Response Essay 1
Name______________________
James Baldwin “Fifth Avenue, Uptown”
Step 1: (REQUIRED)
Complete the chart below by writing down notes, descriptions, and exact quotations from the essay about each
of these specific details in the essay.
Detail
Fifth Avenue
In your own word the image
you have of each detail
Exact quotations from the essays about the detail
Page #:
Page #
The projects
Page #:
Page #
Residents Who
Have Died
Page #:
Page #
1
Residents Who
Have Given Up
Page #:
Page #
Residents Who
Go to Work
Page #:
Page #
Residents Who
Try To Instill in
Children a Sense
of Honor and
Dignity
Page #:
Page #
How does
Baldwin feel
about Harlem?
Why do you think
Baldwin wrote
this essay?
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Step 2:
Write 5 paragraphs which answers the following questions:
Paragraph #
1 and 2
3 and 4
5
What is the image of Harlem that Baldwin creates in his essay “Fifth Avenue, Uptown”?
How does Baldwin feel about Harlem?
Why do you think Baldwin wrote this essay?
Does he want the reader to take action? If so, what action do you think he wants to reader
to take?
Required:




At least 5 complete sentences per paragraph
Include at least 3 details from the chart about Harlem (the street, the projects, the people)
Integrate at least three specific words or phrases, with specific quotation marks, which support your view
for each paragraph. Make sure to include the page number where you found the quotation. For example:
Baldwin describes Fifth Avenue as “wide, filthy, hostile”(23).
Do NOT simply copy the direct quotation by itself – you must transition into the quotation
HINTS:
Here are some ways you might begin your essay:
 In his essay “Fifth Avenue, Uptown,” James Baldwin creates an image Harlem that is __________.
 James Baldwin’s image of Harlem might be summed up best as ______________
Here are some ways you might integrate quotes:




Baldwin describes the _____ (streets, people, schools, other details) as “ insert quotation.”
According to Baldwin, the (streets, people, schools, other details) are “ insert quotation.”
Baldwin argues that “ insert quotation.”
If you walked the streets of Harlem, according to Baldwin, you would see “ insert quotation.”
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Write your Essay James Baldwin “Fifth Avenue, Uptown” Here:
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Essay James Baldwin “Fifth Avenue, Uptown” (continued)
5
Read “The Company Man” By Ellen Goodman pages 121-123
Answer the following questions:
What are the characteristics of a “company man?”
Step 1: Fill out the chart below
Characteristic #
Description /Quotation
Step 2: Write a paragraph (at least 5 sentences) that describes a “company man.” Integrate at least 2 quotes from
the essay. Put the page # in parenthesis. Example: (2).
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Why does the essay emphasize the fact that Phil died at 3 a.m. on Sunday?
In what ways is this essay an indictment of corporate America?
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