Essay #4: Behold the Dreamers

Context: In the last few weeks, we’ve been working in groups in which we discussed the novel Behold the Dreamers. We’ve explored themes of class, race, ethnicity, prejudice, and much more by reading about several characters–Jende, Neni, Clark and Cindy–developing a thorough understanding of not just the events of the book, but how these characters convey themes about the human condition.

Prompt: For this assignment, you will be writing a thesis-driven, text-to-text essay, in which you will be applying concepts from the previously read texts (specifically, ones that I have listed below) to analyze one (or two) character(s) in the book Behold the Dreamers. In doing so, you’ll be discussing a main theme (or two) from the book and how the experiences of the character(s) you’re analyzing explore this theme..

Reading:
1. Kylie Jenner Is Still The Youngest Self-Made Billionaire In The World by Chase Peterson-Withorn
2. The Dark Side of American Optimism by Derek Thompson
3. The False Promise of Meritocracy by Marianne Cooper
4. Sea Oak by George Saunders
5. What the American dream looks like for immigrants Anne Helen Petersen
6. Despite the pandemic, Americans are still optimists. That’s a powerful political force by Carey Stapleton, Jacob Oliver and Jennifer Wolak
7. The Funny Thing about the American Dream by Harrison Scott Key
8. The New American Dream by Courtney E. Martin
9. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
10. You can also use any other assigned text from this course if you see fit

Requirements for this essay:
1. You must integrate at least 3 sources from the above list in your analysis of your character(s).
2. You will need to write 5 to 6 pages of text that are double-spaced and utilize size 12, Times Roman font. This does not include the Works Cited page.
3. You must have a very clear thesis, preferably at the end of your introduction.
4. Pretend that I have never read any of the texts. This means you must define and explain concepts. However, do not rely too much on summarizing in your essay. I will be grading you mostly on your analysis. You’ll also need to describe characters and their experiences well.
5. MLA Format

Rubric
Content
5 The thesis gives a fairly complete and clear impression of what the essay will focus on and what the central argument of the essay is. The thesis is also concise and placed strategically well in the essay.
20 The ideas all synthesize together well because of adequate explanation of the writer’s logic. The writing also provides a lot of clarity of the writer’s ideas.
15 The essay goes beyond just presenting the ideas from outside texts by analyzing the readings using, to some degree, the modes of rhetoric. The writer also analyzes the logical process of related ideas to the essay topic.
10 The writer integrates enough of the class assigned texts smoothly and ensures that these sources make an actual contribution to the essay’s overall message.
Organization
10 The paragraphs are organized in an effective manner and do not merely follow a simple point-by-point structure.
5 The topic sentences provide both a complete idea of what the paragraph or essay section will focus on and transitions well from one paragraph to another.
5 The introduction has an effective, creative hook and transitions well from the hook to the thesis. It also provides enough context to orient the reader before s/he reads the rest of the paper
5 The conclusion provides a brief overview of the overall argument being made and finds a creative way to close the essay smoothly.
Language
15 The grammar and vocabulary for this essay is mostly correct on a technical basis.
5 The sentence-by-sentence writing exhibits a sophisticated understanding of language, showing sentence variety and cohesion.
Formatting
1 The formatting of the page follows MLA standards.
3 Complete and well-formatted in-text citations and a works cited page are included.
1 The writer includes a creative title to catch the reader’s attention.
Writing Process
5 Draft 1
5 Peer Review
5 Draft 2
5 WC Conference