"Somebody" Synthesis Prompt

“Somebody” Synthesis Essay
Due Wednesday, January 11^th 

Task: In Alice Walker’s 1970 novel, The Color Purple, when Mr. _________ discovers that Celie is leaving him to strike out on her own, he declares, “You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddamn, he say, you nothing at all” (Walker 206). Based on several of our in class readings, your personal observations and experience, and your independent research, write an essay in which you answer the question, “What does it mean to be somebody in America?” and / or “How does one become somebody in America?”

Support your claim with direct quotations from multiple texts (a minimum of five sources from class or independent research), properly formatted in MLA style.

Typed. Double Spaced. Twelve point. No blank lines between paragraphs, except to indicate a major shift in tone or setting. Four - seven pages. Don’t forget a title.

Required:

·      Underline and label examples of three different rhetorical strategies. 
·      A minimum of two synthesis paragraphs. 
·      A minimum of five sources. 
·      A minimum of two sources from independent research. 
·      Properly formatted Works Cited Page.

Suggested: Define “a somebody” without referring to the dictionary. Consider exemplification and analogy as powerful tools for definition.

Audience: 1) The editor of a nationally published magazine. 2) The well-educated readers of that magazine. 3) Yourself.

Purpose: 1) To explore the definition of success in America. 2) To explore strategies for achieving success in America. 3) To explore the relationship between identity and success. 4) To suggest a plan of action for the future.

How to approach this paper:

·      Develop an opinion on this subject. 
·      Gather evidence (from our texts and from research) to support your opinion. This is an argument; therefore, personal experience is valid evidence and first person is an acceptable POV (when used effectively). 
·      Create clear, defensible topic sentences. 
·      Draft paragraphs with two quotations to support your topic sentences. 
·      Draft paragraphs with an eye towards ethos, pathos, and logos. 
·      Proofread to ensure your quotations are properly formatted and cited. For this essay, “you will need to include the author’s name in your parenthetical citation” (Kline 1). 
·      Create your Works Cited page.