2.3: Desiree's Baby-- Assignment

Timed Argument Essay: “Desiree’s Baby” (500 words minimum)

50 points

Rationale:

To practice the skill of developing an argument essay on a topic in a timed setting, we will be writing about the short story “Desiree’s Baby.” In the 3-hour period allotted, you will draft an outline, produce a thesis statement, and write a well-organized essay with an introduction, multiple body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your essay must engage with the short story throughout the essay in order to be successful.

Your completion of this assignment will demonstrate your fulfillment of the following English 101 course learning outcomes:

·         Engage in a recursive process of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading 

·         Employ a voice, style, and tone appropriate to the topic selected and the rhetorical situation 

·         Direct an argument or explanation to the designated audience 

·         Establish a clear framework of essay and paragraph organization appropriate to the writing task and the thesis 

·         Employ rhetorical strategies consistent with the purpose of the writing task 

·         Integrate students’ own ideas with those of others, using an appropriate documentation style (i.e., MLA or APA)

·         Incorporate reasoning and explanations appropriate to the thesis and its supporting claims 

·         Revise work to enhance coherence and clarity while communicating with relevant discourse communities 

Assignment:

For this paper, you will answer the following prompt about the short story “Desiree’s Baby”:

Who or what is the ultimate antagonist in the short story “Desiree’s Baby”?

Provide textual evidence as well as discussion about the thematic issues that are present in the short story.

Audience:

The audience for this argument essay is a person who is not familiar with the short story “Desiree’s Baby.” This means you will need to provide all essential information about the text so that the audience will understand what you’re writing about, as well as a short (1-3 sentence) summary of the story in the introduction of the essay.

Purpose:

The goal of this argument paper is to develop an argument in response to the prompt provided. There should be a clear argumentative thesis and multiple body paragraphs with textual evidence from the short story that supports the argument.

Writing Process Assignments and Point Values:

In Class Discussion—10 points

Final Draft—40 points

English 101 Exit Exam Rubric
Score	High Pass (7 or 6+, A)	Pass (6 or 6-, B or C)	Not Passing (5 or 4, D or F)
Focus	Subject is well defined; thesis is clear and thoughtful with some insight and originality. Clear main points are sustained throughout the essay with an effective opening and closing.	Subject is well defined; thesis is clear; main points are sustained throughout the essay; opening and closing are consistent.	Thesis is vague, unclear, or missing; there may be some lapses in focus or problems with consistency between opening and closing.
Organization	Essay is organized logically and effectively to achieve its goal; effective, seamless transitions and purposeful use of paragraphing guide the reader.	Overall structure of the essay is clear; ideas are logically related and generally easy to follow due to appropriate paragraphing and use of transitions.	A plan may not be evident, or an attempted plan is inconsistently followed or poorly signaled; coherence and clarity are impacted by digressions, problems with paragraphing, or missing.
Development and Quality of Ideas	Thesis is fully explained and well developed with excellent details and examples.   The essay demonstrates outstanding critical, original thought.	Thesis is adequately explained and fairly well developed through multiple body paragraphs that include appropriate details and examples.   The essay demonstrates an attempt at critical original thought or careful analysis.	Thesis is explained to some extent but suffers from any of the following: unsupported generalizations, irrelevant details, or underdeveloped ideas.   Thinking is commonplace or simplistic.
Engagement with Article	Engagement with the article is effective and appropriate and demonstrates a thorough and possibly nuanced understanding of the article. Boundaries between the student's thoughts and the article are clear.   Evidence is contextualized and integrated with signal phrases or clear transitions.	Engagement with the article is adequate and demonstrates a clear understanding of the article. Boundaries between the student’s thoughts and the article are usually clear.   Evidence is presented with some integration/ signal phrases or transitions.	Engagement with the article is ineffective due to any of the following: a misunderstanding of the article, an over-reliance on the article, a lack of adequate connection with the article, irrelevant references to the article, or problematic attribution of ideas.   Evidence is attempted but insufficient or ineffectively integrated.
Writing Fluency	Conventions of Standard English are consistently applied with few to no surface errors. AND Utilizes a voice, tone and level of formality appropriate to an academic audience and effective for meeting the goal of the specific writing task. AND Demonstrates mastery of prose writing though the use of varied sentence structures, precise vocabulary, and effective use of rhetorical tools (e.g., figurative language).	Conventions of Standard English are consistently applied (may be some exceptions as long as they do not interfere with coherence, clarity, or readability). AND Sentence structure is generally clear and effective (may be some exceptions as long as they do not interfere with coherence, clarity, or readability). AND Generally utilizes a voice, tone and level of formality appropriate to an academic audience.	Conventions of Standard English are inconsistently applied; multiple surface errors (grammar, spelling, word usage) interfere with coherence, clarity, or readability. OR Confusing or overly simplistic sentence structure; problems with punctuation that interfere with coherence, clarity or readability. OR Utilizes a voice, tone and level of formality inappropriate to an academic audience.