1. What is your argument? Hopefully your peer helped you understand how to clarify it.
My argument is that both storytellers use the 3 stages of rite of passage to get across their similar thoughts
about a woman’s place within the patriarchy. They use the journey through the rite of passage to comment
on the impact of womanhood under these circumstances while also drawing from their own experiences in
their respective communities. They use their stories to demonstrate the bigger implications of patriarchal
societies on women to reveal them to a larger audience.
2. What is your evidence? List all the pieces you plan to assemble to support your argument.
My evidence is broken down as such…
●
●
Separation stage
○ Piece from “Ngomba’s basket”
○ Piece from Woman at Point Zero
○ Piece from scholarly source “Interrogating the Male-Female Gender Dichotomy in
Nawal El Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero”
Ordeal stage
○ Piece from “Ngomba’s basket”
○ Piece from Woman at Point Zero
○ Piece from scholarly source “On the bodies of third world women: Cultural
impurity, prostitution, and other nervous conditions.”
● Reincorporation stage
○
○
○
Piece from “Ngomba’s basket”
Piece from Woman at Point Zero
Potential piece from one of the scholarly sources used above (will add after if I think this
section needs stronger evidence)
3.How will you address the aspect of your essay that your peer reviewer decided isn't working?
My friend suggested I include a quick overview of the stages of rite of passage early on in this essay
(probably the intro) because for someone that has no background in this course, she was a bit confused
and had to figure it out as she went on. That is a relatively easy fix, however, she also suggested that I
work on connecting the commentary made to current issues. I am not totally sure how I will do this, but I
am thinking of adding a section to my conclusion about how these stories still hold value today because
women still do not have all of the same rights as men. I may also say that these ideas are still very
prevalent to know because even though things have improved, there is still room to grow. This also ties in
with her comment about how I need to apply the commentary beyond the individual level, which I think
will be resolved as I address their connection to the world today. One last important comment shemade
was linking the social commentary more directly to the the actual technique; I will just have to reword my
analysis of the evidence to hit on this a bit more.
4.What is the social significance of your project? Hopefully your peer helped you understand how to
clarify that. Your essay should be clear about this, both in terms of the argument you formulate and your
conclusion.
The social significance of my project is that both stories highlight the issues and shortcomings of a male
dominated world. They both essentially get at the idea that women really cannot live and hold real value
within their society if it is patriarchal. The social significance also can be brought to the world we live in
today as there are still many patriarchal values that these stories speak against for women if they are to
have tangible rights for themselves. The stories (especially Women at point Zero) also, at the time, offered
an unseen view into the lives of women in their society to expose and potentially spark change for them
on a larger scale.