brainstorm
We have read through the essay prompt and the brainstorm ideas about contradictions we see in American society. By now, you may have some thoughts about how you want to respond to our third essay.
Brainstorming is part of the prewriting process, where we gather ideas to see how they can be used in the development of your essay. All writing includes some form of brainstorming. In our textbook, Signs of Life in the USA, editors Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon explain brainstorming as “amassing as many relevant (and even some irrelevant) ideas a possible” (23). They suggest to list your ideas without censoring yourself. Whatever comes to mind, jot it down and later you can throw out what you don’t need. In the end, you’ll end up with a “rich list of examples that you can then study and analyze” (23).
Instructions:
- List contradictions you see in American culture. Perhaps list at least 5 to give you ideas you can work with.
- Next, pick one or two from that list and write what that contradiction says about who are as a nation, a society, a people? (This is a brief observation, not a fully developed analysis),
- Then, list any of the texts by Ehrenreich, Lee, Watkins, Mason, Fleishman, Tankersley, Corbett, Graham, and/or Pollan that you see speaking to one or more of the contradictions you listed above.
You can list in bullet points or as a free-flowing paragraph. The length of your brainstorm should be between 100 – 200 words.
