Critical Reading Response Assignment | Online Assignment

CES 436 – Spring 2020 – Guerrero

Critical Reading Response Question (50 points possible) 

Colson Whitehead’s –  The Nickel Boys

DUE ON BLACKBOARD: p.m.

QUESTION:

For this question I want you to think about how Whitehead interrelates trauma and double consciousness to examine Black masculinity.

There are two parts to this question. You must respond to both parts to be eligible for full credit.

Part one:  How do you see Whitehead using the character of Elwood Curtis as an examination of double consciousness and the ways in which the ideological violences committed against Black boys/men are just as severe as the physical violences committed against them?

Part two:  How do you see Whitehead using the character of Jack Turner to examine double consciousness from a different perspective than that of Elwood? How does Turner’s “dual identity” inform how the reader understands the traumas inflicted by The Nickel Academy?

In your response you must reference at least two specific passages from the book in order to be eligible for full credit.

FORMAT REQUIREMENTS:

1. Your response must be typed. Assignments not typed will not be accepted.
2. Your response must be 3 pages, double spaced, using a typical 12-point font (ex. Times New Roman), and standard margins. 2.5 pages is not 3 pages. Any response shorter than 3 pages or that has radically modified margins will lose points.
3. Make sure to cite your sources. When you reference something from a course text, supplemental reading, or course lecture/discussion you must cite your source. For the critical reading response please use the following method to cite sources.
   1. For all citations use in text parenthetical citations at the end of the reference you are using. (Examples of what those parenthetical citations should look like for each reference type are included below.)
   2. If a direct quote is 3 or less sentences long you place the quote in quotation marks and simply include them as normal in your paragraph. If a direct quote is longer than 3 sentences you indent it and include it as a block quote. (It is still double spaced.) Note: As this is a shorter assignment, the quotes that you use should not be excessively long. Any quote longer than 4-5 sentences is too long for this type of assignment and will be seen as empty filler taking space away from your critical response.
   3. Even if a reference is not a direct quote you must cite it. If it is a paraphrased idea/argument/point taken from the primary texts, the supplemental readings, or class lecture/discussion you must cite it as it is not your original idea even if it is in your words. Note: Changing one or two words in someone else’s idea/argument/point does not make it an original idea of yours and is considered plagiarism.
   4. For the primary text your citation only needs to include the page number. As you are only engaging with one primary text in the response the professor will know which book you are referring to. Example: (189)
   5. If you use a reference from a supplementary reading the citation should include the author’s last name and a page number. Example: (Bederman, 189)
   6. If you use a reference from lecture or discussion your citation should include either the professor’s last name and the date of the class in which she made the point you’re referencing, or it should say class discussion and the date if it is a point one of your fellow classmates made in either small or large group discussion. Examples: (Guerrero, 1/28/20) or (Class discussion, 1/28/20)
4. The heading of your response must follow the guidelines described in the syllabus.
5. Please remember to proofread your response thoroughly. Excessive spelling and grammatical errors will be marked down accordingly.