Resources:
Excerpt from Letter to My Son Ta-Nehisi Coates
Excerpt from The Souls of Black Folk. Of Spiritual Strivings
Assignment:
In 1903, The Souls of Black Folk was published. Written by social activist, WEB DuBois, the work makes the point that African Americans are born into a society, which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through…double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at ones self through the eyes of others….” (DuBois). Thus, DuBois identifies a pervasive feeling key to how many African Americans felt about their identity. Over a century later, writer and activist Ta-Nahisi Coates wrote an article, Letter to My Son, published in The Atlantic, in which he advises his son that, you are growing into consciousness, and my wish for you is that you feel no need to constrict yourself to make other people comfortable (Coates). This issue of consciousness, or the fact of awareness by the mind of itself and the world, is key to both of their arguments (Oxford).
For this assignment, use at least ONE of the above sources to develop an argument that answers the question:
How is identity constructed?
You may want to consider the places in Coates essay where you see evidence of the twoness described by DuBois in the excerpt we read and discussed in class (DuBois). You may also use personal examples to help develop your argument.
Requirements:
You must have a clearly articulated central claim/thesis.
Support your claim with details from the assigned readings as well as your own personal examples and observations.
DO NOT use outside sources, only the ones I gave you.
Cite all sources using MLA format in-text citations
Essay must be 3-4 pages in length, meaning you touch the bottom of page 3.
Works Cited page
Written in MLA format.
Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.
[order_calculator]