People want to feel special, to feel that they have unique qualities that give their lives significance. In Tayari Jones' Silver Sparrow, both Chaurisse and Dana want to be seen as special, but both believe they are not special but that the other is. Write an essay of 700 words examiing how this desire to be special becomes the central conflict of the novel.
Prewriting
- How does Chaurisse see Dana as special?
- How does Dana see Chaurisse as special?
- What is the significance of the title of the novel and its relationship to the gospel song “His Eye is On the Sparrow” in terms of being special?
- How does Dana’s long hair mark her as special?
- When Chaurisse gets a weave, how does that affect both Dana and Chaurisse's sense of being special?
- How does this issue of being special relate to the Sweet Sixteen party or Dana showing up with her mother and Dana’s birth certificate?
- Who seems to be most special to James of his two daughters, and why?
- Why does James claim to have won gifts for his daughters while playing poker, and what, if anything, does this have to do with the girls being “special”?
Jones, Tayari. Silver Sparrow. Chapel Hill: Algonquin, 2011.
Requirements
- Length: Your essay must be a minimum of 700 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. 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.
