Bringing It All Together
“Spirit Crushers” and “Spirit Builders”
Context: We have spent this semester thinking about Robin Abcarian’s “Don’t Let the Spirit Crushers Get You Down” and then applying the ideas to our own lives, to short stories and other written texts, and to film. We have considered the impact that people have on each other’s lives, for better or worse, and we have reflected on strategies to overcome self-doubt and fulfill personal goals.
Essay Assignment: In this essay, you will complete a “radical revision” of Essays 1 and 2, bringing together the most interesting and insightful points from your work into one essay. Your essay will introduce Abcarian’s work and the most significant point you’ve learned from her; share the most important lesson you’ve learned about yourself related to Spirit Builders/Spirit Crushers through the course of the semester; and use one or more of the texts we’ve studied (“Go Carolina,” “Burro Genius,” or Real Women Have Curves) to further illustrate what you’ve learned about yourself or the world around you relating to Spirit Builders/Spirit Crushers.
Your analysis should have a strong thesis statement that appears in the introductory paragraph and is supported in the body with personal narrative (from Essay 1) and textual analysis of the text that you analyzed in Essay 2, as they relate to your argument.
Your thesis should answer some variation of one of these questions: What is an important argument that you’ve come to understand regarding the impact of “spirit crushers” in people’s lives and futures? Or, what is an important argument that you’ve come to understand about how to overcome self-doubt? Or, what is an important argument you’ve come to understand about the impact of “spirit builders”?
As you begin to draft a working thesis, keep in mind that an effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. An effective thesis should: (1) tell what you plan to argue; (2) make a definable, arguable claim; and (3) be as clear and specific as possible.
Also remember that a “radical revision” is not just editing, though you should review the feedback on your essays and correct patterns of error. A radical revision builds on your strengths to form the most interesting, meaningful, and supported essay you can write.
**Make sure to review the feedback I have provided (or will provide) on Essays 1 and 2.**
Guidelines:
The essay should be a minimum of 750 words (or roughly three pages plus the Works Cited)
The essay should have an introduction with a thesis. It should also have multiple body paragraphs with strong topic sentences. It should have a concluding paragraph.
Your essay should be typed according to MLA format and guidelines.
The essay should use MLA conventions for parenthetical documentation after quotations and paraphrases. Use the resources folder to help you with in-text citations, the Works Cited page, and other matters of convention.
The essay should have a Works Cited page that has at least two sources (the text you’re analyzing and Abcarian’s article).
