Between the World and Me Final Essay
Summative Assessment
Select a prompt from the list below. Respond to the prompt in a well-organized literary analysis essay.
The Dream: What, exactly, is “the Dream” as Coates describes it, and how does it function as a symbol? Cite specific allusions from the text and discuss how those allusions work to enhance Coates’ feelings about “The Dream.”
Education: Coates repeatedly finds himself at odds with the American system of formal education. “I was made for the library, not the classroom,” he writes (48). Despite his discomfort with traditional education, however, he expresses a nearly insatiable desire to learn. Consider Coates’ many descriptions of education. How does he use figurative language and allusions to describe it and how does it function as a symbol?
The Body: What does Coates say about the precarious nature of his body and other Black bodies? How does the body act as a symbol within the work? Examine the specific instances in which Coates describes his body using allusions and figurative language, the violence enacted upon it, and his attempts to preserve his body and the bodies of loved ones.
Prince Jones: Examine Coates’s description of Prince Jones as a “vessel that held his family’s hopes and dreams” (81–82). Evaluate how this description, full of figurative language and allusions, functions as a symbol and underscores the notion that “Black people love their children with a kind of obsession” (82).
Expectations:
Your essay should be written in correct MLA format (see template)
You should include a Works Cited page as the final page of your essay (see template)
You should include a minimum of one symbol and one allusion in your essay
Structure:
Your essay will be 4-5 paragraphs (Introduction, 2-3 body paragraphs, Conclusion):
An introductory paragraph. This paragraph should include:
An overview/introduction of your prompt.
Relevant background information.
The title of the work and author: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A well-developed thesis statement that clearly responds to the prompt.
2-3 body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should include:
A well-developed topic sentence that connects to your thesis.
One piece of text evidence per paragraph. Remember to lead-in and use correct MLA citation.
At least two sentences of analysis. Why is your text evidence significant? How does it connect to your chosen topic/theme? How does it support your thesis statement?
A concluding/transition sentence that connects to your topic sentence and transitions to the next paragraph.
A concluding paragraph. In this paragraph, you should:
Connect your body paragraphs back to your thesis.
Expand your thesis in a fresh, interesting way.
Outline:
Introductory Paragraph (S= sentence)
S1- An overview/introduction of your prompt.
S2- Relevant background information from your chosen text.
S3- Relevant background information from your chosen text.
S4- A well-developed thesis statement that clearly responds to the prompt.
Body Paragraph 1:
S1- Well-developed topic sentence that connects to your thesis.
S2- Context and text evidence with a lead-in and correct MLA citation.
S3 -Analysis: Why is your text evidence significant? How does your text evidence connect to your chosen prompt?
S4- Analysis: How does it support your thesis statement?
*Feel free to include more than two sentences of analysis*
S5- Concluding/Transition sentence that connects to your topic sentence and transitions to the next paragraph.
Body Paragraph 2:
S1- Well-developed topic sentence that connects to your thesis.
S2- Context and text evidence with a lead-in and correct MLA citation.
S3 -Analysis: Why is your text evidence significant? How does your text evidence connect to your chosen prompt?
S4- Analysis: How does it support your thesis statement?
*Feel free to include more than two sentences of analysis*
S5- Concluding/Transition sentence that connects to your topic sentence and transitions to the next paragraph.
Body Paragraph 3 (optional):
S1- Well-developed topic sentence that connects to your thesis.
S2- Context and text evidence with a lead-in and correct MLA citation.
S3 -Analysis: Why is your text evidence significant? How does your text evidence connect to your chosen prompt?
S4- Analysis: How does it support your thesis statement?
*Feel free to include more than two sentences of analysis*
S5- Concluding/Transition sentence that connects to your topic sentence and transitions to the next paragraph.
Conclusion Paragraph:
S1- Connect your first body paragraph to your second body paragraph.
S2- Connect back to the thesis.
S3- Expand your thesis in a fresh, interesting way.
Don’t forget your Works Cited Page as the last page of your essay!
