For Tuesday, as mentioned in the summer reading assignment, prepare for the in-class essay on your third summer reading book. You will be able to use your notes from Friday's class to help you, but you may use neither an outline nor your book. You will have forty-five minutes to write the essay. This will be the question: What rhetorical strategies does your author use to get the reader on his or her side? To frame your thesis, you may also consider whether the author is successful in getting the reader on his or her side.
For Thursday, read and annotate the following essays in Gutkind, Best Creative Nonfiction. While reading, pay close attention to the writers' rhetorical strategies. Then, respond to one of the prompts below.
Anne Trumbore, "Spite" (pp. 1-5)
Sarah Miller-Davenport, "Here I Am in Bergdorf-Goodman" (pp. 21-24)
Gwendolyn Knapp, "Instead of the Rat Pack" (pp. 25-40)
In one-to-two pages, respond to one of the following prompts:
1. Discuss the extent to which each of these authors meets Gornick's criteria for writing a memoir. You may focus on any or all of the following: detachment, trustworthiness, central insight, and depth of inquiry that appeals to a disinterested reader. A paragraph on each writer is sufficient. Be sure to include evidence to support your response.
2. Write an essay in which you explore the significance of some part of your upbringing in shaping who you are today. It does not have to be shameful, or even unflattering, as it was in the essays you just read, but it must be very specific, and you should be clear about how you feel about it.
