English 101: Essay #3
For your third essay, you have three (3) options:
1.) Michael Eric Dyson observes that some critics have complained that Michael Jordan is not "black enough" (740). Write an essay in which you support or repudiate this criticism, being sure to discuss the underlying assumptions about the role of a hero or role model.
2.) Read Jake Brennan's "Celebrities Who Aren't Really Celebrities" (729-734). Then, write an essay defending, refuting, or modifying Brennan's claim that we are interested in noncelebrities because "it's a way for we normal folk to live vicariously through other people" (729). In the course of your discussion, be sure to assess the validity of Brennan's distinction between noncelebrities and celebrities, and be sure to provide examples from popular culture (films, television shows, actors, musicians, etc.) to substantiate your argument.
3.) Consider how Jack Ryan, the creator of Barbie, would defend his design. Write an essay, as if you were Ryan, in which you justify Barbie's appearance and refute Emily Prager's analysis.
The requirements for the essay are as follows:
- Essay must be 4-5 pages in length
- Essay must be argumentative in nature
- Essay must adhere to MLA standards and guidelines (click here)
- Rough draft of essay must be exchanged with another class member (see below)
Regardless of which option you choose, here are a few things you should keep in mind as you are writing your essay:
- Your objective is to analyze the social significance of the figure you are discussing
- Your essay should contain a well-argued thesis statement
- The "body" of your essay should work to support your thesis statement
- Your essay should be free of grammatical and punctuation errors
EXCHANGING DRAFTS
For the third essay, you will be required to read and make comments on the rough drafts of your classmates' essays. To do so, you will need to access the discussion forum and post your comments in the conference folder entitled "Essay Three Drafts."