English paper 2
Project 2: Entering the Conversation
Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about. In fact, the discussion had already begun long before any of them got there, so that no one present is qualified to retrace for you all the steps that had gone before. You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers; you answer him; another comes to your defense; another aligns himself against you, to either the embarrassment or gratification of your opponent, depending upon the quality of your ally's assistance. However, the discussion is interminable. The hour grows late, you must depart. And you do depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress.
—Kenneth Burke
Assignment
The authors we have read thus far (and will continue to read for the rest of the quarter) offer interesting views about language. For instance, Anzaldua speaks about the connections between language and identity. She contests the traditional view of Chicano Spanish as being incorrect as she believes that it is a “living language,” constantly changing/evolving alongside those who speak it. Fish, on the other hand, laments the lost of art of “speaking and writing precisely and with attention to grammatical form.” Unlike Anzaldua, even though Fish thinks language is “not unchanging,” he believes that language has a fixed structure and that (grammatical) correctness is still very important. Both Fish and Anzaldua see the nature of language quite differently from each other.
For Project 2, you are to “enter the conversation” about language that the authors we’ve read in class have long been engaged with by writing a researched argument that explores the significance of language in people’s lives. For instance, you may offer your views about language and identity Or, you may examine language and prejudice. In writing your essay, draw on the texts (at least 2) we’ve read in class + one more you found on your own to help frame your argument.
In drafting your essay, make sure that you:
Provide (textual) evidence to support your claims
Be organized in such a way that the reader can follow along without having to figure out where you are going
Be polished and edited so that your readers understands what you are discussing and is not distracted
Important
You’re more likely to write an effective text if you take time to get feedback from other writers. Thus, you are required to work with a writing center tutor for this assignment.
In order to build your vocabulary, you need to incorporate two new words from our list into your essay.
You may “package” your paper in either MLA/APA format. (We will talk about this some more in class.)
Dates to Remember (see course calendar)
First Draft:
Second Draft:
Final Draft:
Last day to go to the writing center for credit:
