African-American Literature
African - American Literature Study
English 10 Honors 2013-2014 Updated 4/15/2014
The Bluest Eye Comparative/Cultural Literature Study
Objectives:
Our objective is to explore relevant themes that present themselves in African American literature.
To realize the conflict and impact of American life on an often marginalized people through time.
To enrich our reading in preparation for AP courses that require us to be “well-read” critical thinkers of our own world.
To examine our current society for the specific ways it criticizes or judges us or our personal visions of beauty or normality.
To learn and practice the modes of analysis writing.
To grow in our responsibilities as students to be more self-directed learners.
To impress my instructor!
Choice of Paper Assignments:
Choice 1: Novel Analysis [100 Points]
Students will read and analyze The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. How/What ideas or themes seem to be evident in Morrison’s work? Why? How does she create them? Choose an idea or theme to illustrate, discuss, and thoroughly analyze in the final paper.
Choice 2: Culture Study [150 Points]
Students will read and analyze The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and also complete a critique of our own world by examining the impact and effect of current American media culture, around the ideas of the Gaze, or conformity, or the idea of beauty.
Choice 3: Comparative Literature Study [200 Points]
Students will read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and can choose another novel by Toni Morrison or another African American female OR male writer to read independently for comparison. What common ideas or themes are evident in this literature? Why? Choose comparative idea or theme(s) to illustrate, discuss, and analyze in the final paper.
Other tasks to complete and/or include in the final submission:
1. Responding: Students are also required to think, note, and respond as they read. Use our P, Q, & R Journal format. You are required to choose at least 2 essential quotes (this is a minimum- “C” work) from each “chapter”/section and respond for a min of 1/2 page for each quote. These need not be typed, but must be readable by your instructor! These notes and considerations will be used to create your analysis paper at the end of this project and will be handed in with your finished product. [25 points]
2. Final Analysis Paper: All students will write an analysis of the novel(s) they read. Or they may prepare an analysis of the The Bluest Eye blended (although separate) with the critique of our culture you see fit to investigate from Choice 2. This means that you are looking for how different authors treat similar themes or how similar themes show themselves through various authors, in effect illustrating that this may be a common idea that is dealt with or struggled with for African American authors and African Americans in general. The paper must be a minimum of 3 full pages and should follow all rules of MLA. You must use your learning about the ideas and structure of argument: point, evidence, and analysis that we’ve studied. [100, 150, or 200 Points]
3. Buzz Groups: Buzz Groups are self-scheduled, small group discussion sessions that allows students to build their own meaning around a section of text by comparing reading notes and their own interpretations of the novel. Buzz Groups run for 30 minutes, and each student is expected to record what was discussed, or any new information they took away from the discussion. These notes will be handed in. [10 points/Mtg – 2 mtg. min.]
4. Seminar: There will be one final seminar to share and refine your understandings about The Bluest Eye. Your teacher will NOT prompt you. If you do not participate ON YOUR OWN in ways that are beneficial to yourself and others in creating or supporting meaning, your grade will be negatively affected. [30 points]
Other Issues:
All of the novels and research used in your paper must be listed in your Works Cited and appropriately documented in ALL PHASES of this assignment.
So...MLA formatting is required.
You may read independently or in a literature circle with others but all other work is independent.
Each student (or group) is responsible for planning a reading calendar and setting their own goals for the entirety of this project.
All finished papers are due no later than Monday, May 19th (earlier is ok!)
Points are as follows:
o Final analysis paper – Choice 1-100 points; Choice 2-150 points; Choice 3-200 points.(MLA is incorporated into Conventions rubric)
o PQRs/Active Reading Journals – 25 points
o Buzz Groups – 10 points (2 required) = 20 points
o Seminar – 30 points
This is your final project for English Honors 10. As such it should show your best thinking, and prove that your learnings this year have moved you forward as a critically thinking, adept writer, and that you are prepared for the work of English 11 or AP English 11.