Writing Directions
Write your response in an essay with an introduction [that has a clear thesis statement], a well-developed body, and a conclusion. Make use of both paraphrase and direct quotes, giving attribution using MLA in-text citation using direct quotes. You must include a “Works Cited” page. The essay can be 4-5 pages, with the works cited page being an additional page. So, if your essay is 4 pages, then the “Works Cited” page is page 5, and if your essay is 5 pages, then the “Works Cited” page is page 6.
You must use the following source materials:
“Ain’t I a Woman” by Sojourner Truth
“A Talk to Teachers” by James Baldwin
An article that you find through research.
You have the option to use additional articles reviewed in class that share more information about Truth and Baldwin and give you more perpsectives to fortify your essay. These articles are not in place of the research article you must find, but in addition to the researched article(s).
“Ain’t I a Woman” by Marion Wright Edelman
“James Baldwin’s Lesson for Teachers in a Time of Turmoil” by Clint Smith
“Who’s the nigger?” Interview with James Baldwin on KQED
Writing Prompt
In Pedagogy of the Oppressed writer Paulo Freire writes, “No one can be authentically human while he prevents others from being so.”
In the essay “A Talk to Teachers” by James Baldwin and the speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth, both writers challenge how their societies view them and how their societies define African Americans and/or women. Truth and Baldwin reject that view and share how they define themselves, and how they see themselves. They focus on their own humanity.
Write an essay that identifies and discusses at least four ways Truth and Baldwin saw themselves differently than how American society (the power structure) viewed them, and how they defined their own humanity. Be sure to include at least one example from each speech (Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” and Baldwin’s “A Talk to Teachers).
The following link is the article I chose:
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2021/02/22/black-history-month-james-baldwin-racism-resonates-activists/4080047001/?build=native-web_i_p
