Discussion I: Petry’s “Like a Winding Sheet” and Hurston’s “Sweat” 

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Discussion Forum Guidelines:

Students will post an entry on the discussion board in response to a writing prompt. Posts should be thoughtful and original. Since this is a college course, students should eschew (not use) personal responses such as “I liked it” or “it made me feel” for critical engagement. Ideally, these posts should lead students to read actively instead of passively, help them prepare for class discussion, and allow students to practice their writing in a low-pressure environment. I will sometimes use responses in class to initiate and structure in-class discussions. Forum posts are due on the assigned dates specified.

The posts will be graded on word count—presuming that the entries are coherent, thoughtful, carefully written, and show sufficient effort and evidence of reading—students will receive 25 points for a completed post above 200 words; 20 points for a completed post above 150 words; 15 points for a completed post above 100 words; 10 points for a completed post above 75 words; 5 points for a completed post above 50 words; and 0-4 points for a post below 50 words. Posts that are poorly written (grammar, mechanics, punctuation), incoherent, plagiarized or not documented will receive lower point totals than indicated by this baseline. Use one of the articles from the list for documentation. NO LONG QUOTES!

Having read Ann Petry’s “Like a Winding Sheet” and Hurston’s “Sweat,” write a response to the following prompt adhering to the Discussion Forum guidelines (see course syllabus). 

Prompt: “Like a Winding Sheet” and “Sweat” cover a wide range of themes to depict the cultural experiences and strugles of Black women. There is no question that Black women have a complex historical and contemporary relationship with spousal abuse within the United States. This is often captured in the works of Black women’s literature, in this case, “Like a Winding Sheet” and “Sweat.” With this in mind, your charge is to address how the titles of each story can be applied to defining the identities of the female characters.

Pointers: Posts that are poorly written (grammar, mechanics, punctuation), incoherent, plagiarized or not documented will receive lower point totals than indicated by the baseline. 

Documentation: Remember to be specific displaying effort and evidence of reading the selection with two examples of in-text parenthetical citation. You must demonstrate your skill in using a citation with the author’s name in the text and a citation with the author’s name not in the text. One source from the list of articles (See Week 6) and one from the assigned play. DO NOT USE LONG QUOTES!