Narrative Essay

  4 pages in length minimumNarrative Essay

Texts: 

Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil: After 50 Years of Asian American 

Paulo Freire: Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Banking Concept of Education.

Beverly Tatum: Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? The Complexities 

of Identity.

Russell Jeung: Mountain Movers, Introduction.

Jennifer Ho: Keywords, Identity. 

Context:

Tatum explains that all people possess multiple identities which are shaped by and embedded in our social, cultural, and historic contexts. She also notes that our consciousness of these identities and their meanings develop through self-reflection over time. Through Freire, we learned that critical consciousness entails not only the emergence of consciousness but also a critical intervention in reality.

On a parallel track, we learned from Kandil and Jeung that the term Asian American can be traced back to a specific political, cultural, and social intersection in U.S. history. The Asian American identity, then, was created by people who found it necessary to assert an autonomous identity against oppressive forces. 

Essay question: 

Reflect on your journey in coming into identity-consciousness, specifically your racial and ethnic identities. In a narrative essay answer the following perennial question: Who am I? 

You must apply at least five of the concepts from at least two readings, three of which should be quoted passages. 

There are countless ways you can answer this question, so you must frame or guide your response based on one or two of the following questions: 

Framing questions: 

1. Who are you now? Who were you before? And who will you become? In other words, how has your identity consciousness developed over time?

Requirements: 

4 pages in length minimum (no upper limit)

MLA format

12 pt font, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins all around, 100% double spaced

Relevant and creative title (not Essay #1 or My narrative

Essay question 2: 

In an argument-based (i.e., thesis-driven) essay answer the following question: In your opinion, what was the most significant cause and most significant consequence of the creation of an Asian American identity? You must build your argument on the unit readings and provide at least two passages from at least two different readings (total of four passages, at least).