Writing: Organizing your Essay

Reading the essay prompt: Prompt: Using the three pieces of text, Beneatha and Asagai’s conversation about Beneatha’s hair in A Raisin in the Sun, and the CNN video clip/article “Doll Test”, explore how a person’s self- perception is influenced by his/her social environment, specifically the effects of racial discrimination. In writing your essay, consider how each text conveys the effects of racial discrimination on a person’s/child’s self-perception. Your essay should be two parapgraphs in length. You will write an introduction and one body paragraph. Be sure to use evidence from both texts to support your ideas.

Body paragraphs -Your body paragraphs are the parts of your essay in which you prove your thesis. -You must use the evidence that you are given to support the claim you are making. -You must also prove that the specific evidence you are using does indeed support the point you are making.

Body paragraphs: Topic Sentence Organization Using three different texts to support your claim is challenging; however, you should NOT do the following when organizing the main idea (topic sentence) of your body paragraph:

Do NOT do the following: Body Paragraph #1: Beneatha and Asagai’s conversation about her hair illustrates how Beneatha has internalized unattainable white standards of beauty. Body Paragraph #2: The CNN clip, “Doll Test” further illustrated that due to racial prejudice, children, particularly black children, internalize stereotyped, limited perceptions of themselves.

Thesis Statement: Racial discrimination hinders a person’s ability to form a healthy self-perception, as that person is excluded from standards of beauty, behavior, and morality. Consequently, once a person internalizes racially stereotyped views of his/her own race, this person may be unable to perceived her/himself as having control over self-perception. The issue of racially skewed self-perception is evidenced in Lorraine Hansberry’s play, “A Raisin in the Sun” and Jill Billante and Chuck Hadad’s CNN article “Doll Test”.

Do the following!: -Organize your body paragraphs according to the idea/topic you are discussing -Then within your body paragraph, you will discuss how the two pieces of text (Raisin & CNN clip) support your idea/topic

Body Paragraph #1: Racial discrimination fractures the emerging self- perception within a person. -Evidence A: Beneatha and Asagai’s conversation -Evidence B: CNN clip Body Paragraph #2: Once a person internalizes racially stereotyped views of beauty, behavior, or morality, he/she is unable to realize his/her own power to determine his/her self-perception. -Evidence A: Beneatha and Asagai’s conversation -Evidence B: CNN clip

Conclusion: -Reflect upon your thesis (the main position your are arguing, including your two topics/ideas -Provided a concluding broad statement about the your thesis.