English 1A-Daraja
Johnston
Essay #1
The Other Wes Moore expores several themes related to success and failure, striving and
surviving. Moore offers many perspectives as to why he and the other Wes Moore paths
diverge. For your first essay you will develop an argument examining issues raised by the
book. This essay is argumentative, meaning you will take a stance and use support from
the book and class readings to support your ideas. Please pick one of the topics listed to
explore in your essay:
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Family
Education
Class
Justice System
Sources:
As stated above, you must use The Other Wes Moore and at least one of the following
readings:
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“Three Ways of Meeting Oppression”
“Obama Sharply Assails Absent Black Fathers”
“Bad Black Mothers
“Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education”
“Crackdown on Kids: Giving Up on the Young”
Consider using the above articles as a lens to examine the themes from The Other Wes
Moore. For example, you could discuss how the Wes Moores meet oppression. Do they
use non-violent civil disobedience or resignation? You could also discuss the role class
plays in acquiring an education.
Essay Information:
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Due Date: Feb 24th @ midnight on Blackboard
Outline due Feb 15th
Draft Day Feb 20th
Essay must be 5-6 pages long
Must be typed, double-spaced, 12 point font
Essay is worth 75 points