Composition: First Test on "African American Self Reliance in Post-Racial America"

We will have our first test on the essay "African American Self-Reliance in Post-Racial America" throughout next week. Please bring the photocopied chapter or book to class, and do not use assignments from previous classes. You must write the essay in class only.

In your essay,

1) Introduce the author of the article that you are analyzing as well as the title of the article in your first paragraph. Place your name, the instructor's name, the class, and the date in the upper left hand corner. Create an original title for your paper. In your first paragraph, you should address the subject of the essay, which is the idea of self-reliance. Do you agree with Coleman's viewpoint that self-reliance is still necessary in a multiethnic America? Can self-reliance help African Americans overcome higher unemployment rates, lack of health care, and the lack of adequate educational institutions in African American communities? Do you agree with Coleman's viewpoint that African Americans will become more self-reliant as a result of President Obama's achievements?

2) Organize your body paragraphs. You should have at least 3 paragraphs in the body of your paper, each with a different main idea. You should include some quotes in your essay. Make sure that you introduce them. In your body paragraphs, use different rhetorical strategies to frame your argument, e.g. comparison and contrast (compare 2008 to 2012--how have conditions changed for African Americans?), cause and effect (for instance, you might argue with Coleman by questioning whether the election of Barack Obama will automatically result in a change in mindset in the African American community), example and illustration (use examples from your own experience to illustrate your points--what has changed in your life as a result of President Obama's election?), and narration (tell a story to illustrate a point), and description (describe for instance what a postracial society would really be like). You do not have to use all of these strategies, but these are some of the strategies that you should use in your essay.

Here are some important quotes that you could use in your essay:


Coleman questions the idea of a postracial America in the aftermath of the 2008 presidential election: "The United States seems at last to have acknowledged itself as a truly multiracial and multicultural nation. But have we entered a 'postracial era?'" (10).

Coleman describes the health care, education, and income gap between the black community and other ethnicities in America: "The disparities in access to education, health care, and income are symptomatic of conditions that have come to benefit some Americans at the expense of others" (11).

Coleman contends that Barack Obama's election has led to the idea of self-reliance in the African American community: "... the election of President Obama has not created a postracial America, but it has opened a space for black Americans to transition out of a mindset of displacing responsibility for their social situation on the American sociopolitical system and toward a mindset of self-reliance as perseverance" (12).

Coleman asks an important question: "... in the second decade of the 21st century, when an African American man is predisent of the United States, how does black America morph a history of suppression into a future of critical awareness and equal participation?" (13).

3) Write a conclusion. In your conclusion, return to your thesis. Restate your thesis, but draw conclusions by summarizing what you covered in your paper. What conclusions can you draw? This is your chance to make a last impression on your reader. Sometimes, you can also let your reader reflect on the overall purpose of your essay. Do not introduce new information in your conclusion.


Works Cited.
Coleman, Marcus. "African American Self-Reliance in Postracial America." Our Voices: Fifth Edition. Ed. Alberto Gonzalez, Marsha Houston, Victoria Chen. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. 10-19.