Lesson Plan Über Alles

1A Formative Assessment #1 for Essay 3: Jim Crow 1.0 and 2.0

Module 5 Formative Assessment Assignment, Part 1

Formative Assessment #1 for Jim Crow Essay

Learning Objectives for Formative Assessment Part 1

One. Write an introductory paragraph with a single-sentence definition and extended definition to show a clear understanding of Jim Crow.

Two. Use appropriate signal phrases and in-text citations.

Three. Use this paragraph as a building block for your Jim Crow essay (this essay is a summative assessment).

Assignment Description

Writing Your Introduction Paragraph as an Extended Definition of Jim Crow

In your introductory paragraph define Jim Crow as you see this term presented in David Pilgrim’s video “The New Jim Crow Museum.” Give a one-sentence definition of Jim Crow and expound on your definition by giving distinguishing characteristics an example from the video. Your distinguishing characteristics will be gathered by quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing Dr. David Pilgrim’s major points as he curates the museum.

The Purpose of this Assignment

All of my assignments are “building blocks” toward your finished essay, what in online education circles is referred to as your Summative Assessment. By fulfilling the requirements of this assignment, you will have a first paragraph completed toward your essay.

Source for the “The New Jim Crow Museum”

The New Jim Crow Museum

Writing Your Extended Definition Requires Knowing the 3 Elements of an Extended Definition

Remember that when you provide an extended definition, you provide three things:

One: single-sentence definition of the term you’re defining

Two: the class that the term belongs to

Three: the term’s distinguishing characteristics.

Example of an Extended Definition

Term: Metacognition

Single-sentence definition: Metacognition is a form of self-analysis in which individuals identify their undesirable thought and behavior habits, map alternative courses to their self-destructive habits, and put in safeguards to prevent repeating old mistakes of thinking.

The Class: form of self-analysis

Distinguishing Characteristics: individuals with metacognition do the following:

One, identify undesirable thought and behavior habits

Two, map alternative courses to their self-destructive habits

Three, put in safeguards to prevent repeating old mistakes of thinking.

Instructions:

Step One. Begin Paragraph 1 with a single-sentence definition of Jim Crow.

For an extended definition, begin with a single-sentence definition. By doing this, you are helping the reader understand the meaning of Jim Crow. You’d be surprised how many people have no idea or at best a vague idea of what Jim Crow is.

As we discussed earlier, when you provide an extended definition, you provide three things: a single-sentence definition of the term you’re defining, the class that the term belongs to, and the term’s distinguishing characteristics.

Some of you may be asking, what class does Jim Crow belong to?

While there is no single right answer, here some suggestions:

Racism

Oppression

Systemic Inequality

Systemic Racism

Segregation

Helping your reader have a clear grasp of a central term in your essay makes your writing more clear and effective. The Purdue Writing Lab has an effective description of extended definitions with the link here.

So to recap, in Paragraph 1 you would summarize the YouTube video presentation of David Pilgrim’s “The New Jim Crow Museum” by giving the reader an extended definition of Jim Crow.

Step Two. Expand your definition with distinguishing characteristics and examples of Jim Crow.

You might focus on the history of Jim Crow as a misinformation campaign to saturate minds with racist ideas that dehumanized black Americans in the service of promoting the false religion of white superiority. You might want to call this original Jim Crow the first incarnation: “Jim Crow 1.0” because in the second paragraph you’re going to contrast Jim Crow 1.0 with today’s Jim Crow, what might be called “Jim Crow 2.0.”

Step Three: Use signal phrases for your summary, paraphrase, and quoted content of Dr. Pilgrim.

It is important that you show your ability to summarize, paraphrase, and quote Dr. Pilgrim’s points by using signal phrases, which are short phrases you use to introduce quoted, paraphrased, or summarized content. Here are 6 important components to consider when writing signal phrases:

Review Complete 6 Components of Signal Phrases

One. Vary your transitions so you're not only using "say" and "write."

Two. Transition from your own writing to quoted or paraphrased material.

Three. Vary your location of the signal phrase, beginning, middle, or end.

Four. Provide credentials of the person being cited in your signal phrase.

Five. Provide correct in-text citations for MLA format, as provided by Purdue Owl.

Six. Return to what you just cited and analyze its significance to your argument.

For a fuller explanation of signal phrases, I would refer to my Breakthrough Writer blog post, “Mastering the 6 Components of Signal Phrases.”

List of Requirements for This Assignment

One. You must include an extended definition of Jim Crow for your introductory paragraph.

Two. Your distinguishing characteristics of Jim Crow will come from Dr. David Pilgrim as he curates “The Jim Crow Museum.”

Three. As you quote, paraphrase, and summarize Dr. Pilgrim’s major points about Jim Crow, you will use signal phrases.

Four. In addition to signal phrases, you will use in-text citations. The Purdue Owl MLA in-text citations is helpful.

Five. The length of your paragraph should be between 150-200 words.

Six. You must upload an attachment of your paragraph to either turnitin or Unicheck, depending on which one is contracted to the college.

How I Break Down Your Grade for This Assignment of 25 Points

One. Clarity and usefulness of your single-sentence definition of Jim Crow, 5 points.

Two. Clarity and usefulness of examples you use to flesh out your definition of Jim Crow from Dr. Pilgrim’s video “The New Jim Crow Museum”: 5 points.

Three. Use of signal phrases and in-text citations to transition from your explanation of Jim Crow to your quoted, paraphrased, and summarized material: 5 points.

Four. The authenticity of your writing and the degree of meaning you give your subject matter. A writer never wants to just “go through the motions,” that is to say, deliver a perfunctory effort. Deliver the degree of authenticity and meaning this subject deserves: 10 points.

Read Your Feedback on Assignment Comments

When you receive your score, you will be notified through Canvas, and the comments will be delivered on the Assignments Comments page through SpeedGrader.

Example of an Extended Definition Paragraph from my Breakthrough Writer blog post: “Meta-Fighting”:

If you’re simply fighting with your girlfriend or wife, you don’t know what real fighting is. The type of fight when you are focused on the original source of your argument is a lightweight argument, one which can be resolved with relative ease. But when you and your partner elevate the fighting to a new level, in which the original subject of the argument deviates into newer, more toxic, more hostile territories, it’s called meta-fighting. Meta-fighting is when you begin to argue about how you are arguing about the argument. You are bickering about style, tone, and methodology. And this argument, this meta-fight, about how you deliver your argument, also spawns an argument about how you are scrutinizing and judging the analysis of the style of the argument over a topic that you most likely have forgotten, the original topic being obscured by layers and layers of analysis about the analysis about the analysis about the methodology of your arguing. By this time, the subject behind the original argument is beside the point. It’s as if the original controversy or hot-button issue was simply a springboard to vent deeper issues about your relationship. Perhaps the next point is obvious: When you recognize that you are in the middle of a meta-fight, it’s important to stop it as soon as possible because the damage to your relationship can be beyond your understanding and control. So let us be clear. When you catch yourself in the middle of a meta-fight, you need to go into Damage Control Mode. Here’s what you do: Abruptly stop arguing, clear your throat, and say you don’t feel well. Then disappear into the bathroom for at least a half hour and be resolved not to bring up the fight upon exiting your “cool-off cubicle.” Apologize for “getting carried away” and start cooking a meal, preferably comfort food. Start chopping onions, dicing carrots, peeling potatoes, and in general keep busy and pretend to be absorbed by your new task so that you don’t get sucked back into the meta-fight.If you do not know how to cook, take on a outdoor or indoor project you’ve been putting off. Wash windows, clean the garage, vacuum, anything to distract both of you from the meta-argument. Be adamant about not getting sucked back into the meta-argument. Remember this: A meta-argument is a black hole, a bottomless pit of pain, hurt, and suffering from which sometimes there is no return. So be warned. If you must fight with your partner, that is fine. But no meta-fighting, not ever. Happy cooking.

Resources for Reference

Video the “The New Jim Crow Museum”

The New Jim Crow Museum

The Purdue Writing Lab has an effective description of extended definitions with the link here.

Breakthrough Writer blog post, “Mastering the 6 Components of Signal Phrases.”

Purdue Owl MLA in-text citations

Example of an extended definition paragraph from my Breakthrough Writer blog post:

Posted at 06:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Should We Reject the Cult of Authenticity?

Should We Reject the Cult of Authenticity?

Summative Assessment #4 (Essay for 200 Points):

Gustavo Arellano defends the innovation from cultural appropriation and rebukes the Cult of Authenticity.

The Assignment:

In a 1,200-word essay that adheres to current MLA format and provides a minimum of 4 sources for your Works Cited page, write an argumentative essay that defends, refutes, or complicates food and culture writer Gustavo Arellano’s claim in his essay “Let White People Appropriate Mexican Food” and elsewhere that in the realm of food, especially Mexican food, we must step away from the Cult of Authenticity and embrace the idea that the greatness of Mexican food is related to its constant evolution from stealing, borrowing, synthesizing, and even culturally appropriating from one ethnic culture to another and that cuisines that fail to evolve lack relevance and vitality.

Another way of looking at the essay debate:

Is the greatness of Mexican food rooted in its tradition or innovation?

A closer look at Gustavo Arrellano’s argument:

Arellano makes the observation that the food business, including the ever popular Mexican cuisine, requires constant innovation because it is “rapacious” and “Darwinian.” As he writes:

What these culture warriors who proclaim to defend Mexicans don't realize is that we're talking about the food industry, one of the most rapacious businesses ever created. It's the human condition at its most Darwinian, where everyone rips everyone off. The only limit to an entrepreneur's chicanery isn't resources, race or class status, but how fast can you rip someone off, how smart you can be to spot trends years before anyone else, and how much money you can make before you have to rip off another idea again.

Arellano says the greatness of Mexican food is largely based on stealing. As he writes:

The Mexican restaurant world is a delicious defense of cultural appropriation—that's what the culinary manifestation of mestizaje is, ain't it? The Spaniards didn't know how to make corn tortillas in the North, so they decided to make them from flour. Mexicans didn't care much for Spanish dessert breads, so we ripped off most pan dulces from the French (not to mention waltzes and mariachi). We didn't care much for wine, so we embraced the beers that German, Czech and Polish immigrants brought to Mexico. And what is al pastor if not Mexicans taking shawarma from the Lebanese, adding pork and making it something as quintessentially Mexican as a corrupt PRI?

Don't cry for ripped-off Mexican chefs—they're too busy ripping each other off. Another anecdote I remember from Taco USA: one of the lieutenants of El Torito founder Larry Cano telling me Larry would pay them to work at a restaurant for a month, learn the recipes, then come back to the mothership so they could replicate it. It ain't just chains, though: In the past year, I've seen dozens of restaurants and loncheras across Southern California offer the Zacatecan specialty birria de res, a dish that was almost exclusively limited to quinceañeras and weddings just three years ago. What changed? The popularity of Burritos La Palma, the Santa Ana lonchera-turned-restaurant. Paisa entrepreneurs quickly learned that Burritos La Palma was getting a chingo of publicity and customers, so they decided to make birria de res on their own to try and steal away customers even though nearly none of them are from Zacatecas.

Gustavo Arellano further argues that cultural appropriation is “smart business.” As he writes:

And that's what cultural appropriation in the food world boils down to: It's smart business, and that's why Mexicans do it, too. That's why a lot of high-end Mexican restaurants not owned by Sinaloans serve aguachile now, because Carlos Salgado of Taco Maria made it popular. That's why working-class Mexicans open marisco palaces even if they're not from the coast—because Sinaloans made Mexican seafood a lucrative scene. That's why nearly every lonchera in Santa Ana serves picaditas, a Veracruzan specialty, even though most owners are from Cuernavaca. That's why a taqueria will sell hamburgers and french fries—because they know the pocho kids of its core clients want to eat that instead of tacos. And that's why bacon-wrapped hot dogs are so popular in Southern California—because SoCal Mexican street-cart vendors ripped off Mexicans in Tijuana, who ripped off Mexicans in Tucson, who ripped off Mexicans in Sonora.

Gustavo Arrellano contends that the success of Mexican food as one of the dominant cuisines in America and throughout the world is its refusal to be some sort of stagnant “authentic relic” but rather a constantly changing cultural phenomenon. Is his claim sacrilegious? Is he encouraging cultural appropriation, that is white privilege moving in and stealing Mexican cuisine for its own ends? Are his points defensible? Explain.

What are the two opposing sides in this argument?

The Great Debate: Innovation Vs. Tradition:

On one side, Gustavo Arrellano’s side, is the argument that great food evolves through stealing and that stealing is a sign of the food’s greatness. Another side of food greatness is constant evolution and constant innovation. People are open to experimenting with foods and not tied to traditions and absolutes. Mexican food, moreover, is not a monolith. There is diversity based on regions and innovations, so there is no such thing as One Kind of Mexican Food, no One Burrito, No One Taco, etc.

On the other side, the Cult of Authenticity, is the belief that food should be unchanged. Food is iconic and rooted in tradition and attempts at changing the food is equivalent to “blasphemy.” Also, when the food is taken and changed it accounts to the loathsome act of cultural appropriation.

Which side are you on?

The Purpose:

Most of us are influenced and touched by Mexican food on a deep, personal level. Many of us have been eating Mexican food since we were babies. It is part of who we are. Moving forward, Mexican food is a dominant food in American and international cuisine.

One of the controversies about Mexican food is when people of privilege go to economically modest places in Los Angeles, Mexico, or elsewhere and engage in cultural tourism when these privileged people delight in “street food” and some appropriate the food (steal the recipe) so they can make a profit at their own restaurant. Many people find this offensive.

The purpose of this essay is critically examine when a culture is stealing from another culture’s food source, there is an arrogance too often attached to this stealing, but at the same time we want to examine the power of cultural exchange as a way of opening doors for diverse people, the power of constantly evolving food, and the power of food that is constantly being stolen. For example, Gustavo Arrellano makes the point that German pub food is not being stolen; Mexican food is. This speaks to the power and relevance of Mexican cuisine. There are only a handful of German restaurants in Los Angeles. In contrast, there are thousands of Mexican restaurants in southern California. We must explore the causes of a cultural force that continues to evolve and gain power.

Your source material for your argument:

Gustavo Arellano article “Let White People Appropriate Mexican Food--Mexicans Do It All the Time” (same article from the original source, The Orange County Weekly)

LA Taco interview with Gustavo Arellano in “The Fetish of Authenticity” in which he discusses the notion of authenticity and vitality in Mexican cuisine.

See YouTube video: “Cultural Appropriation Tastes Damn Good.”

Cultural Appropriation Tastes Damn Good

The Gustavo Arellano article: “The Problem Isn’t Rick Bayless Cooking Mexican Food--It’s That He’s a Thin-Skinned Diva.”

The Tim Carman article “Should White Chefs Sell Burritos?”

Katie Donovan article “Culinary Appropriation”

Dinner Party Download article “Gustavo Arellano Pushes a Few Buttons”

Hispanic Food & Culture in LA article “From Rick Bayless to Bad Burritos”

Matt Gross article “The Cultural Appropriation of Food”

Recommended, but Not Mandatory, Optional:

From Netflix’s Ugly Delicious

In order of importance for your essay:

Season 1, Episode 2 Tacos (fantastic episode about the cultural synthesis behind the evolution of the taco)

Season 1, Episode 1 Pizza

Season 1, Episode 6 Fried Chicken

Use the Toulmin Argument Model with a Counterargument-Rebuttal Section

From a design and structure standpoint, you are learning to write an argumentative essay in the tradition of the Toulmin Model, named after philosopher Stephen Toulmin. In the Toulmin Model, you address your opponents’ views in a counterargument-rebuttal section.

Using Counterargument-Rebuttal Makes Your Arguments More Persuasive:

For an argumentative essay, providing compelling support paragraphs to make your claim or thesis persuasive is not enough. You also need a counterargument-rebuttal section.

To earn credibility in an argument, good writers anticipate how opponents will disagree with their claim, so they actually provide an anticipated disagreement with their own thesis. Often they will write this counterargument-rebuttal section after their supporting paragraphs (and before their conclusion).

To write an effective counterargument-rebuttal, good writers use a variety of sentence structures:

Some people may object to my point X, but they fail to see Y.

Some people will take issue with my argument X, and I will concede their point to some degree. However, on balance, my argument X still stands because______________________________.

It is true as my opponents say that my argument fails to acknowledge the possibility that Y, but I would counter argue by observing that ___________________.

I would be the first to agree with my opponents that my argument can lead to some dangerous conclusions such as X. But we can neutralize these misgivings when we consider __________________________.

Use MLA Format for Your Essay

Your essay should follow the conventions of the MLA format.

For MLA format, I recommend the following:

Jason Morgan’s video:

Formatting a paper in MLA style

“Setting Up MLA Format Paper in Google Docs”

Setting Up MLA Format Paper in Google Docs

Support Your Essay with Sources Using MLA In-Text Citations:

Also be sure to use signal phrases for your correct MLA in-text citations, as you will find explained in this Purdue Owl article.

Kate Guthrie Caruso has made an excellent video on MLA in-text citations titled “MLA Formatting: In-Text Citations--Basics.”

MLA Formatting: In-Text Citations--Basics

The Method and Time Required

As I wrote earlier, you will be writing an argumentative essay in the Toulmin model.

If you include doing the above readings, this essay will take approximately 16 hours to write.

Writing an Introductory Paragraph

I recommend one of two approaches for your introductory paragraph.

Method #1: Summarize the main ideas in the article by Gustavo Arrellano titled “Let White People Appropriate Mexican Food.”

Method #2 Summarize the main ideas in the YouTube video “Cultural Appropriation Tastes Damn Good.”

Then transition to an argumentative claim in which you show support or repudiation of Arrellano’s main ideas.

While I take offense at the inflated prices of some of these appropriation restaurants and the lack of credit given to the original sources, I agree with GA’s claim that _______ because ________.

Writing an argumentative thesis or claim.

When I started teaching 35 years ago, everyone called the central argument a thesis, but in the last 10 years the term claim is gaining more and more popularity.

Your claim is the central focus of your essay. Your claim is what “your essay is about.”

Your claim answers a central question.

In this case, your claim is answering this question:

Are weight-loss quests futile or not?

Why it’s advantageous to add mapping components to a claim: They outline your essay.

Developing an argumentative claim with mapping statements or your argument’s reasons gives you a roadmap and tells you where you’re going.

Example: Should Community College be Free?

Sample Claim

While free college education would help a small percentage of low-income students who already have a baseline of writing and math skills, for the most part the argument for free community college is not persuasive when we consider that free things tend to lead to entropy (decline, chaos and worthlessness, Tragedy of the Commons), free college doesn’t solve the problems of baseline acquisition that would allow students to complete their graduation in a timely manner, free tuition would take away from budgeting for instructors and infrastructure, and free college would only lower the already abysmally low graduation rate.

Notice the above claim has mapping components that outline the body paragraphs:

Paragraph: Free things tend to lead to entropy (decline, chaos and worthlessness, Tragedy of the Commons)

Paragraph: Free college doesn’t solve the problems of baseline acquisition that would allow students to complete their graduation in a timely manner

Paragraph: Free tuition would take away from budgeting for instructors and infrastructure

Paragraph: Free college would only lower the already abysmally low graduation rate.

In the above examples, you might find that more than one paragraph is needed to support a mapping component, but the organization is still the same.

Second Example: Should I put spyware on my twin daughters’ computers?

Sample Claim:

While I would be tempted to put spyware on my daughters' computers as a way of repelling predators, I would not do so, as some people advocate, for several reasons. One, the spyware might lull me into a false comfort and impede me from communicating with my daughters about the dangers of indiscreet internet activities; two, if I violated my daughters' trust, I may compel them to turn away from me, and they would find more insidious ways to do internet communications that jailbreak my spyware; third, a prison-like security environment in my daughters' internet landscape strikes me as the kind of overkill that overprotective fathers use who alienate their children.

Notice the above claim has mapping components that outline the body paragraphs:

Paragraph: One, the spyware might lull me into a false comfort and impede me from communicating with my daughters about the dangers of indiscreet internet activities

Paragraph: Two, if I violated my daughters' trust, I may compel them to turn away from me, and they would find more insidious ways to do internet communications that jailbreak my spyware

Paragraph: Third, a prison-like security environment in my daughters' internet landscape strikes me as the kind of overkill that overprotective fathers use who alienate their children.

After Your Body Paragraphs and Before Your Conclusion, Write Your Counterargument-Rebuttal Section:

For Review:

For an argumentative essay, providing compelling support paragraphs to make your claim or thesis persuasive is not enough. You also need a counterargument-rebuttal section.

To earn credibility in an argument, good writers anticipate how opponents will disagree with their claim, so they actually provide an anticipated disagreement with their own thesis. Often they will write this counterargument-rebuttal section after their supporting paragraphs (and before their conclusion).

To write an effective counterargument-rebuttal, good writers use a variety of sentence structures:

Some people may object to my point X, but they fail to see Y.

Some people will take issue with my argument X, and I will concede their point to some degree. However, on balance, my argument X still stands because______________________________.

It is true as my opponents say that my argument fails to acknowledge the possibility that Y, but I would counter argue by observing that ___________________.

I would be the first to agree with my opponents that my argument can lead to some dangerous conclusions such as X. But we can neutralize these misgivings when we consider __________________________.

Study the Templates for Counterargument-Rebuttal Section of Essay

While the author’s arguments for meaning are convincing, she fails to consider . . .

While the authors make convincing arguments, they must also consider . . .

These arguments, rather than being convincing, instead prove . . .

While these authors agree with Writer A on point X, in my opinion . . .

Although it is often true that . . .

While I concede that my opponents make a compelling case for point X, their main argument collapses underneath a barrage of . . .

While I see many good points in my opponent’s essay, I am underwhelmed by his . . .

While my opponent makes some cogent points regarding A, B, and C, his overall argument fails to convince us when we consider X, Y, and Z.

My opponent makes many provocative and intriguing points. However, his arguments must be dismissed as fallacious when we take into account W, X, Y, and Z.

While the author’s points first appear glib and fatuous, a closer look at his polemic reveals a convincing argument that . . .

Writing Your Conclusion

Your conclusion is about creating emotional power and finding a way to reiterate your essay’s purpose in order to maximize the strength of your persuasion.

Since you want emotional power in your conclusion, you want to avoid cliches or overused (hackneyed) conclusion structures.

Some conclusion transitions to avoid:

In conclusion,

As you can now clearly see,

Before we get out of here let me just say,

To wrap things up,

Just in case you forgot,

To sum up what I just said,

Sorry for this lousy essay, but just in case you didn’t understand what I was saying,

Effective Conclusion Strategies:

Use the “full circle” technique. If you begin with a story or image in your introduction, return to that story or image in your conclusion.

End on a rhetorical question.

End with a gut-punching quotation.

End with an indelible image.

End with a dire warning.

End with a universal truth that applies to your specific argument.

End with an emotionally-powerful restatement of your thesis.

Works Cited

After your conclusion, you will cite a minimum of 4 sources on a separate page for Works Cited using current MLA format as explained in this these videos:

Purdue OWL video for Word

Purdue OWL video for Google Docs.

Title for Your Essay

Make sure your essay has a strong title. Avoid a generic title like “Cultural Appropriation” or “Essay 4.” Try to have a catchy title that is relevant to your focus.

What’s the Difference Between Respecting and Stealing Mexican Cuisine?

Is Cultural Appropriation Even a Thing?

Stop Calling Tex-Mex Real Mexican Food

You get the idea.

Time Needed for the Assignment

Of course, everyone is different, but estimating the time based on the assigned videos, supplementary material, note taking, first draft of a 1,200 word essay of about 6 or 7 paragraphs, making a Works Cited page, and then rewriting your draft for correct grammar, spelling, and format, I would say that over the course of 4 weeks you could very well spend 16 hours, or 4 hours a week, to get this essay to a polished state that is ready to upload.

How Points Are Earned on This Assignment

Essay has a maximum 200 points. You earn points through the following:

One. Meaningful thesis statement that generates compelling body paragraphs of an argumentative thesis or claim and a strong exposition driven by a distinct writing voice (authorial presence). This thesis produces meaningful content and a powerful writing voice that passes the “So what?” question, meaning that the writing matters, is significant, and elevates the reader to a higher understanding about an urgent topic. 80 points maximum.

Two. Clear organizational design, also called an expository mode, that has a logical sequence and follows the Toulmin Argument Model, which has an argumentative thesis and a counterargument-rebuttal. 40 points.

Three. The use of signal phrases and correct MLA in-text citations whenever you cite paraphrased, summarized, or quoted material. 30 points.

Four. The essay has sound sentence mechanics, sentence variety, correct spelling, and correct grammar usage suitable for college-level writing. The most common grammar errors students make that diminish their essay grade are comma splices and sentence fragments. 30 points.

Five. The essay conforms to updated MLA format for pagination, spacing, and Works Cited page. 20 points.

Essay Checklist to Maximize Your Success

One. Do you have a meaningful thesis statement that generates compelling body paragraphs of an argumentative thesis or claim and a strong exposition driven by a distinct writing voice (authorial presence).

Two. Does your essay have a clear organization design that logically drives your exposition?

Three. Does your essay correctly use signal phrases and correct in-text citations?

Four. If your essay is a counterargument, do you have an adequate counterargument-rebuttal section to show you have addressed opposing views?

Five. Does your essay have a Works Cited page with a minimum of 4 sources for the first three essays and minimum of 5 sources for your fourth essay? Do these citations satisfy requirements of authorship credit so that you are staying clear of plagiarism?

Six. Are your sources credible, that is to say do they come from authors who have peer credibility as opposed to authors with a sneaky, biased, or strident agenda?

Seven. If your authors are biased, did you disclose that bias in your essay?

Eight. Is your essay free of frequent grammar and sentence mechanic errors, especially comma splices and sentence fragments?

Nine. Does your essay conform to the current MLA format?

Ten. Does your essay have a distinctive title that alerts your readers to your tone and main focus?

Eleven. Does your essay have college-level paragraph transitions to make your essay flow and enhance its clarity?

Twelve. Do you have a conclusion paragraph that contributes to the expressiveness and/or persuasiveness of your essay?

Due Date, Submission Method, and Late Policy

Your Essay is due as an upload to turnitin on at 11:59 pm. Please do not submit this essay on Canvas because Canvas does not currently have a plagiarism tool on it. Please only upload to turnitin. Also take note, if you make the mistake of uploading to both Canvas and turnitin, Canvas will “freak out” and not save your grade unless I go into Canvas and tell it which of the upload grades I am choosing.

Regarding late papers, as you know, to be fair to punctual students, a full letter grade, as many as 25 points, is taken off of late papers.

Discussion Questions

I will provide discussion questions on Canvas. These don’t offer points. Their purpose is to get the wheels spinning inside your brain about the subject, steer you in the right direction, give you an opportunity to commiserate with me and other students, give you ideas for your introduction and thesis, and in general keep you focused on the writing task.

Some Relevant Discussion Questions You Could Incorporate Into Essay 4:

Do you have any biases toward Mexican food as being something that should be traditional and authentic, or are you open to innovations and experimentation with Mexican food? Explain.

Do you know of any cases of cultural appropriation in regards to Mexican food that turned out good or bad? Explain.

Posted at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chimera, Its Causes & Effects (Summative Assessment)

Cause and Effect Analysis of the Chimera (Obsession) Essay

English 1C Summative Assessment 3 (Essay for 200 points):

How do chimeras turn us into sleepwalking zombies who fall prey to solipsism, addiction, and determinism (loss of free will or free agency)?

The Assignment:

Develop a cause and effect thesis for a 1,200-word essay that explores the way Dexter Green falls prey to the chimera, the pursuit of the Ultimate Trophy, in the short story “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. His chimera is The Great White Princess Judy Jones. What are the causes and effects of Dexter’s quest for the Ultimate Trophy?

If you prefer some alternatives to “Winter Dreams” for your chimera essay, you can replace the short story with one of the following:

Hasan Minhaj’s comedy special on Netflix, Homecoming King, in which Minhaj pursues “The Great White Princess.” What were the causes and effects behind Minhaj’s obsession with “The Great White Princess”?

The 1995 Todd Haynes film Safe in which a suburban housewife, Carol White, goes on an obsessive search for Safety and Purity. What are the causes and effects of Carol’s search for Safety and Purity?

The 2018 Netflix film Private Life, starring Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn, in which they play a frustrated couple who fail at their repeated attempts at conceiving a baby. What are the causes and effects of the couple’s obsession with having a baby? In what ways is having a baby a chimera for this couple?

The 1941 film Citizen Kane in which Charles Foster Kane amasses wealth and material objects as a substitute for his obsession with what he lost in his childhood: unconditional love (“Rosebud”). What are the causes and effects of Charles Foster Kane’s obsession?

The 2017 Jordan Peele horror film Get Out in which the white supremacy cult in the movie don’t see African-Americans as human beings but rather as chimerical beings, part superhuman, part subservient, part inferior, and part resource to be exploited and used for their own sinister purposes.

The 2019 Safdie brothers film Uncut Gems in which Howard Ratner played by Adam Sandler pursues a multiple of adrenaline-inducing chimeras, including a precious opal, bling, sports betting, celebrities, and other sordid explorations as his chimera quests result in an existence that can only be described as a perpetual dumpster fire. Adam Sandler plays a man who is trying to compensate for I call wounded masculinity.

This YouTube video of Safdie Brothers and Adam Sandler discuss the chimerical properties of the black opal featured in the movie:

Safdie Brothers

What is a chimera?

Let us look at 15 characteristics:

One. A chimera is a seductive mirage that gets inside our head and feels so real to us that we love it more than life itself.

Two. As we pursue this chimera with greater and greater intensity, we at the same time reject the people around us. In this regard, we are like drug addicts who prefer our drug to people.

Three. A chimera is never real. It is always a mythical creature that fills our minds, yet it becomes for the person harboring the chimera the Ultimate Reality that casts all other considerations aside.

Four. Sometimes we can be afflicted with a chimera and know it, want to be cured of it, but feel helpless to do anything about it. In this regard, we are dealing with the realm of an incurable obsession.

Five. As our obsession with the chimera progresses, we deteriorate: We retreat into solipsism. For a short definition of solipsism, let us say we are afflicted with solipsism when the delusions of our imaginary self cut us off from reality.

Six. When our brains are hijacked by a chimera, we follow an addiction cycle as acute as any narcotics addict in which we have highs and lows, ascents and crashes, a sort of bipolar life journey.

Seven. Some people pursue the chimera with no self-awareness, what is sometimes called metacognition. An absence of self-awareness or metacognition makes free will or free agency impossible.

Eight. Sometimes a chimera hijacks our brains without warning. It’s an unexpected obsession that hijacks the brains of even productive, sane human beings.

Nine. The chimera is often a substitute for some unfulfilled basic human need like love, companionship, meaning, connection, belonging, maturity, independence, freedom, creativity, etc. A chimera is always a cheap substitute for the real thing. For example, the excitement some people have when they attend a YouTube Mukbang is the substitute for human connection, belonging, and intimacy which is painfully lacking in their lives.

Ten. As the chimera grows over time, the person’s original sense of self fragments, decomposes, and becomes smaller and smaller as a new persona grows, typically an angry persona that resents not getting what he or she wants.

Eleven. When people do acquire a chimera, they find they are not only disappointed but confused because the actuality of the acquisition pales compared to the obsession-fantasy of their imagination.

Twelve. Often people replace one chimera with another, over and over as their lives are defined by cycles of self-destruction without any self-awareness. The motivation for constantly seeking a chimera is probably an empty life, a life without meaning, or what Viktor Frankl calls in his book Man’s Search for Meaning “the existential vacuum.” The chimera is a feeble attempt to fill that vacuum.

Thirteen. The chimera is an inflamed passion that grows like a weed inside our brains and strangles our powers of reason. The endgame of a chimera is insanity.

Fourteen. Some people are freed from the bondage of their chimera only after long-term excruciating suffering that creates a crisis of such intensity that these people are forced to exorcise the chimera demon from their brain and start their lives from scratch and create a sound foundation that won’t allow for the invasions of subsequent chimeras.

Fifteen. Many people live disconnected from reality and navigate their lives inside a hall of many mirror-like chimeras, which define their existence as a perpetual illusion and somehow they muster a facade of being productive members of society even as their souls rot deep inside.

Examples of the Chimera in Fiction and Film:

The chimera’s devastation is shown with great power in “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The main character Dexter Green obsesses over Judy Jones whom he perceives to be the Ultimate Trophy Woman, and he sacrifices his sanity and life itself in his pursuit of her.

The comedy special Homecoming King on Netflix.

This theme of the chimera is also shown with great power in a masterfully played role by Julianne Moore, a hypochondriac in search of “purity,” in the 1995 Todd Haynes film Safe.

Yet another film that does a fantastic job of showing the destruction of the chimera is the 2018 Netflix film Private Life, starring Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn.

One of the most famous chimera films ever is the 1941 Orson Wells production of Citizen Kane.

Perhaps the best film I’ve seen in the last decade or so, Jordan Peele’s horror movie Get Out, exposes a secret white supremacy cult that treats African-Americans like chimerical beings, and this racist cult literally tries to steal what they perceive to be the essence from African-Americans.

The Purpose:

It is important for all of us to have a strong grasp of the chimera as it exists in fiction, cinema, and our own lives. Why? Because the chimera is a universal affliction that can sabotage even the smartest of us. A good way to think of the chimera is the saying, “Too close to the trees to see the forest,” meaning we often obsess over something so badly we fail to see the bigger picture, namely, that this obsession is doing two things: serving as a substitute for a deep need that is making us feel empty inside, and compelling us to engage in self-destructive, addictive behavior.

One effective way to understand the idea of the chimera is to think of it as an obsession that hijacks our brain, gets deep inside of us, and won’t let go, as we slowly twist and turn, and eventually succumb to madness. What’s crazy is that popular music of the last hundred years or so celebrates this descent into Crazy Town. The narrator of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper,” for example, is obsessed over what could have been and what will never be, and he’s pretty much toast.

As we study the power of the chimera in others and ourselves, we hopefully will develop a healthy skepticism of its allure and do our best to repel it.

The Method and Time Required

You are writing a cause and effect analysis essay. Therefore, you are asking these questions: “What made Character X’s brain such a potent breeding ground for receiving a chimera and then allowing the chimera to flourish? In other words, what were the causes behind Character X being so eager to embrace his or her chimera?

Then you are asking, how does this chimera manifest in various symptoms? In other words, what were the effects of this chimera?

By breaking down a chimera into its parts, you are analyzing its powers of self-destruction.

In essay writing when we breakdown something into parts, we call this exposition a cause and effect analysis or simply cause and effect.

In this essay assignment, you are using a cause and effect essay structure for your claim or thesis about the causes and effects of a chimera as a design structure for your essay.

To get more acquainted with a cause and effect essay structure and the kind of causation signal phrases you will be using, you might want to look at Urban English & Writing video “Cause and Effect Essays”:

Cause and Effect Essays

Another helpful video is by EssayPro called “How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay.”

How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay

A David Taylor video that shows how cause and effect analysis helps establish the “So what?” if your essay is titled “How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay.”

How to Write a Cause-Effect Essay

Structuring Your Essay with a Sample Outline:

Introduction Paragraph:

Since you are writing about the destructive effects of a chimera, your first paragraph should define the term chimera, provide its distinguishing characteristics, and you should flesh out your definition with a short, punchy example.

Instructions for an extended definition introductory paragraph:

In an extended definition paragraph, do the following:

One. Write a single-sentence definition of the term.

A single-sentence definition contains the term, the class, and its defining characteristics.

Then flesh out those distinguishing characteristics with examples.

Example: Narcissism

Narcissism is a psychological disease in which the narcissist suffers from exaggerated grandiosity, an insatiable appetite for other people’s admiration, and an utter disregard for other people’s needs.

Breaking it down:

Narcissism is the term.

Psychological disease is the class.

Exaggerated grandiosity, an insatiable appetite for other people’s admiration, and an utter disregard for other people’s needs.

After the single-sentence definition, flesh out the definition with an example.

Narcissism is a psychological disease in which the narcissist suffers from exaggerated grandiosity, an insatiable appetite for other people’s admiration, and an utter disregard for other people’s needs. For example, I know a narcissistic couple, both nurses at the same hospital, who obsessively work out at the gym and take highly edited photos of each other posing in gardens, forests, and pastures, and they post these photos for their half million Instagram followers. This couple is addicted to Instagram fame, but deep down their lives are empty and full of rot and despair. Even their relationship is a hollow artifice defined by the constant thirst for adulation, a mask they feebly wear to conceal their sorrows.

Sample Conclusion for the Narcissistic Couple (go full circle)

As I write this, the Instagram Couple remains imprisoned by their narcissistic urges, in bondage to vanity, incapable of self-reflection, and marching blindly toward a path leading to misery and despair.

Apply the above to the chimera.

So what is a chimera? Write a single-sentence definition with the class and distinguishing characteristics. Flesh out your paragraph with a gut-punching anecdote or example you’ve seen.

Your Second Paragraph: Your Claim about the Destructive Nature of the Chimera:

Your second paragraph, your claim, will show your essay’s purpose: To show how the chimera took root in a character and flourished as the character descended more and more into madness.

Sample thesis structure:

Character X fell prey to the chimera because of ____________ and _________, and this resulted in ______________, ______________, _________________ and ____________________.

Your Body Paragraphs:

You might devote two paragraphs to the causes of the chimera and another three paragraphs to its effects. This is just a suggestion. You can arrange your paragraphs as you see fit.

Writing Your Conclusion

Your conclusion is about creating emotional power and finding a way to reiterate your essay’s purpose in order to maximize the strength of your persuasion.

Since you want emotional power in your conclusion, you want to avoid cliches or overused (hackneyed) conclusion structures.

Some conclusion transitions to avoid:

In conclusion,

As you can now clearly see,

Before we get out of here let me just say,

To wrap things up,

Just in case you forgot,

To sum up what I just said,

Sorry for this lousy essay, but just in case you didn’t understand what I was saying,

Effective Conclusion Strategies:

Use the “full circle” technique. If you begin with a story or image in your introduction, return to that story or image in your conclusion.

End on a rhetorical question.

End with a gut-punching quotation.

End with an indelible image.

End with a dire warning.

End with a universal truth that applies to your specific argument.

End with an emotionally-powerful restatement of your thesis.

Works Cited

After your conclusion, you will cite a minimum of 4 sources on a separate page for Works Cited using current MLA format as explained in this these videos:

Purdue OWL video for Word

Purdue OWL video for Google Docs.

For MLA format, I recommend the following:

Jason Morgan’s video:

Formatting a paper in MLA style

Title for Your Essay

Make sure your essay has a strong title. Avoid a generic title like “The Chimera” or “Essay.” Try to have a catchy title that is relevant to your focus.

Love Is the Drug

Impoverishment Through Substitution

My Chimera Is My Disease

You get the idea.

Time Needed for the Assignment

Of course, everyone is different, but estimating the time based on the assigned videos, supplementary material, note taking, first draft of a 1,200 word essay of about 6 or 7 paragraphs, making a Works Cited page, and then rewriting your draft for correct grammar, spelling, and format, I would say that over the course of 4 weeks you could very well spend 16 hours, or 4 hours a week, to get this essay to a polished state that is ready to upload.

Content Resources:

Your main sources are the following:

The short story “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Optional Sources If You Don’t Choose “Winter Dreams”

Hasan Minhaj’s comedy special on Netflix, Homecoming King, in which Minhaj pursues “The Great White Princess.” What were the causes and effects behind Minhaj’s obsession with “The Great White Princess”?

The 1995 Todd Haynes film Safe in which a suburban housewife, Carol Wife, goes on an obsessive search for Safety and Purity. What are the causes and effects of Carol’s search for Safety and Purity?

The 2018 Netflix film Private Life, starring Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn, in which they play a frustrated couple who fail at their repeated attempts at conceiving a baby. What are the causes and effects of the couple’s obsession with having a baby? In what ways is having a baby a chimera for this couple? What kinds of problems does this couple think the baby chimera will solve?

The 1941 film Citizen Kane in which Charles Foster Kane amasses wealth and material objects as a substitute for his obsession with what he lost in his childhood: unconditional love (“Rosebud”). What are the causes and effects of Charles Foster Kane’s obsession?

The 2017 Jordan Peele horror film Get Out in which the white supremacy cult in the movie don’t see African-Americans as human beings but rather as chimerical beings, part superhuman, part subservient, part inferior, and part resource to be exploited and used for their own sinister purposes.

Other sources from credible sites, including Library Database.

You will want a total of 4 sources, so use 3 more credible sources of your choice.

How Points Are Earned on This Assignment

Essay 1 has a maximum 200 points. You earn points through the following:

One. Meaningful thesis statement that generates compelling body paragraphs of an argumentative thesis or claim and a strong exposition driven by a distinct writing voice (authorial presence). This thesis produces meaningful content and a powerful writing voice that passes the “So what?” question, meaning that the writing matters, is significant, and elevates the reader to a higher understanding about an urgent topic. 80 points maximum.

Two. Clear organizational design, also called an expository mode, that has a logical sequence and follows Toulmin Argument Model. 40 points.