Humanities Homework Help

Important- Your posts must address Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo. Please see the Discussions section of our syllabus for directions. If you do not have a topic in mind, you may wish to consider ONE of the following:

1) How does magical realism function in this work? What role does it play in the text and in the lives of the characters?

2) Consider the role of Indigo’s dolls. How does the role change and what does this shift reflect?

3) What kind of a childhood does Indigo have? How might losing a father have impacted Indigo and her family environment? Who serves as an “othermother,” or supplementary maternal influence, for Indigo? 

4) What kind of a suitor is Leroy? How, broadly, does Shange paint men? 

5) How does Mama seem to regard assimilation and Afrocentrism? To what extent does this text embrace/promote feminist values?

*As you draft your discussion post, I recommend that you use this checklist:

Before you submit your work, ensure that you have:

1) Clearly explained your points and met the minimum word count

2) Included support (direct quotations or cited paraphrases) 

3) Carefully proofread your work

I cannot stress enough the need to provide textual support. Including support is an easy way to ensure that you do not lose valuable points.

AFAS/ENGL/GWS 342 Essay 3

Essays evaluate your engagement with the themes and texts of this course. Select ONE of the posted prompts OR develop and respond to your own prompt. If you choose to respond to your own prompt, you must include the prompt above your response. Your essay must be 1,000+ words. Your essay must offer and support an argument related to the prompt you select/develop. If you elect to generate your own prompt, your prompt must address Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo.

Regardless of what you choose to argue, your essay must remain focused on the work under study. Your essay must incorporate textual support from at least TWO sources (support from the primary text AND one scholarly source). While you are free to include additional sources, your essay should balance analysis and support.

Your essay must present a compelling, coherent, and specific thesis that is consistently and thoroughly developed. I hope that you will see this as an opportunity to exhibit creativity and critical thinking. Your essay must support assertions with relevant examples from the texts. Summarizing the readings or relying on personal reaction will result in a lowered score or a grade of zero. Your essay should not offer plot summary but should instead present a debatable assertion that is situated in the introduction and supported throughout the essay. Failure to meet the minimum word count and/or incorporate the required number and type of sources will result in a significant grade reduction. Your work will be graded on the quality of your ideas as well as your writing. Criteria for grading include completeness, thoughtfulness, and development and support of a particular argument.

Works Cited entries do not count towards the minimum word count. Per the plagiarism policy, you must cite ideas that are not your own. Your essay must include proper MLA in-text citations, proper formatting, and a Works Cited page. Your work must be submitted to the proper Assignment folder by the respective deadline. Work must be submitted in .doc, .docx, or PDF format. Work submitted in alternate formats will be considered late (and lose one letter grade per 24-hour period) until resubmitted in the proper format.

Prompts:

1) What does this text have to say about procreation, maternity, and/or motherhood? What role does motherhood, or lack thereof, play in this novel? What kind of a mother figure is Mama?

2) Discuss how the god-like forces of gender and race function in Shange’s work. In what ways does this text reinforce gender roles? How, overall, does this novel depict race and race relations?

3) What role does creative expression play in this novel? What specific benefits do music, dancing, and/or weaving provide? How, if at all, does creative expression afford healing?

4) In what ways is Indigo in a position of exile? What kind of a childhood does she have? Who serves as an “othermother,” or supplementary maternal influence, for her and what do they teach her?

5) What function do the recipes play in Shange’s text? How, textually, do they work? Why might Shange include them?