Monday, July 16th, 5 pm

Hello!
Here is a copy of the out of class essay #2 assignment that I distributed today in class.
Also, remember the assignment for tomorrow: come to class with your essay #2 topic chosen and a working thesis statement.

English 1A, Summer Bridge Academy 2012---C. Fraga

Date assigned: Monday, July 16

Rough draft (optional): due no later than Thursday, July 19

Final draft due: Monday, July 23

Details:

1. MLA format

2. At least 4 outside sources on your Works Cited page

3. Please, no Wikipedia

4. No formulaic, 5 paragraph essay

5. Underline thesis statement

OUT OF CLASS ESSAY ASSIGNMENT #2

Course theme: the significance of home

Every family, at some point, must face something extraordinary that challenges the family entity and requires a very serious adjustment. How do members of the family cope, adjust, and/or “deal” with the event/situation?

I am not referring to the everyday “bumps in the road” that occur for all families. Instead, I am asking you to consider the family unit when faced with an especially challenging situation. These situations could include but are not limited to:

• death

• birth

• infidelity

• serious injury

• dementia

• serious illness

• divorce

• unemployment

• new employment

• moving to a new home/state/area/country

• the return of a war veteran

• moving BACK home after initially moving OUT

• alcoholism

• drug abuse

Select ONE situation that you are most interested in exploring. You will conduct research (and possibly personal interviews, if possible) in order to write an essay that offers the reader background on the topic and makes an assertion about what elements of a particular situation impact a family in the most challenging of ways and supports it logically and interestingly.

Your thesis might read something like this:

When a family member develops dementia, the challenges are often devastating, yet the disease definitely impacts family members more than the dementia patient.

Or…

When a couple divorces, it most certainly impacts the children still living at home; however, it is the older children who have already moved away that are most affected by the split.