English 111 Fall 2015 Westfall Paper Two: Perspectives On Hi
English 111 Fall 2015 Westfall Paper Two: Perspectives on History, Using Primary Sources
Directions: This paper combines two objectives. First, you will work with a primary source. Second, you will a short exposition, as it is described in Chapter Eight of your textbook. I am giving you more structure for this assignment that the topics is your textbook, which should make this easier for you. 1. Pick an interview subject that has lived through an historical event, which is an event that is described in a history textbook. You could talk to a veteran that fought in a war. You could talk to someone in Virginia that lived through the era of Massive Resistance in the era when we were desegregating our schools. You could talk to someone who lived through 9/11. You could talk to someone who lived through the Depression. You could talk to an immigrant about their experience in arriving and settling in this country. You could talk to someone who worked on a political campaign. 2. Before you interview your subject, write down what you already know. If you need to do a little research on your topic, you can do that. 3. Prepare a list of questions for your subject and interview her or him. 4. Write up your interview and include a section in which you compare what you had previously known about the event and the perspective that you have gained from your interview subject. Aspects to include in your paper: A. An interpretive thesis for your paper which explains what you have learned about an event from your interview. B. A brief description of your subject that includes who the person is, how you know the person, and what type of person your subject is, if you know. (For example, a naturally optimistic person will experience a situation differently from a skeptical person.) C. Include the anecdotes or experiences your subject shares that form the basis of his or her experience with this event. Remember: you may need to edit those stories to focus on the most important details. Conversely, if you are talking to someone who is taciturn, you may need to ask for details during the interview. Be sure to include direct quotations, which you attribute to your source. D. You may include external information, such as quotes about your subject by other people that are pertinent to your topic. (For example, “Jennie’s understanding of elections changed after she worked on the Obama presidential campaign in 2008. She spent enormous amounts of time going door to door and talking to people.†I have known her as a neighbor for many years, and she has always said, “We worked our way to victory in that election. No one gave us anything.â€) E. Pay special attention to the introduction and conclusion. Try to find a lead to introduce your essay. Try to sum up your profile with either an image, a symbol, or a quotation. F. You must cite any sources that you use. When you cite a source, you should include both in-text citation and a works cited page. FYI, an interview is an outside source. However, for an interview, you may just include the name of your interview subject. Format: Your memoir should be at least two full pages in length, and typed in a twelve (12) point font, in a double-spaced format. Refer to the text book for the MLA format. See Hacker, for a description of MLA format, and the reproduced student paper for an illustration. Please, use a Word format, either doc. or docx. Be sure to use a format that is compatible with Safe Assign in Blackboard. Otherwise, I cannot read your papers.
Paper For Above instruction
This assignment requires writing a reflective, research-supported essay based on an interview with an individual who has experienced a significant historical event. The core objectives involve engaging directly with a primary source—the interviewee—and producing an expository narrative that contextualizes and examines their firsthand perspective within the broader historical framework. The task involves selecting an individual who has lived through an event detailed in a history textbook, preparing for and conducting an interview, and then composing a comprehensive paper that compares prior knowledge with new insights gained through the interview.
The essay must start with an interpretive thesis that clearly states what has been learned about the historical event from the interview. This thesis will guide the narrative and analytical focus of the paper. Following this, a brief but informative description of the interview subject should be provided, including their identity, relationship to the researcher, and personality traits that influence their perspective.
Incorporating direct quotations from your interviewee is essential to provide authenticity and support your analysis. You should also include relevant external information—such as quotes or contextual data—to enrich the narrative. These external citations can be drawn from credible sources that align with or expand upon the interview content.
The paper should include compelling anecdotes shared by your subject, focusing on key experiences that embody their personal encounter with the event. Editing may be necessary to retain clarity and relevance. Moreover, you should compare your initial understanding of the event with insights gained from your interview, discussing how their perspective has deepened or shifted your comprehension.
The introduction must engage the reader with a compelling lead—such as a quotation, imagery, or a pertinent anecdote. The conclusion should synthesize the insights, reflecting on the significance of the interview in understanding the historical event.
Your essay must be a minimum of two pages, formatted in double-spaced, 12-point font, adhering to MLA guidelines. Proper citation of any sources used is required, and the interviewee’s name should be included as a primary source citation. The final submission must be a Word document (.doc or .docx), compatible with Blackboard’s Safe Assign feature.