Please write two separate essays for each of the two prompts below; totaling 500 words for both prompts.
Choose a narrative in American history that, as popularly understood, has had negative repercussions for a religious group or religious identity. This could be, for example, the “discovery” or “founding” of America; it could be a narrative that led to a war; or it could be a narrative about a specific group of people. By narrative, I don’t mean a detailed story: Rather, it could be as simple as, “America was founded by hardworking Puritans.” Or it could be as simple as, “Islamic extremism led to the War on Terror.” The narrative might very well be true, or have elements of truth, but simply lack nuance or multiple perspectives. In 250 words, tell me how changing one’s understanding of that narrative could lead to a more empathetic understanding of that religious group.
You are a writer for Interfaith Magazine, and you’ve been assigned to write a review for Eboo Patel’s book Sacred Ground. The catch is that your colleague is already writing a positive review, so you are to write a critical review, that is, one that points out where the book falls short or how it could have been better. The review is to be around 250 words and should avoid any long quotations.
