For the second book analysis, pick a book from the list at the end of this introduction about a culture other than your own. If you want to read a book not on the list, you should have it approved in advance with the Instructor. This paper should provide a brief critical analysis of the book. This is not a book review, but a short analysis of one or two cultural aspects described or implied in the book that you found interesting and significant and why. Be specific.
The paper should be one or one-and-a-half pages in length, double-spaced typed. It is more difficult to write a good book analysis in only one or one-and-a-half pages than in a paper twice that length. Forcing yourself to stay within that short limit will focus your thinking and tighten up your writing by eliminating superfluous words and redundancies.
It may stimulate your thinking to look at the list below of possible cultural aspects that may be found in your book, but this is not a requirement and you do not have to refer to them in your paper. You will be graded on how well the paper is written (e.g., spelling, punctuation, flow, clarity of expression, word choice) as well as content (e.g. evidence of original thinking, interest to the reader). Remember to focus on the CULTURAL aspects of the book and not just give a summary of the story line. Such a summary, if you choose to give one, should occupy not more than one-quarter of the paper (i.e. about one paragraph). Cite your information sources. This is an INDIVIDUAL assignment.
Submit through the Turnitin function in Canvas.
QUESTIONS:
Is this book about a society, a culture or both? What exactly are a “society” and a “culture”?
Why is this book important to you and to others in your culture/society?
What cultural insights does the book give you about the culture of the people being described? E.g.
economic systems
marriage and family systems
educational systems
social control systems
supernatural belief systems
How is this similar or different from your own culture? How do they perform similar functions? What insights does this give you about human nature in general?
What are some of the potential consequences of not understanding this culture/society and making ethnocentric judgments without realizing they are ethnocentric?
Are there questions you would like answered about the people/culture that do not appear in the book?
Was this book interesting to you? Why or why not?
Has the book had an impact on the perception of the people being described, as reflected in popular opinion and governmental policy?
Remember:
You will be graded on how well the paper is written as well as the content. Beware of:
Typos
Redundancy
Grammar
Passive vs. active voice
Word choice
Flow
Persuasiveness
Use the APA style in your paper
Suggested Culture-Oriented Book List
AMERICAN
DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA (1835), Alexis de Tocqueville
PIONEERS (1913); MY ANTONIA (1918), Willa Cather
THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940), John Steinbeck
THE AFFLUENT SOCIETY (1958), John Kenneth Galbriath
STREET CORNER SOCIETY (1943), William Foote Whyte
THE FIRE NEXT TIME (1963), James Baldwin
MORMON COUNTRY (1942), Wallace Stegner
GREAT BUSINESS DISASTERS (1973), Isadore Barmach
HUNGER OF MEMORY (1981), Brown
BROWN: THE LAST DISCOVERY OF AMERICA (2001), Richard Rodriquiz
ENCOUNTERS WITH THE ARCHDRUID (1971), John McPhee
MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (1972), Chaim Potok
AFRICAN
THE POISONWOOD BIBLE (1998), Barbra Kingsolver
CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY (1948), Alan Paton
THINGS FALL APART (1959), Chinua Achebe
KAFFIR BOY (1986), Mark Mathabane
HEART OF DARKNESS (1902), Joseph Conrad
Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.
[order_calculator]