Writing
Arrange the sentences below in the correct order:
When these conclusions solidify on a social level, prejudice and racism often result.
In “American History”, Elena, the protagonist, comes to terms with the prejudice that pervades her community.
Ortiz-Cofer and Ian use symbolism, metaphor and conflict to explore the dangers of stereotyping.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a stereotype is “a conventional and usually oversimplified conception or belief that is not checked against particular cases or facts.”
Two literary works that deal with this occurrence are “American History” by Judith Ortiz-Cofer and “Society’s Child” by Janis Ian.
Often, we make conclusions about others, based on appearance, dress or behavior, that turn out to be false.
In “Society’s Child”, a young woman, confronting racism, ultimately surrenders to it.
Stereotyping is natural, but dangerous.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a stereotype is “a conventional and usually oversimplified conception or belief that is not checked against particular cases or facts.” Stereotyping is natural, but dangerous. Often, we make conclusions about others, based on appearance, dress or behavior, that turn out to be false. When these conclusions solidify on a social level, prejudice and racism often result. Two literary works that deal with this occurrence are “American History” by Judith Ortiz-Cofer and “Society’s Child” by Janis Ian. In “American History”, Elena, the protagonist, comes to terms with the prejudice that pervades her community. In “Society’s Child”, a young woman, confronting racism, ultimately surrenders to it. Ortiz-Cofer and Ian use symbolism, metaphor and conflict to explore the dangers of stereotyping.
In groups of four, complete the essay you have unscrambled the introduction for:
Ortiz-Cofer uses “El Building” to symbolize Elena’s inner conflict about her Puerto Rican heritage.
imagery to describe the entrance
it blocks the light in Eugene’s yard
climactic moment when Eugene’s mother shames her
In the denouement of the story, the writer uses epiphany to describe Elena’s new awareness of the world in which she lives.
the symbol of the veil
the symbol of the snow not touching the ground
Elena’s inner conflict about the death of the President
In “Society’s Child”, the singer must deal with the conflict resulting from her interracial romance.
external conflict - her mother rejects and insults him, teachers are scornful
metaphor – society’s child
repetition – “I can’t see you anymore, baby”
In addition, Ian uses an extended metaphor to describe her protagonist’s reaction to the racism she confronts.
metaphor – compares herself to something that can fly
symbol – “one of these days”
resolution – her final statement