BCCC Comparison of Serena Williams and Abdias do Nascimento Essay. Black athletes and musicians typically are perceived as distinct from the average person in their communities. First of all, as athletic and musical “entertainers”, there is often a debate about whether or not they should engage in social, racial, and political issues. Secondly, as celebrities and idols of people from multiple racial and class backgrounds, theyare often considered to have “crossover” appeal and acceptance in ways that other blacks rarely do.
Choose two black athletes or musicians that we examined in this class (from the readings or lectures) and one non-athlete or musician that we studied in the second half of the class. In what ways are the experiences of the athletes/musicians similar to or distinct from those of the other black figure? (This can include their activism, the challenges they confronted, and the various strategies they used to overcome those challenges.) In your analysis, please highlight the ways that the lives and actions of these black athletes and musicians support or counter the ideas about them stated above.
Essay questions to expect: The essays will be analytical in nature and will not simply require that you repeat information provided in the readings or lectures. The type of questions that may be asked include, but are NOT limited to prompts that ask you to: discuss a particular theme as it relates to some of the historical figures we’ve studied; compare and contrast some aspect of a couple of our historical figures; analyze how one historical event shaped the actions of multiple figures we’ve examined, etc. At least ONE of the essays will be open-ended, in other words, it will not require you to write about any one of the historical figures specifically, but will allow you to choose whom you focus on in your response.
Number of essays and expected length: The midterm will be comprised of two essays, and each should be 3-4 paragraphs in length.
- Citing sources: Please remember that Turn-It-In is, in part, a tool to identify cases of plagiarism. In order to avoid having elements of you essay marked as plagiarism, you must use quotation marks and citations. In other words, you MUST put quotes from the readings in quotation marks and cite them. Parenthetical citations will do. The following is an example of how to correctly use quotations and citations in your paper:
In his correspondence, Nelson Mandela highlighted the abuses on Robben Island, noting that the prisoners endured “pick and shovel work continuously for the last 5 years, a wretched diet, denial of essential cultural material and isolation from the world outside jail.” (88).
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- If you do not state the author’s name in the sentence you are citing, you must include the author’s last name in the parentheses. Thus, in the previous example it would be: (Mandela 88).
- Lectures can be cited in the following manner: (Lecture, 4/7).
- When to cite and when not to cite: If you are making a general statement, it is unnecessary to cite. For instance, the following example does NOT require a citation:
Nelson Mandela wrote many letters to defend the rights of his fellow prisoners.
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- However, if you make a statement that points to a specific example or specific information discussed in the reading, you should cite it, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT QUOTE THE READING. Therefore, using the above example, you could write instead:
Nelson Mandela noted the poor food that the prisoners received and the fact that they were kept in the dark about what was happening outside of prison walls. (88)
Some tips for a high score: Papers that receive an A grade MUST include: an introduction and a conclusion; clear points that are strengthened or proved by relevant and strong examples; and, the use of examples from both the readings and the lectures in the essays.
The movie link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXfv3LDUjC4&feature=youtu.be
BCCC Comparison of Serena Williams and Abdias do Nascimento Essay
