College of San Mateo Societal Oppression and Brutality Essay
Essay Three: The Nickel Boys AnalysisESSAY DUE DATE: December 18th, 2020MINIMUM LENGTH: 3-4 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 font (minimum 750 words)ASSIGNMENT: For this essay, you should utilize Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys for your analysis. Do not consultsecondary sources or other previously written essays for ideas or theories. You may, though, briefly refer to academic sources pertaining to civil rights and/or social justice. This is not necessary or required, it is simply an option. Use the material we have discussed in class, my suggested talking points, and the literary analysis techniques we learned if you need to. You may need to re-read sections of the book and/or refer to your notes, vocab, or quizzes as you go.Your essay should address one of the following prompt:Discuss Whitehead’s use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other literary devices as a means to send particular thematic messages within the narrative of The Nickel Boys. Discuss Whitehead's treatment of truth, lies, and hypocrisy within the text of The Nickel Boys.What is Whitehead's message regarding the actions people must take in order to combat systematic racism built into the fabric of the United States? How is the topic of political activism treated within The Nickel Boys and how does its treatment relate to the novel's depicted messages?Analyze the interplay between the resolution of The Nickel Boys and one of the novel's main messages. How does Whitehead make connections between these elements and how does their juxtaposition help them get across one main message of the novel?What message does Whitehead send within the pages of The Nickel Boys concerning the link between oppression and brutality?Alternatively, you may also choose your own prompt as long as A) It pertains to literary technique and B) You have it approved by me.Go through the novel and take note of how the author uses narrative, character, setting, symbolism, other elements, to convey ideas. As you write your analysis, employ as many of the literary terms introduced in class. Be sure to include the following techniques, terms, elements, and/or tools.Some of those the literary terms that you will need to be familiar with to analyze these texts:Construct a thesis that indicates a) your focus, and b) the relation of that focus to the book as a whole. For example, a thesis for “A Good Man is Hard to Find” might be: Characterization and irony help convey O’Connor’s theme that perhaps men should first be good men themselves rather than judging others. For “The Storm,” a thesis might be: “The symbolic meanings of the storm are clear, but what is less clear is to whom those meanings should be applied and thus the characterization and irony in the story correlates directly to the title of the work.” Though not as obvious as the first thesis, the second thesis would focus on narrative/POV and characterization.Also note that there is some latitude in assigning meaning to a short story. What I see as the major theme may be different than what you see. The important criterion to keep in mind is: Can you prove it? Therefore, you need a thesis because you are arguing for your interpretation of the story. The thesis should not be so obvious that your reader will say “so what?” Don’t settle for trite generalizations. Instead, make a statement which indicates thought and depth, and which requires support and proof. Your goal should be to illuminate for the readers some point that they might not have noticed upon first reading the story.Find evidence in the text to support your thesis, and organize the rest of your essay around these quotations and examples. Do not rely on generalizations about or paraphrases of the story to convince your reader, but provide specific evidence and discuss the importance of that evidence for your thesis. Please note: you should not insert huge chunks of quotes in your paper and count that against your minimum page length. Roughly 80% of the paper should be your own words and thoughts.Don’t just end your essay, conclude it. Sum up, reinforce your argument so that the readers see that your evidence does support your thesis. (WITHOUT INTRODUCING ANY NEW IDEAS)FORMAT AND CONVENTIONS: 1) The titles of books are italicized in academic essays. 2) Follow direct quotations with the author’s name (not the title) and page numbers from your text, in parentheses. Close the quotation marks before the citation; put the end punctuation after it. For example: “Thus she passed from generation to generation—dear, inescapable, impervious, tranquil, perverse” (Faulkner 31). 3) Always write about literature in the present tense. 4) Your essay should be analytical, thus you should not waste too much of your time with plot summary. 5) Your paper should be typed, double–spaced, 12 point font. In the upper left-hand corner of your first page, include: Your last name and page number 6) Your essay should have a creative title. Not just ‘Essay 2’ or ‘Short Story Analysis.’ Use a creative and informative title or else have the decency to make it funny like “Essay 2: The Fellowship of the Essay”It is important to write succinctly. DO NOT JUST RE-TELL THE STORY. DO NOT risk plagiarism – if you use information from a textbook, then you must cite that information correctly – the Norton Anthology discusses how to write a paper, including how to document outside sources; Do not write a plot outline—this assignment is to analyze: what is the author “saying” to the reader. What literary techniques and conventions does he or she use to say it? What is the “point” of the story? Does it show us anything worthwhile about people or about life? Keep your discussion focused on analyzing how the literature works within the story.ESSAY DUE DATE: December 18th, 2020 (midnight)This is going to be a strict due date. It is the last day of class and thus I am very limited in the materials I can handle after the class concludes.