1st Paper Project, 1st Draft Due: Monday, January 11, 2010 English 92 D50A Prof Yi Please write a paper that reflects upon one aspect of a reading that we’ve discussed so far in English 92. You may use a previous writing sample and create a first draft out of it. Here are the following things I’d like to see you do in your first drafted essay: 1. A clear focus & thesis in your paper. 2. Paragraph breaks (indentation) 3. A strong connection between your own perspectives with that of an author’s in one of the readings we’ve looked at. 4. Reference to two or more sentences in your reading of choice. Be sure to use quotes “…” 5. Full elaboration, not just summary and reporting. 6. Above all else, have fun and enjoy this writing project! Readings already covered and their appropriate themes: John McPhee’s “Silk Parachute” (handout) Sandra Cisneros’ “Only Daughter” pp414-17 Mother’s impact on her son through “alleged” stories Symbol of the silk parachute Maya Angelou’s “Grandmother’s Victory” pp1116 Grandmother’s influence on Maya Dealing with & overcoming discrimination Franz Kafka’s “Letter to His Father” (handout) A strained relationship between father and son Son’s longing to find closure with intolerable father Gender privileges & its disadvantages Being the “odd” one in the family Alfred Lubrano’s “Bricklayer’s Boy” handout Becoming independent Conflict & resolution of differences between father and son: Blue-collar vs. White-collar work and life views. First Paper Project: Please choose ONE of the following topics to write your first draft on. While these questions are general guidelines, please note that I don’t want you to merely focus on answering the questions. You must determine how and when you approach the questions in your essay. Don’t just answer each question sequentially if choosing Part I. You don’t have to include all the questions asked into your essay if it’s not relevant. Family: Parent & Child I. Choose ONE reading from the list above to base your paper on: How important is family for you? What is the ideal family relationship structure? How does one reading that we’ve looked at agree or disagree with your views on family? What would you like to focus your topic of discussion on, based on the reading? Or, what did you like most about the reading that you can personally identify with? Give three or more examples that show the reader how you relate to the story about family, making sure you elaborate on the similarities and/or differences. What ultimate message would you like to give your reader on the connection between your experiences with that of the author’s? That is, what have you learned from comparing your unique experience with the author’s own experience on family? Please be sure to quote at least once and by summarizing, or paraphrasing (if necessary) from your reading selection of choice. The “Bricklayer’s Boy” II. One option for a paper project on “Bricklayer’s Boy:” Parents and their children can sometimes disagree about life’s fundamental choices or about important values. Thinking about your own experience and the essay you have read, develop an essay around this issue in your essay. Please be sure to quote at least once and by summarizing, or paraphrasing (if necessary) from “Bricklayer’s Boy.” III. Second option for a paper project on “Bricklayer’s Boy:” In the last paragraph of this essay, Lubrano’s father confesses, “I envy you. For a man to do something he likes and get paid for it—that’s fantastic.” For our parents’ generation as well as our own this goal has been a difficult one to achieve in our society. Write an essay in which you examine this idea from your own experience, your observation of the lives of others that you know or the reading. Please be sure to quote at least once and by summarizing, or paraphrasing (if necessary) from “Bricklayer’s Boy.” Continue In-class essay on “Letter to his Father” IV. Continue with your in-class essay on “Letter to his Father” by Franz Kafka. Please be sure to quote at least once and by summarizing, or paraphrasing (if necessary) from “Letter to his Father.” 1. Imagine that Kafka’s father had a chance to write back to his son. Write the letter you imagine he might send, addressing specific points in Kafka’s letter. For example, focus on three or four of the examples that Kafka uses and explain how the younger Kafka misinterpreted what the older Kafka said or did. 2. Write an essay in which you reflect on the relationship between fathers and children. Describe what your own relationship with your father has been. How much of Kafka’s relationship with his father is similar or different from the relationship that you have [had] with yours? Give at least three examples, and quote at least once from the reading.