Choose from any of the prompts below. Don’t feel obligated to answer every question within the prompt, rather use the questions as spring boards for developing your own angle

• “A&P” :  Describe Sammy’s observations about the girls, Lengel, the store, and his community tell us about him.  How does the way he speaks affect the reader’s opinion of him?  Explain why, considering the type of person he is, he feels compelled to quit at the end of the story
• “Everyday Use”: Discuss the contrasts between Maggie’s/Mrs. Johnson’s and Wangero’s views of heritage from the major theme of “Everyday Use.”  Explain how their views differ and why.  Why has Wangero changed her feelings about the objects in her mother’s home? Discuss the different values that each character places on the household objects Wangero now wants.
• You may also develop your own writing angle/focus regarding one of the two stories we’ve read thus far. However, I would recommend brainstorming a few ideas with me before you jump into your assignment.

Whichever method you choose, you’ll want to develop an essay fully supporting your thesis.

Your essay will be graded on:

An introductory paragraph that leads into your thesis statement

A specific thesis statement, stating   the overall main idea of your essay

Each body paragraph   should be focused on one main supporting point (topic sentence)

Integrate all quotes   (see integration document) and cite them by author’s last name and page   number in the parenthetical reference, e.g. (Walker 308).

DON’T RETELL THE   STORY–organize your essay by idea, not by order of events in the   story. Your best bet is to consciously not organize your paper in a   chronological fashion, but rather to organize climactically based on the   perceived strength of the ideas in the paragraph.

Remember that this is   a persuasive paper; you must not only cite evidence from the story to   support your claims, but also explain HOW those citations illustrate   your point.

A conclusion including: a summary, a   restated thesis, and a final thought  

A title that fits your essay

Good editing to eliminate errors in spelling, grammar,   punctuation, and sentence structure

Roughly 800-1,200   words. You MUST have at least five paragraphs, preferably more.

Proper format (typed,   double-spaced, titled, stapled)