Write a summary and discussion of Josephine K. Henry’s essay, “The New Woman of the New South,” which was originally published in 1895. Your summary should answer the questions listed below. You may answer each question individually. You do not need to rewrite the question. (You can click the title link to download the source or use the e-reader below.)
(Note: If you respond to each question individually, be sure to write complete paragraphs. Keep in mind that while the forums are meant to help you create the writing you will use in your research paper, that you cannot just copy/paste your forum, but you will need to be sure to shape your writing to fit the format of a college essay supporting a clearly defined thesis, with transition and topic sentences and a concluding paragraph.)
How does Josephine K. Henry start her essay? When Henry says, “the idea seems to be abroad that Southern women do not desire the ballot,” what does she mean? What facts will she provide to prove this assumption is false?
What is Josephine K. Henry’s thesis? Who are the “new women of the new South” that Henry means and how will they change southern society? How do these “new women of the new South” differ from other women in the South?
Explain some of the claims that Josephine K. Henry makes in her essay to support her thesis. What specific injustices against women does Henry document?
What is Josephine K. Henry’s concluding message? Why does Henry end her essay by listing successful women? What does the evidence of women signing petitions to change laws in the South prove?
How might Henry’s essay on “The New Woman of the New South,” published in 1895, help interpret the meaning and historical importance of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” which was published less than a year earlier in 1894? Support your interpretation by connecting specific ideas and facts from Henry’s essay to details from “The Story of an Hour.” (Note: There is no evidence to suggest Henry knew Chopin or vice versa, so be careful not to confuse the two authors and sources. As a historical source, Henry’s essay helps show the conditions in the South for southern married women like the fictional Louise Mallard in “The Story of an Hour.”)
Important guidelines:
Before you start to summarize the source and discuss it, you need to clearly name the source by full title and full name of the author and write a topic sentence that organizes your summary. Example: In her essay on “The New Woman of the New South,'” Josephine K. Henry provides facts to prove how active southern women are politically to show how they are changing southern society to respect the rights of women. (Do not just copy or plagiarize my example. Use it as a guide to help you to write your own topic sentence. Note: book titles are italicized and chapter titles are put in quotation marks. If a quote appears inside a quote, then use single quotation marks inside the double quotation marks: “Hemingway’s ‘Last Good Country.'” Ending punctuation goes inside the closing quotation marks.)
Write complete sentences and paragraphs. Do NOT just list terms or write fragmented notes. Keep in mind that this is an advanced college English class, so use proper grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. For help with grammar, see: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/category/handbook/
Remember to properly refer to the author by last name when referencing the source. When first mentioned, write the full name of an author; thereafter, write the last name. Use phrases like, “According to Henry” and “Henry describes.” See: https://tinyurl.com/y69ps8tr
Provide proper in-text parenthetical citations per MLA guidelines for all quoted and paraphrased information from the textbook (Do NOT plagiarize.) See MLA in-text guidelines: https://tinyurl.com/y673xs3c
The source begins with a brief biography about Josephine K. Henry written by feminist historian, Martha H. Patterson. Make sure you credit Patterson for her biography of Henry and do not confuse the two authors. To properly credit this information, you need to explain that feminist scholar Martha H. Patterson, in her book, American New Woman Revisited: A Reader, 1894-1930, provides background on Josephine K. Henry.
Do not be too general or short. Be sure to support your answers with evidence and details from the source. Pretend you are explaining the source to someone who has not read it to be sure you include enough details so that someone who has not read the source understands what you are talking about. Write objectively and analytically. See tips for writing about literature: https://tinyurl.com/uschs47b
Be sure to summarize and explain the source in your own words and be careful not to rely too heavily on quoting the source. See tips for knowing when to quote: https://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/using-sources/quotations/
Be sure to include the Works Cited citations at the end to properly credit the sources you used. List sources alphabetically. See: https://tinyurl.com/2ucvv3sf
Work Cited
Henry, Josephine K. “The New Woman of the New South.” Patterson, Martha H., ed. American New Woman Revisited: A Reader, 1894-1930. New Brunswick, NJ, USA: Rutgers University Press, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 12 January 2015.
Warning: Do NOT use any outside sources (no Internet sources and no use of computer software to write your answers, and no help from previous or other students), which will be considered cheating. You are being tested on YOUR OWN understanding of the assigned source and if you truly and honestly read it on YOUR OWN. If you are suspected of plagiarizing from an outside source, having someone else help you write the answers, or if you use the Internet to search for the answers (which often lead to wrong answers), you will be given a failing grade for the assignment and possibly for the course. (Automatic zero for dishonest work.)
