Paper 5

Assignment: Write a paper on A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass based on one of the essay questions listed below.                     

Research: You should not do any research for this paper. In fact, I expect you to use your own ideas and perceptions of the novel.  You may use your cards and notes taken in class as long as information on the cards or notes did not come from outside sources such as Cliff Notes or an Internet website. You must, however, use a minimum of three quotations (with citations) from the novel to support your ideas.

Contents:  Below are essay questions you might choose from to develop your paper.  Choose one question.

A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

  1. Write an essay analyzing at least three of Frederick Douglass’s arguments against the institution of slavery.  Examine how Douglass develops these arguments and what makes these arguments effective discourse.

  2.  Write an essay analyzing the various personas Frederick Douglass assumes in his autobiography in order to authenticate his narrative.  These include the slave child/narrator, writer/interpreter of events, and orator/rhetorician.  How does Douglass establish ethos and appeal to the reader’s pathos and logos?

  3. Write an essay tracing the personal development of Frederick Douglass as it relates to the subject of literacy. (While you will most likely discuss these stages in his development in chronological order, be careful not to simply summarize each stage.)  What does he realize about himself and how do these realizations contribute to his own awareness of his identity?

  4. Write an essay exploring Douglass’s claim that a slave’s survival in a world of tricksters is dependent upon the slave’s ability to play the game of trickery.

  5. Write an essay that examines Douglass’s use of chiasmus as not only a rhetorical strategy used to emphasize key points throughout his narrative, but also as a strategy that mirrors the very structure of the narrative.  In other words, Douglass, the writer, is a master at undermining and reversing a system of power relations:  to show that the master is also a slave (to sadistic practices, to power, to unnatural behavior); the nominal Christian as hypocrite; the weak as strong; the slave as free.

  6. Write an essay exploring one of the following themes:

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Power of the human spirit to prevail over adversity

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Struggle for truth in a harsh environment

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Hypocrisy

Minimum Length: 3 body paragraphs of 6-8 sentences each; short introductory and concluding paragraphs of 2-4 sentences each.

Procedure: These dates are approximate.

Brainstorm topics, main ideas & details in class/for homework; begin developing thesis & outline

Turn in thesis & topic outline (no sentences, please!)

Develop a more detailed outline with quotations to use in paper

Rough draft written in class                    

Restructure & revise rough draft; Turn final copy         


Grading: the final paper will be evaluated on the following skills.

Organization: Clear thesis at end of introduction, 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion; introduction mentions author & title. Consider starting the introduction with a general statement on life or human nature relating to your thesis.  

Paragraph unity and development: clearly stated topic sentence and focus on that topic throughout each paragraph; body paragraphs should be a minimum 6 sentences, full of specific and concrete detail and examples.

Use & incorporation of source material: at least one short quotation from the novel in each paragraph to support topic sentences. Use citations (page number in parentheses) after all quotations and paraphrased references to specific passages. Discuss ideas with detail from the novel but do not retell all or a portion of the story; rather mention specific instances and details to support your ideas.

Style & Correctness: longer sentences of varying lengths and structures, using shorter sentences for emphasis; use transitional words and phrases within & between paragraphs. Word choice and tone: detailed & descriptive wording; formal tone and word choice; avoid 2nd person pronouns, colloquialisms, informal wording. Proofread carefully for mistakes in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and spelling.