Writing assignment 5 is in the form of a competition. All students will develop the same topic.
The winner of the competition is the student:
- who makes the best arguments
- who is the most convincing
- who expresses his or herself with the most clarity and
- who employs the most sophisticated language
Macro Topic: Women and Society
Micro Topic: The narrator in When I Was Puerto Rican often points out that she is very different from her mother. However, your instructor is not convinced that Negi is really as different from her mother as she wants to believe (or wants the reader to believe). You need to take a stance:
- Write a thesis statement indicating whether you think the two characters are different (or not).
- Defend your opinion (thesis) by using quotes and referring to specific scenes from Esmeralda Santiago's novel.
- Also reference the Wikis that your classmates have posted on BlackBoard. For example, write: "As Joseph points out on his Wiki, …"
The following questions will be used by your instructor to select a winner*:
- What type of role model is the mother to Negi?
- Is she a positive or negative influence in Negi's life?
- How does the mother express love?
- Is the mother supportive of her daughter?
- Who supports the mother?
- What could the mother have done differently during Negi's upbringing?
- How do you think a different upbringing (from the one she has) would have affected Negi's life?
- Was the mother a victim of her circumstances?
- Was Negi a victim of her own circumstances?
- What cultural elements did you learn from reading about Negi's relationship with her mother?
*Winning the competition will not affect the grade the student receives for the assignment. I employ the "competition" conceit only to provide students with a different approach towards writing a particular essay. The prize might simply be a brief celebration during class in honor of the winner. (Maybe a small pizza or smoothie party. I'm open to suggestions.)
¡Buena suerte! (Good Luck)
