Third Essay: Learning To Write About Difference READING

Third Essay: Learning to Write about Difference READING : Rereading America

Making arguments in our lives usually means persuading an audience; often it means, if it is a real argument, addressing a group that is not completely open to hearing and understanding our point of view. This assignment will address two issues: building an argument using convincing textual evidence, and writing in order to persuade an unsympathetic argument.

Chapter 5 in Rereading America addresses the history and present realities of the tensions that have surrounded, and still surround, racial and ethnic differences in the United States. We can broaden the range of this topic to include areas of class, sexual orientation, religion, gender, and political affiliation, at the least. Each of these categories, including race, are populated by groups we could call “others”—groups that both are seen by the majority culture as being somehow “outside” and are viewed by the majority culture with a degree of suspicion.

In a four-and-a-half to five page, double-spaced, 12-point typeface essay, argue for how some of the ideas in TWO of the essays in chapter 5 of Rereading America apply to ONE of these groups of “others” of your choosing. Define the group carefully. Write to an audience who would doubt the validity of your topic, the book’s texts, and your argument.

If you choose to write about an “other” that is defined by race or ethnicity, be specific in naming this group (e.g., Korean, or mixed-race, or Persian). For example, I might take the arguments in Harris and Carbado’s essay and apply them to similar thought patterns I see in Orange County about people whom the majority culture in the OC might consider “others”—those out of the cultural mainstream. Perhaps I would select French people as my group of others. I could talk about how Orange Countians see French-speaking people suspiciously—people who spend too much time thinking about food. This would be a fairly silly paper, but I could nonetheless choose this topic.

Paper For Above instruction

The assignment requires writing a comprehensive academic essay of four and a half to five pages that discusses the application of ideas from two essays in Chapter 5 of Rereading America to a chosen group of “others.” The essay should be structured around an argument that convincingly relates the theoretical insights from the texts to the real-world prejudices and perceptions associated with the selected group, which could be based on race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion, gender, political affiliation, or other social categorizations.

Given the focus on persuading an audience that might be skeptical, the essay must employ a balanced tone, avoiding emotional extremities, and should include an engaging introduction—potentially with a personal anecdote—to foster understanding and shared empathy. The thesis must clearly articulate the specific ideas from the texts and how these ideas illuminate or critique the prejudiced thinking the group faces.

The essay should begin with a concise introduction establishing the importance of understanding prejudice—historical and psychological perspectives—and then proceed to analyze the selected ideas from the texts in relation to the chosen group. This analysis must be supported by textual evidence and, where appropriate, real-world examples or observations. The paper should conclude by synthesizing how these ideas contribute to a better understanding of prejudice and suggest avenues for challenging or changing prejudiced perceptions.

Throughout, the writing should demonstrate critical thinking, clarity, and sensitivity, with careful consideration of the audience’s potential biases and doubts. It must cite at least five credible sources, including the two essays from Chapter 5 and at least three additional scholarly or reputable media sources, properly referenced in APA format.

The structure should include an introduction with a thesis statement, a body consisting of well-organized paragraphs analyzing the ideas and applying them to the group, and a conclusion that reflects on the broader implications for social understanding and cohesion.

References

• Harris, A., & Carbado, D. W. (2013). Loot or Find: Fact or Frame? In Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing (7th ed., pp. 205-220). Pearson.
• Kaplan, S. (2013). Barack Obama: Miles Traveled, Miles to Go. In Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing (7th ed., pp. 180-195). Pearson.
• Fredrickson, G. M. (2002). Models of American Ethnic Relations: A Historical Perspective. In Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing (7th ed., pp. 140-160). Pearson.
• Parrillo, V. (2013). Causes of Prejudice. In Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing (7th ed., pp. 90-110). Pearson.
• Additional scholarly sources discussing prejudice, social perceptions, and related psychological theories.