bell hooks' essay “Straightening Our Hair” discusses how the ritual of “hair straightening” created both a “culture of intimacy” among black women and “represents an imitation of the dominant white group’s appearance and often indicates internalized racism, self-hatred, and/or low self esteem.”  In an essay of 800 words, discuss how the self-definition based on the hair of each of the women in Silver Sparrow affects the central conflicts in the novel.

Primary Source

Secondary Sources

bell hooks' essay "Straightening Our Hair"

Patton, Tracey Owens. "Hey Girl, Am I More Than My Hair?: African American Women and Their Struggles with Beauty, Body Image, and Hair." NWSA Journal 18.2 (2006): 24+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Mar. 2016. <http://go.galegroup.com.libdb.chattanoogastate.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA149460405&v=2.1&u=tel_a_cstcc&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=a167bd235ea401be7bb85a1c8b371bb7>

Thompson, Cheryl. (2009). Black Women, Beauty, and Hair as a Matter of Being. Women’s Studies, 38.8 831–856. <https://doi.org/10.1080/00497870903238463>.

Requirements

• Length: Your essay must be a minimum of 800 words.
• Documentation Format: You must include an MLA formatted Works Cited page that includes correctly formatted internal citations for the stories and the additional resources.
• Sources: You are restricted to the novel Silver Sparrow and the secondary source material given. Do not use any other source material. Your essay is based on your own close reading and analysis of the novel.
• Format: The essay must be in MSWord format (.doc or .docx)

Students must use MLA style documentation. Internal citations should identify the page number and section for the novel. Students must also include an MLA Works Cited page.Students should proofread carefully their final drafts for spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as clarity, conciseness, and completeness. The final draft should be typed, double spaced, with one inch margins, in Times New Roman 12 pt. The essay should be a minimum of 800 words.

The essay will be evaluated based on how well students develop their arguments with significant support from the novel (thesis, topic sentences, supporting details from the novel); clarity, cohesion, and conciseness; correct use of MLA format; and grammar and spelling.For this essay, students may use a dictionary to help with words with which they are not familiar but should not refer to the dictionary definitions in the essay. Students must use MLA style documentation. Internal citations should identify the author and line number for the poems and author or authors for any articles or other resources. Students must also include an MLA Works Cited page.

Students should proofread carefully their final drafts for spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as clarity, conciseness, and completeness. The final draft should be typed, double spaced, with one inch margins, in Times New Roman 12 pt. The essay should be a minimum of 900 words.The essay will be evaluated based on how well students develop their arguments with significant support from the poems (thesis, topic sentences, supporting details from the poems); clarity, cohesion, and conciseness; correct use of MLA format; and grammar and spelling.