For Tuesday

For Tuesday, please read Alexie's "Reading, Writing, Superman and Me" and Douglass's "Learning to Read and Write"

It is very important that you do the reading for Tuesday because we will be working with these two essays in depth in class on Tuesday and over the next few weeks. These essays will serve as the first two essays that we will compare as we practice for the exit exam at the end of the semester.

As you read, take detailed notes in the margins.

How does each author learn how to read and write?
What hindrances does each author face?
How are the essays similar? How are they different?
What is the tone of each essay?
Who is the audience for each essay?
What is the purpose of each essay?

Also, please check out the biographies of these two authors because they are important for understanding the essays.

Frederick Douglass, (19th century African American humanitarian and abolitionist: author of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave)
Frederick Douglass

Sherman Alexie (20th century Native American author of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction)
Sherman Alexie

And on a final note: Don't forget to bring your thesis for your neighborhood essay to class on Tuesday.