FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
Departments of English and African and African American Studies
ENGL 2000 L02
Texts & Contexts: Freedom and Slavery in African Diasporic Literature
Fall 2021
Final Essay Prompts

Write a 6-page essay answering one of the following questions. Discuss Toni Morrison’s
Beloved, making reference to at least two secondary sources (e.g. theory, criticism, or history)
independent of any of the assigned texts. You may reference material from your presentation,
however, it must be cited. Students will be required to submit a rough draft of their essays for
peer editing on December 2, before turning in the final draft of the paper on Blackboard on
December 15 at 6 pm.

Be as specific as possible in developing your views and cite particular events, scenes,
passages, and stylistic effects that support your interpretation. These essays should be
double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman, and proof read. Grammatical and spelling
mistakes will be penalized.

Please include a full bibliography of primary and secondary sources in your first and second
draft.


1. Discuss the representation of friendship and community in Toni Morrison’s Beloved.

2. Discuss the representation of motherhood and grief in Toni Morrison’s Beloved, making
reference to all the characters who act as mothers in the text.

3. Discuss the representation of Africa and the Middle Passage in Toni Morrison’s Beloved.

4. Discuss the relationship between trauma and memory in Toni Morrison’s Beloved.

5. Discuss the significance of food and agriculture in Toni Morrison’s Beloved.

6. Discuss the significance of water and nature imagery in Toni Morrison’s Beloved.

Grading
Final 1st Draft: 5%
Final 2nd Draft: 25%

Notes on the Draft

Try to be as detailed as possible, including an introductory paragraph and an initial close reading
analysis; plus a list of passages to analyze with notes on why these passages help prove your
argument, etc.

Here are the 5 things to consider as you put together your draft:

1) Choice of evidence (Have you cited relevant passages from the texts under discussion?)
2) Discussion of evidence (Have you engaged in critical analysis of the passages cited?)
3) Organization (Does your argument proceed in a logical manner? Is there a clear
explanation for the order in which you have analyzed your evidence?)
4) Thesis (Is there some gesture toward an argument? It’s okay if this is provisional in the
draft stage.)
5) Bibliography/Works Cited (your first draft should show evidence of
research/identification of potential secondary sources. It’s okay if you end up choosing
different sources for your final draft).

Final Paper Rubric (25 points) Exemplary
(A)
Good
(B)
Acceptable
(C)
Unacceptable
(D/F)
Choice of appropriate passages (5)
Compiling important information
from passages (close
reading/analysis) (10)

Draw conclusions based on
information (Argument) (5)

Incorporate course concepts,
theories, and perspectives (3)

Writing Skills (2)
Total (25)


Due Dates and Upload Instructions

*Thursday, December 2 at 6 pm: Final Draft 1: Due in course Google Folder (share with “Read”
and “Edit” capabilities so your colleagues can comment).

*Sunday, December 5 at 6 pm: Editing: You must comment on the papers of two other students.

*Wednesday, December 15 at 6 pm: Final Draft 2: upload on Blackboard.

If you cannot upload your essay that day you must make sure that you upload your essay
BEFORE THE DEADLINE. If you anticipate that you will be unable to meet the deadline,
please email me or come and see me during office hours.