Write about any Burna Boy Song, or any afrobeats song. Please no AI and makes sound like a human wrote it.
Like the midterm paper, this paper needn’t confine itself to a single paragraph/stanza/song-section. But
it should include some focused discussion of at least one short passage, and it should ground its
argument in specific references to whatever text(s) you choose. What does this mean? It means that
some portion of your paper should zoom in on the details at least one short passage that demonstrates
what you want to argue. It also means that your paper as a whole should show consistent engagement
with the details of the text you choose, and it should say where in the text your points are coming
from. It should always be clear what specific moment, line, image, etc. you’re referring to. (To prepare
for this paper it’s worth looking back at your earlier papers, along with the handouts, ppt slides, and
your own class notes.)
As the midterm prompt suggested: You might want to start with a moment, aspect, or theme in the
work you choose, take notes on what you’re noticing, and try to build out from there. A moment could
be the opening paragraph, what you see as the climactic section or turning point, a strange aside, a
transitional passage, etc. An aspect could be the consistently awkward or sharp dialogue, the frequent
food references, a constantly moving camera, an intrument that contends with the lead singer, an
emphasis on humor, etc. A theme could be motherhood, responsibility, the question of whether
happiness is possible, the inescapable effects of racism, sexism, or money, reality and what lies beyond,
etc. Whatever you choose, you should try to keep close to the specific details that make this
moment/aspect/theme come alive for you.
Remember that (as the syllabus says) this paper may draw on your midterm paper or other assignments.
It’s completely up to you whether you continue something you started in your midterm paper. You can
take a different direction with the same text, or follow the same theme with a different text. Etc. No
matter what, it’s good to read through your midterm paper again. NOTE: You may draw on midterm
paper and/or writing assignments 1 and/or 2, but you should try to improve whatever parts you reuse
rather than simply pasting them in; let me know if I can help with this.
Some possibilities suggested for the midterm paper that can also work for the final paper (though other
approaches are definitely possible): 1) You might revise and expand on your discussion of the passage
you talked about in writing assignment 1 or 2. Say more about that passage, talk about a moment or
aspect you didn’t get to, and/or connect it more fully with other moments and/or key themes in the
work it comes from. 2) Choose an aspect or theme in the work you wrote about in assignment 1 and/or
2 and use that as the frame for the paper, drawing on the passage(s) you wrote about and bringing in
some others. 3) Find a passage in the work you wrote about in assignment 1 or 2 that contrasts with the
one you focused on; describe the contrast and say what it tells us about the work as a whole. 4) Choose
a work you haven’t written about yet (on or off the syllabus), start with the prompt for writing
assignment 2, and work from there. 5) Choose one short passage in each of two different works (maybe
one on the syllabus and one not, or both on the syllabus) that reflect the same theme or demonstrate
the same key feature.
And two additional possibilities for this final paper): 1) You might step back from a work you’ve studied
carefully, on or off the syllabus, and just think and free-write briefly about what you really want to say
about it: why is this text meaningful/interesting/provocative for you? Then go through the text again
and highlight / take notes on the moments when your concern(s) come to the fore. See if you can find a
pattern, trajectory, and/or hierarchy among these moments. Go from there. 2) Choose a work you want
to write about, on or off the syllabus. Consider whether there’s a context that sheds light on this work:
the historical moment and/or place when/where it was produced? Other works of its kind and/or
moment? Your sense of how the people/situations/plot/place(s) that are depicted/included in this text
are usually presented? Then (as above) go through the text again and highlight / take notes on the
moments when this context seems to enter the work. See if you can find a pattern, trajectory, and/or
hierarchy among these moments. Go from there.
About 5 pages (1,800–2,500 words). I’m willing to read longer papers. Cite page numbers, line numbers,
or time-points in the text; no footnotes/endnotes needed unless you use secondary sources (which
you’re not required to do). Use ms-word if you can, otherwise pdf; 1.5-spaced. Provide a specific title
that reflects your focus.
