam as a path to spiritual and social liberation.
5. Lifting the Community: From Personal Liberation to Collective Empowerment
- Contrast how Douglass and Malcolm X moved from their personal journeys of rehabilitation to lifting the African-American community as a whole.
- Douglass as a public intellectual, abolitionist, and political advocate, using his own story to inspire collective action and the fight for equal rights.
- Malcolm X’s emphasis on self-reliance and communal responsibility, urging African Americans to reject reliance on white society and build their own institutions.
- Conclude by discussing how both figures, through their powerful examples of self-transformation, provided blueprints for lifting the African-American community out of the "Sunken Place"—a journey of reclaiming identity, power, and dignity in the face of oppression.
***
My Prompt:
Compare the Sunken Place in the Jordan Peele movie Get Out to Donald Glover’s Atlanta episode “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga” in a 3-point comparison. Then give 4 reasons Aaron appears to be free from the Sunken Place at the end of the Atlanta episode.
### 3-Point Comparison Between the Sunken Place in *Get Out* and "Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga" in *Atlanta*:
1. **Psychological Entrapment and Loss of Agency**:
- In *Get Out*, the Sunken Place represents the complete loss of autonomy, where Chris is physically present but mentally powerless, unable to control his own actions. The Sunken Place metaphorically traps him in his own body while white characters exploit his physical form.
- In *Atlanta's* “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga,” Aaron, a biracial teenager, faces a subtler kind of entrapment—social and racial alienation. Although Aaron is not physically immobilized like Chris, he is psychologically trapped by society’s expectations and racial categorizations, unable to fully claim either his Black or white identity.
2. **Social Commentary on Race and Identity**:
- *Get Out* uses the Sunken Place as a commentary on the historical and ongoing exploitation of Black bodies, reflecting how systemic racism renders Black individuals invisible or voiceless in society.
- In contrast, "Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga" explores the internal conflict of a mixed-race person grappling with the societal pressure to "choose" a racial identity. Aaron feels forced to prove his Blackness in order to secure a scholarship, highlighting the absurdity of how race is socially constructed and policed.
3. **Symbolic Representation of Isolation**:
- For Chris in *Get Out*, the Sunken Place is a literal and symbolic isolation—a dark void where he is silenced and helpless. It embodies the alienation experienced by Black individuals in a society that devalues their humanity.
- Aaron's isolation in *Atlanta* is more psychological. His mixed-race identity leaves him in a state of perpetual limbo, neither fully accepted by the Black nor white communities. The racial test he undergoes serves as a metaphorical Sunken Place, forcing him to confront how external perceptions have trapped him in a socially defined box.
### 4 Reasons Aaron Appears Free from the Sunken Place at the End of *Atlanta*:
1. **Reclaiming Personal Identity**:
- At the end of the episode, Aaron seems to reject the notion that he has to fit into one racial category to gain validation or acceptance. His decision to forego performing any further racial tests reflects his reclaiming of agency over his identity.
2. **Rejection of External Validation**:
- By no longer seeking the approval of others, whether from the Black or white community, Aaron frees himself from the need to "perform" his race for external validation. This shift signals that he has mentally extricated himself from the societal expectations that had previously confined him.
3. **Awareness of Social Constructs**:
- Aaron’s journey throughout the episode brings him face-to-face with the arbitrary nature of racial categorizations. In the end, he recognizes that these constructs are external forces imposed on him, not innate truths about who he is.
4. **Personal Growth and Acceptance**:
- Unlike his earlier desperation to "prove" his Blackness, Aaron shows signs of growth by accepting the complexity of his identity. His refusal to continue chasing a constructed ideal of race suggests that he has moved past the psychological entrapment that defined his earlier struggles.
***
My Prompt:
Comparing the Sunken Place in the Jordan Peele movie Get Out to Donald Glover’s Atlanta episode “Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga,” write a 5-point comparison outline for an essay.
ChatGPT Response:
- Psychological Entrapment and Identity Crisis
- Get Out (The Sunken Place): The Sunken Place symbolizes psychological control and entrapment, where Chris, the protagonist, is forcibly stripped of his agency and trapped within his own body. It represents how Black individuals can be physically present but psychologically marginalized or silenced by society.
- Atlanta ("Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga"): Aaron's identity crisis as a mixed-race teenager echoes the sense of entrapment. He is caught between being perceived as white and wanting to assert his Black identity to gain access to college funds. The episode explores the internal conflict of racial identity and belonging in a society that categorizes based on appearance.
- Racial Stigma and Invisibility
- Get Out (The Sunken Place): The Sunken Place symbolizes Black invisibility and powerlessness in the face of systemic racism. Chris’s voice and individuality are suppressed, reflecting how Black people can be unseen or reduced to stereotypes.
- Atlanta ("Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga"): Aaron’s light skin renders him invisible as "Black" in the eyes of his peers, and he faces skepticism from both white and Black communities. The episode portrays the societal pressures to "perform" one’s race and the alienation that comes with not fitting neatly into racial categories.
3. Economic Opportunity as a Gatekeeper of Identity
- Get Out (The Sunken Place): The Armitage family’s exploitation of Black bodies for economic and personal gain reflects the commodification of Blackness. Chris’s worth is reduced to his physical and cultural attributes, which are consumed by the wealthy white characters.
- Atlanta ("Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga"): Aaron’s racial identity is framed around the economic opportunity of a college scholarship offered only to Black students. The episode critiques how racial identity is often seen as transactional or tied to economic gain, pushing Aaron to embrace stereotypes in his desperate quest for inclusion.
4. Control and Manipulation by External Forces
- Get Out (The Sunken Place): Chris is subjected to hypnotic control by the Armitages, who take over his body and consciousness, a metaphor for the ways in which white supremacy manipulates and controls Black bodies and lives.
- Atlanta ("Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga"): Aaron’s actions and sense of self are shaped by societal expectations of race. His attempt to perform Blackness to secure the scholarship represents how external pressures can manipulate one's identity. Both narratives show individuals losing control over their identities due to the societal forces at play.
5. Violence as a Means of Escape or Validation
- Get Out (The Sunken Place): Chris’s eventual violent confrontation with the Armitages is the only way he can escape the Sunken Place and regain his autonomy. Violence becomes a means of breaking free from the systemic forces that dehumanize him.
- Atlanta ("Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga"): Aaron resorts to violent behavior in a desperate attempt to validate his Blackness and gain approval. His exaggerated performance of racial stereotypes shows how the need for validation can lead to destructive behavior. In both stories, violence is a symptom of the characters’ trapped circumstances and a reaction to the pressures imposed upon them.
This outline highlights the psychological, racial, and societal dimensions of identity crises in both *Get Out* and *Atlanta*, while also addressing themes of control, economic pressure, and the destructive consequences of external expectations.