Week 3 Discussion
Post 1: Consider how Jo Ann Beard uses two of the following elements in her essay: persona, characterization, dialog, or figurative language (such as metaphor, hyperbole, personification). Give specific examples of
how Beard uses the two elements you chose and explain how they contribute to the development of her
essay. Be sure to include specific examples from the reading, and cite them in APA style.
Your post must be at least 300 words.
Term
Definition
Creative Nonfiction
A genre that uses literary elements to convey a factually accurate story. Creative nonfiction can be written in several forms, including essay, memoir, or poetry. The intent of creative nonfiction is that nonfictional events are portrayed in the compelling, vivid style of fiction.
Essay
A genre that exists primarily to share knowledge about a particular subject matter.
Lyric Essay
A sub-genre of creative nonfiction that includes both elements of poetry and essay.
Argumentative or Persuasive Essay
The structure of this essay generates a prominent argument, usually stated in the title or opening paragraph, and aims to persuade itsreader of the validity of that argument.
Reflective or Meditative Essay
This type of essay begins with a topic and then follows it wherever it seems to lead. The structure of this type of essay is sometimesrambling and informal like a diary or journal; sometimes it is highly polished and focused.
Descriptive Essay
This type of essay is based on a detailed physical descrption of a particular object, person, or event. It is sometimes composed of pure description; often, a broader argument is made through the vehicle of a description.
Narrative Essay
In this type of essay, the author narrates a sequence of events, usually also in the context of a reflective essay. This type of essay is normally autobiographical, although it may also be written in the second- and third-person points of view.
Expository Essay
This form is based on the presentation of information. Most academic and popular science writing can be characterized as expository.
Persona
A person’s public personality.
Voice
In non-fiction, the presentation of the narrator, usually a version of the author’s own persona.
Style
Composed of diction and imagery. Word choice and word order establish mood and tone, while imagery can be used to pattern the essay’s meanings.
Biography
A work about a person’s life or a main event of a person’s life.
Autobiography
A work that details the author’s life.
Memoir
A type of autobiography about the author’s personal experiences, focusing on sections of the author’s life.
Documentary
A type of film that uses primary and secondary sources to inform.
Manifesto
A document that declares a person or group’s policy or beliefs.
Great Migration (1919 to 1970)
The relocation of about 6 million African Americans from the rural South to the North to escape unfair laws and attitudes. Following the end of Reconstruction in 1876, there was a surge in white supremacy attitudes, resulting in the Jim Crow laws. African Americans were largely limited to sharecropping as a way to survive. In the industrial North, African Americans had better access to opportunities, and many people chose to move to cities such as Chicago and New York.
Harlem Renaissance
A truly American movement. It took place during the Modernist Period and is perhaps the only truly original American art form. Many African Americans migrated to Harlem during the Great Migration because of an abundance of housing in that area. Among those who settled to Harlem were many talented artists and entrepreneurs. Art, music, and literature celebrated African American culture andbecame a way to express ideas related to civil rights. Writers such as Langston Hughes, a poet, and Richard Wright, a novelist, had significant impact on the Harlem Renaissance. They wrote about African American life, racism, and identity in America.
Feminist Theory
A critical approach that analyzes the representation of women in literature. The feminist approach to literature came into effect in the late 60s and 70s in response to a growing need of women to find their place and power. It is a rejection of the paternal/male centric power system and attempts to view literature from a woman’s perspective to protect a woman’s rights and place in the world.
Existentialism
The philosophy asserting that people’s fates are determined by free will. See the video below for more information.
