Position paper an article about the book Their Eyes Where Watching God Assignments | Get Paper Help

Position Paper Assignment Sheet

A position paper is an essay that identifies claims and arguments surrounding an issue. You will often be asked to compose papers that do this; it is a fundamental part of conversation surrounding any number of topics and a necessary skill in academic and professional writing. Composing a position paper asks you to carefully consider all sides of an issue before choosing one.

In preparation for this essay, you will read secondary articles based on Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Suggested Secondary Sources:

http://libguides.aacc.edu/theireyeswerewatchinggod (Links to an external site.)

Dollard, John. “The Dozens: Dialectic of Insult.” Mother Wit From the Laughing Barrel, edited by Alan Dundes, UP of Mississippi, 1990, pp. 277-294.

Gates, Henry Louis. “Introduction: Narration and Cultural Memory in the African-American Tradition.” Talk That Talk, edited by Linda Goss and Marian E. Barnes, Touchstone, Simon and Schuster, 1989.

Haurykiewicz, Julie A.”From Mules to Muliebrity: Speech and Silence in Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The Southern Literary Journal, vol. 29, no. 2, spring 1997, pp 45 +.

Hurston, Zora Neale. “My People! My People!” Mother Wit From the Laughing Barrel, edited by Alan Dundes, UP of Mississippi, 1990, pp. 22-33.

King, Sigrid. “Naming and Power in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Critical Essays on Zora Neale Hurston, edited by Gloria L. Cronin, G.K. Hall & Co., 1998.

McKay, Nellie. “ ‘Crayon Enlargements of Life’: Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God as Autobiography.” New Essays on Their Eyes Were Watching God, edited by Michael Awkward, Cambridge UP, 1991.

Ong, Walter J. “Some Psychodynamics of Orality.” Ch. 3 of Orality and Literacy, by Ong, Routledge, 1982.

Washington, Mary Helen. “I Love the Way Janie Crawford Left Her Husbands.” Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Casebook, edited by Cheryl A. Wall, Oxford UP, 2000.

—-. “Zora Neale Hurston: A Woman Half in Shadow.” Introduction of I Love Myself When I Am Laughing…, edited by Alice Walker, The Feminist Press at CUNY, 1979.

You have also, at this point, finished reading Their Eyes Were Watching God. Using your reading of the articles and novel, you will take a position on EITHER A CONTEXTUAL ISSUE RELATED TO THE PRIMARY TEXT OR A CRITICAL ISSUE BROUGHT UP ABOUT THE PRIMARY TEXT. A successful paper will identify the claim being made, analyze the reasons one would use to support that claim, identify concessions and counterarguments, and reiterate the claim. Some of your evidence for the position paper can come from Their Eyes Were Watching God; you should also include specific and pointed examples and analysis from the secondary text.

Just as in Essay #1, you will follow the classical model, keeping in mind the standards of academic discourse: implement MLA style, avoid first person, and actively engage with the primary and secondary texts. Each body paragraph should contain at least two references to the primary (the novel) and/or secondary (the article) material.

Some questions you might consider:

What is the central claim of the secondary source? Evaluate it. Why would it be supported? What are some possible counter-arguments? Do you agree or disagree with the claim?
[Author of secondary text] argues [quote or argument of secondary text]. How does this reading inform [new question building off of quote or argument]?
Evaluate the rhetorical structure of the secondary source. Has the author supported their claim adequately? How? How could it have been stronger? Consider the organizational structure, evidence, and use of rhetorical appeals.
 

Requirements:

All essays should follow the Classical Model
There are several assignments that help scaffold the overall process: a Thesis Statement Workshop, an Outline, an Introduction Workshop, a Conclusion Workshop, a Draft, and the final essay. Each stage must be submitted by the date indicated in the individual assignment.
The final paper at least 1200 Words 5-7 pages NOT including your Works Cited Page
Any sources must be attributed and cited properly in MLA format, including in-text citations and a Works Cited page.
Using external sources beyond what has been provided is not recommended and, in fact, strongly discouraged. The use of ANY external sources must be approved before use in your essay. Any use of unapproved sources will result in a failing grade for this essay.