girl named maria ” H u m a n i t i e s

Prompt:

• In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus states that “… it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird” (119). For your Midterm Essay, you are to answers two parts:
  • first, define what a Mockingbird means in this context;
  • second, choose a character from To Kill a Mockingbird, a character from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and any characters from any of the ISM readings from your Week 5 Compare/Contrast Essay who represent the innocence of mockingbirds.
  • You only need TWO mockingbirds. They can come from both novels, the articles, or a combination of a novel and an article.
• You are to state why they are Mockingbirds. You must use the context from the novels/articles to support this. There have to be reasons in the books/articles why you chose these two characters.
• How are the two mockingbirds similar and/or different? Be sure to cover this in the thesis.
• You need at least one in-text citation from each of the readings to further support your claim/your stance for your characters. You need at least four in-text citations. Refer to the Requirements.

Possible Essay Format:

• (You do not have to follow this format, though.)
• .Introductory Paragraph
  • Introduce the characters.
  • Define what a mockingbird is according to Lee’s novel.
  • A thesis that clearly states what the essay is about.
• Body par. #1
  • Topic sentence
  • Support for the first mockingbird
    • Be sure that you support and give enough context so that someone who has not read the novel/article will be able to understand why you chose this person as a mockingbird.
• Body par. #2
  • Topic sentence
  • Support for the second mockingbird
    • Same as above
• Body par. #3
  • Topic sentence
  • How are these mockingbirds different/similar?
• Conclusion par.
• Works Cited page.
  • Be sure that this is on its own page.
  • It does not go directly after the essay is completed.

Requirements:

• Due by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 18.
• The essay should contain at least 1000 words. This does not include the words from the Works Cited page.
• Remember to include at least one in-text citation for each of the characters. There must be a total of four in-text citations. They must come from at least two different sources.
• Use the back of the Patterns book, Purdue Owl, or email me if you have any questions regarding MLA.
• At the bottom of your initial thread, include your Works Cited.
• I will also be looking at grammar/mechanics very closely, so you may want to have someone edit your post before submitting it. For the remainder of the semester, all writing will be expected to be at a higher level.

Readings:

1. Brent Staples, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” from Patterns on pages 240-243.
2. Deborah L. Rhode, “Why Looks Are the Last Bastion of Discrimination” from Patterns on pages 246-250.
3. Judith Ortiz Cofer, “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria” from Patterns on pages 230-235.
4. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.
5. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.