Assignment: Write a short essay (1000 words) that defends a thesis you developed through a close critical reading/analysis of one (or two) literary works listed in Chapter 23 Poems For Further Reading in your Backpack Literature text starting on page 607 and supported by at least one secondary source. This essay relies mainly on textual support from the primary text but includes at least one secondary source that supports/sustains the student’s argument. Do not confuse “critical analysis” with “plot summary”; the goal is to develop, sustain, and advance a thesis based on a critique of the primary text but supported in part by at least one secondary source. What you’ll be graded upon:15% Introduction: You establish a context for the significance of your thesis in regard to the literary work as a whole. How does your argument contribute to understanding the author’s major literary/thematic concerns? What can other readers learn from your analysis? How does your analysis/critique fit in with other critical responses of the author/literary work?15% Thesis: You state your main point (or argument) in 1-2 sentences; the thesis is the culmination of your introduction.30% Organization: Your essay should follow that of typical literary critiques:Since your focus must be on analyzing some literary motif, theme, or a combination of literary elements (such as symbolism, character, setting, etc.), your essay must contain well-structured supporting paragraphs that contain a topic sentence, quotes from the primary text, at least one quote from a secondary source, an explanation/discussion of the significance of the quotes you use in relation to your thesis, and a concluding sentence or two that situates the entire paragraph in relation to the thesis. Your thesis will focus on some kind of critical analysis of the primary text, so your supporting paragraphs should contain quotes from the text that illustrate your thesis/argument; in addition, you should include at least one quote from a secondary source to support your argument. Your supporting paragraphs should be organized around each of the quotes you use, explaining the significance of the quotes and why (or how) they illustrate your main point, but you also need to make sure that your paragraphs contain strong transitions and at least six (or more) sentences.10% Conclusion: Regardless of the argument you make, you want a conclusion that avoids summarizing what you’ve just said, and please avoid writing, “In conclusion.…” Your aim in a conclusion is to place the discussion in a larger context. For example, how might your critical analysis of a literary character relate to the other characters in a work? How might your thesis be applied to other aspects of the text, say for example, setting or symbolism?15% Grammar and mechanics: Your paper avoids basic grammar mistakes, such as dropped apostrophes in possessives, subject/verb disagreement, arbitrary tense switches, etc. The paper demonstrates a commitment to proofreading by avoiding easy-to-catch typos and word mistakes (effect for affect, for example). The paper adheres to MLA formatting style for in-text and bibliographic citations.15% Presentation: Your paper meets the minimum length criteria of 1000 words, is typed with a title and your name on it. You follow your individual professor’s instructions for formatting (margins, placement of the name, etc).PreviousNext

There are 3 different discussion post. Please respond to each one.1. There were many issues mentioned in regards to the institutionalization of people with intellectual disabilities. Some included living conditions, who they were housed with, and separation of men and women. The number of people in institutions was on the rise during the 1890s-1920s. During the 1890s, the institutions were averaging about 250 people per institution, then during the 1900s it increased to an average of 500 people per institution. Throughout these times, people in the institutions were given low-level care and due to overcrowded, a lot of the people slept on the floors and spent their time in their rooms. Another issue that was mentioned was farm colonies, although the purchasing of land and abandoned farm houses helped with the overcrowding of institutions, people with mental disabilities were required to work for hard physical labor without being paid. I think that what society likes to do is conceptualize a lot of the history that people have actually went through for their own benefit. An example of this can be seen in numerous tv shows and movies that we interact with. One show that came into mind was Teen Wolf. In the show there is a mental institution that one of the characters was sent to. She and numerous other patients were treated poorly and as if they were like a foreign object by the workers of the institution. They were called names, treated as if they weren't able to comprehend instructions, and were separated into different sections regarding their disability. This in particular reminded me of the colony plan, where they developed separation between each disability (i.e. epileptic colony). The terminology that was used to describe people with mental disability often shows how surface level society saw people during those times, and continues to see people til this day. People who were 'normal' named people with disabilities: imbeciles, idiots, fools, etc. Society dehumanized people with disabilities and treated them as if they were burdens to everyone including their own family. After reading that article, I thought that it partially related to farm colonies. At the time, "inmates" would work tirelessly everyday with absolutely no pay making sure that the farm was producing enough dairy products and food in order to sustain a large population. John Christopher Smith would work tirelessly for 100 hours a week with no pay at a buffet restaurant and would be punished/tortured if he wasn't moving at the speed the restaurant owner liked. He also had very poor living conditions and was forced to live in basically an office with a bed. The living conditions that he had to face was somewhat similar to the living conditions to people with disabilities way back when. 2. Two issues identified throughout the readings in regards to the institutionalization of people with an intellectual disability are poverty and ridicule. Just like in the readings, unemployment was prevalent for the disabled. These people lived in squalor conditions. They were sent to live in asylums or thrown away as babies. They were left begging on the street for food and lived there as well. In today's world, the majority of the unemployed are people with disabilities. Some people with disabilities live below the poverty line. They are homeless and often depend on the government or the kindness of strangers for intervention. Just like the disabled in the Middle Ages were ridiculed, so are the disabled today. They are made fun of because of how they look, sound, or speak. But unlike the Middle Ages, the disabled today have laws that protect them from discrimination in the workplace, school, and public buildings. However, there were no laws that prevented the mentally disabled people in Willowbrook from their appalling conditions. The video showed children and adults walking around naked, lying in their own feces, doing absolutely nothing. It wasn't a learning environment, instead, it was a place for the mentally disabled to sit around looking pitiful, and thrive on diseases. In the readings and the videos, the word mentally retarded was used constantly. Although it meant to define a person with a mental disability, the connotation was that the person was unable to learn basic skills such as toileting, self-care, reading, writing, and life skills. Society viewed these people as second-class citizens based on the term retarded. Today, we know better. People who have intellectual disabilities are capable of learning basic life skills and some are able to read, write, and do mathematical calculations. It all depends on the individual and the level of training. After reading the article, "S.C. Man Pleads Guilty To Enslaving Mentally Disabled Man", it related to the mentality of the people from the past. Mr. Edwards treated Mr. Smith differently because he wasn't able to speak up for himself and because Mr. Smith needed him for shelter, food, and labor. There is no way he would have treated anyone else that way who wasn't disabled. Mr. Smith was a victim of abuse just like the victims at Willowbrook, Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, the early 19th century, and the 20th century. As for Mr. Edwards, I hope he gets what he deserves in prison and is able to pay restitution to Mr. Smith for all of his wrongdoings.3. (SHAN)1) Discuss two issues identified throughout the readings in regard to the institutionalization of people with an intellectual disability.Institutions are always overcrowded and understaffed. Every type of school or training facility or institution mentioned in the reading, this was always a problem. In the video, it mentioned 1-3 staff for every 70 people. Imagine the inadequate care that would be. I have a class of 3 individuals with severe intellectual disabilities and will have challenges without an assistant. 70-1 ratio is unafathomable.2) Discuss some parallels to these issues that can been seen currently in our society.I must say I see parallels in my own school compared to past times. We have a special ed "wing" at our school. All the autism and life skills classes are in one part of the building. While they may go out to other classes, this wing of the building is not frequented by general education students and therefore causes segregation common of the past. 3) Discuss what terminology related to intellectual disability implies about societal views.Because I have come late to the discussion, the terminology has mostly been discussed. I would agree with my colleagues in the fact that all the terminology used creates a negative societal view. The word "retarded" or "mentally retarded was used as nearly at 1999 when I moved to Clark County to begin teaching. This was still one of the boxes on the IEP to check. It has since been replaced, but I believe it takes time for these views to be changed.4) How does the following article about a fairly current event relate to the readings reviewing historical treatment and perspectives of intellectual disability? S.C. Man Pleads Guilty To Enslaving Mentally Disabled Man (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)Oh, this article reminded me of one of the letter on the website. I believe it was a doctor that was trying to get a child into a study or institution. He wrote that the child was such a challenge to the parents, that the child had to be locked in the basement when the father was away from home. While the child in this scenario was not forced to work, he was forced into being a prisoner because his family could not handle him. The views have remained similar over time and unfortunately, still remain today in some people and populations.