Myerson 1
Name:___________________________
Mr. Myerson
English III CPA
_____ March 2015
Independent Reading Project: Voices of Every American
Note: This list of voices and texts is presented with the understanding that no single voice can
represent the experiences of any individual who is part of a race, ethnicity, or orientation. The
texts are presented with the intention of representing a small cross-section of historically
marginalized populations, while acknowledging that the below peoples are not the only
populations who have experienced said marginalization throughout American history.
General Directions: First, you will indicate on an index card your top two voices of interest. I
will distribute the readings as evenly as possible so that we have an even number of students
working on certain topics, making every effort to grant your first choice. Once you are assigned
your topic, you must do the following:
1. For each work of non-fiction, you must complete a SOAPSTone analysis. Then, choose
two significant quotes from the work and choose one of the three ways in which to
respond listed below. Be sure to label the type of response you are writing.
A. World Connection- Reflect on the significance of the passage. Think deeply.
What conclusions can you draw about the world or human nature based on the
passage?
B. Analysis- Evaluate the passage by making a judgment about what the author is
trying to say. What point is he/she trying to make? Explain your judgment
C. Language- Analyze the significance of the language in the passage. What is
significant about the words the writer chooses to express him/herself? What is the
impact of the language on the reader?
2. For each work of poetry you must perform a TP-CASTT analysis for each poem.
3. For the article you find from The New York Times, you must read it, summarize the
issue being discussed, and connect the author’s main idea(s) to one of the poems or
works of non-fiction you read. Be very specific in your response by quoting both the
article and the text to which you are connecting it.
Important Reminders:
 The overall assignment is due on ________. Be prepared to share your insights about
your assigned “voice” with the rest of the class. This work is foundational to a
forthcoming narrative assignment. This assignment will count as a SUMMATIVE
GRADE for the 4th MP.
 All works can be found on the English III Pathfinder website (Unit 2 Every American) or
in the Adventures textbook, indicated in parentheses after the particular work.
 MLA Format is REQUIRED and all assignments MUST be TYPED.
 Please Note: YOU MAY NOT CHANGE YOUR TOPIC!!! This will result in a severe loss
of credit.
Myerson 2
Native American Voices – Specific Directions:
 You must choose three non-fiction texts (if you choose the Sherman Alexie piece, you
may do two non-fiction texts as his is lengthy but amazing!).
 You must choose three poems.
 Independent of the list below, you must find one article in The New York Times (2012
through present) that discusses issues faced by Native Americans in any capacity.
Non-Fiction/ Informational Text:
-“Reply to the U.S. Government” by Chief Seattle
-“The Surrender Speech of Chief Joseph” (in Adventures)
-from “An Indian’s Views on Indian Affairs” by Chief Joseph (in Adventures)
-“The Unauthorized Autobiography of Me” by Sherman Alexie
-“The Names of Women” by Louise Erdrich (in Adventures)
-from “The Way to Rainy Mountain” by N. Scott Momaday (in Adventures)
Poetry:
-“Song of the Sky Loom” (in Adventures)
-“Story from Bear Country” by Leslie Marmon Silko (in Adventures)
-“The Powwow at the End of the World” by Sherman Alexie
-“Three Thousand Dollar Death Song” by Wendy Rose
-“Moving Camp Too Far” by Nila northSun
-“Our Bird Aegis” by Ray A. Young Bear
African-American Voices– Specific Directions:
 You must choose three poems.
 You must choose three works of non-fiction.
 Independent of the list below, you must find one article in The New York Times (2012
through present) that discusses issues related to issues faced by African-Americans in
any capacity.
Poetry:
-“Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes
-“Let America be America Again” by Langston Hughes
-“Incident” by Countee Cullen
-“The White House” by Claude McKay
-“For the white person who wants to know how to be my friend” by Pat Parker
-“Rosa” by Rita Dove
Non-Fiction/ Informational Text:
-“How it Feels to be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston
-“Ain’t I a Woman” by Sojourner Truth
-from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (in Adventures)
-“A More Perfect Union” by Barack Obama
-from “Dust Tracks on a Road” by Zora Neale Hurston (in Adventures)
-“If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” by James Baldwin
-“The Way to Reduce Black Poverty in America” by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
-“Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” by Brent Staples
-“Mommy, What Does ‘Nigger’ Mean?” by Gloria Naylor
Myerson 3
Writers of Mexican, Central, and South American Descent– Specific Directions:
 You must choose FOUR poems.
 You must read the non-fiction text.
 Independent of the list below, you must find TWO articles in The New York Times (2012
through present) that discuss issues related to Americans of Mexican, Central, and
South American descent in any capacity.
Poetry:
-“Child of the Americas” by Aurora Levins Morales (in Adventures)
-“To Live in the Borderlands Means You” by Gloria Anzaldúa
-“So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs from Americans” by Jimmy Santiago Baca
-“Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper” by Martín Espada
-“The Latin Deli” by Judith Ortiz Cofer
-“First Muse” by Julia Alvarez
-“Mexicans Begin Jogging” by Gary Soto
-“Caribe in Nueva York” by Nathalie Handal
Non-Fiction/Informational Text:
-“It’s Hard Enough Being Me” by Anna Lisa Rya
Asian-, Arab-, and South-Asian-American Voices– Specific Directions:
 You must read all three poems.
 You must read three works of non-fiction OR the work of fiction and two works of nonfiction. If you choose the work of fiction, you should follow the same directions listed for
the works of non-fiction.
 Independent of the list below, you must find one article in The New York Times (2012
through present) that discusses issues related to Asian-, Arab-, or South-Asian
Americans in any capacity.
Poetry:
-“In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to
Relocation Centers” by Dwight Okita
-“To the Lady” by Mitsuye Yamada
-“My Father and the Fig Tree” by Naomi Shihab Nye
Fiction:
-“Who’s Irish?” by Gish Jen
Non-Fiction/ Informational Text:
-“Two Ways to Belong in America” by Bharati Mukherjee
-“If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” by Geeta Kothari
-“Who Will Light Incense When Mother’s Gone?” by Andrew Lam
-“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan (in Adventures)
-“You’re Short, Besides!” by Sucheng Chan
-“The Harem Within” by Fatema Mernissi
-“Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering” by Maysan Haydar
Myerson 4
Expressions on Sexual Orientation– Specific Directions:
 You must choose three poems.
 You must read three non-fiction selections.
 Independent of the list below, you must find one article in The New York Times (2012
through present) that discuss issues related to Sexual Orientation in any capacity.
Poetry:
-“Mid-American Tragedy” by Denise Levertov
- “At the Gym” by Mark Doty
- “The Embrace” by Mark Doty
- “Syntax” by Maureen McClane
- “Calamus [In Paths Untrodden] by Walt Whitman
- “One Today” by Richard Blanco
Non-Fiction/Informational Text:
-“Evan’s Two Moms” by Anna Quindlen in The New York Times, February 5, 1992
-“Opinion: Seizing the Moment” by Evan Wolfson
-“What Marriage is For” by Maggie Gallagher
-“Homosexuals in Government, 1950,” Congressional Record, Volume 94, Part 4, 81st
Congress, Second Session
-Carter Sickles’ Note to His Younger Self
-Jacqueline Woodson’s Note to Her Younger Self
-“The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage” by Theodore Olsen
-“Should A Student Conceal Her Lesbian Identity for College Application Essays?”
by Steven Petrow in The New York Times, December 3, 2013