As Richard Wright tells us in this autobiographical narrative, his mother left her two young sons alone during the day, and then she ordered Richard to bring home groceries even if he had to fight a gang of boys to do so.

Assignment: Please choose one of the writing prompts below. Then answer the prompt by writing an argumentative paragraph that begins with a clear thesis-statement and supports your thesis with clearly-explained reasoning and two significant quotations from the text.



Topics (Choose one.)

Prompt #1: Was it right or wrong for Mrs. Wright to force her son Richard to get the groceries and confront the neighborhood bullies by himself? Why?



Prompt #2: How did Richard Wright change as a result of these experiences, and were the changes in him positive or negative changes? Why?



Instructions:

Answer this question in a fully-developed paragraph in which you argue your opinion and support your opinion with evidence from the story. How can your paragraph earn an "A"? Follow the criteria below:

    • For an “A,” incorporate two significant quotations from the narrative to illustrate your ideas. 
    • For a “B,” incorporate one significant quotation from the narrative to illustrate your ideas. 
    • For a "C," refer to specific evidence from the narrative to illustrate your ideas. 

Note: DO NOT USE the word "quote" as a noun in your paragraph. Instead, use a more precise word, such as "scene," "passage," "event," "action," "statement," "detail," "description," etc.

Ex.  This STATEMENT reveals that Dallas Winston cares about Johnny's well-being.

       This DESCRIPTION shows how Mr. Robel feels about being at home.

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Guide for Organizing Your Paragraph:

In your paragraph, make sure that you do these things well:

  1. Begin with a clear claim or topic sentence that directly answers your chosen writing prompt.
  2. Transition to your first supporting quotation by introducing the passage's context (the speaker and situation).
  3. Give the quotation (and parenthetical page citation), and punctuate it all properly.
  4. Explain the significance of the quotation (or passage, description, statement, evidence, conversation, etc.) or what it shows us. (However, do NOT say, "This quote...")
  5. Transition to your next quotation, and complete steps 2-4 again for it.

 

Use the example paragraph below as a model.

 

What to write in your paragraph

An example from The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

1. Claim / Topic Sentence

 

 

2. Transition #1

 

 

 

3. Quotation #1 (with page number)

 

 

4. Explanation #1

 

 

 

5. Transition #2

 

 

 

6. Quotation #2 (with page number)

 

 

7. Explanation #2

 

In The Call of the Wild by Jack London, the protagonist is Buck, a dog who must mature and learn to take care of himself after he is kidnapped from California and taken to the harsh and primitive environment of Alaska.  



Buck begins to change when he arrives in Alaska and attacks the men responsible for kidnapping him. He repeatedly charges one man and attempts to bite him, but the man is holding a club, a weapon Buck has never encountered before. 

 

“A dozen times he charged, and as often the club broke the charge and smashed him down.... He saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club. He had learned the lesson, and in all his after life he never forgot it. That club was a revelation. It was his introduction to the reign of primitive law” (34). 



This passage reveals that Buck must face some harsh facts of life. He is not home anymore, and he has no one to protect him—not his former master, Judge Miller, nor society’s laws of right and wrong. In order to survive on his own in the gold-rush country of Alaska, Buck must use not only his strength, but also his intelligence, to fight his enemies and adapt to his new, primitive reality. 

 

Later in the story, Buck continues to learn and change when he defeats and kills his chief rival, a dog named Spitz, and takes Spitz’s place as leader of the pack.  

 

The narrator explains: "Buck had lessoned from Spitz… and knew there was no middle course. He must master or be mastered; while to show mercy was a weakness. Mercy did not exist in the primordial life. It was misunderstood for fear, and such misunderstandings made for death. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, was the law; and this mandate, down out of the depths of Time, he obeyed" (68).

 

The narrator's words reveal that Buck is not only strong enough, but also wise enough, to take care of himself in one of the most primitive and hostile environments on Earth. In the wild, Buck cannot afford to show mercy or compassion to his main rival, because doing so could lead to Buck’s death. In this sense, Buck’s coming-of-age encompasses everything he learns in order to take care of himself and survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth.

 
Last modified: Thursday, August 25, 2016, 9:51 AM