Humanities Homework Help

In your essay for WP2, you will construct a brief account of King’s letter and Kennedy’s speech; identify key
elements of each argument; briefly analyze rhetorical strategies used to support a key dependent claim in each
text; and discuss how these two texts extend, illustrate, clarify, or challenge/complicate each other.
You will then give an overview of a contemporary, researched text and discuss it in relation to the foundation
of notions of equality, justice, and American values as reflected by King and Kennedy, exploring the
following questions:
• In what ways does your researched source illustrate, clarify, extend, or complicate/challenge King’s
and Kennedy’s arguments regarding freedom, equality, and the role of a citizen in a democracy?
• In what ways does this source present a distinct or unique argument as influenced by personal
experience, cultural values, and the time period in which it was written?

Criteria for Evaluation: Successful papers earning a “C” or higher will:

1. Describe for a reader unfamiliar with these texts the common issues that connect them. Create a smooth
transition to your introduction to Kennedy and King (i.e., don’t begin your introduction abruptly with
something like “Martin Luther King, Jr., argues…”).

2. Provide an accurate and concise introduction to the authors and arguments. You should place a little
more emphasis on King and Kennedy in your intro (a few sentences each), with just a one- or twosentence introduction to your researched source.

3. End your introduction with a clear main claim/thesis to set up your analysis.

4. In one paragraph for King:
• Give a focused summary of King’s letter, clearly identifying his main claim, purpose, and audience
(include textual evidence to show your own reader who King’s intended audience must be). Also
identify one dependent claim that King uses to further his argument. (A modified rhetorical precis
will be helpful here).
• Do a brief analysis of one or two rhetorical strategies King uses to support the identified dependent
claim. Discuss how these strategies create appeals to ethos, pathos, and/or logos and these elements
strengthen his argument.

5. In one paragraph for Kennedy:
• Give a focused summary of Kennedy’s address (include information in 1st bullet of task #4).
• Do a brief analysis of rhetorical strategies Kennedy uses to support his identified dependent claim
(see 2nd bullet of task #4).

6. Discuss ways in which King’s letter and Kennedy’s speech extend, illustrate, clarify, and/or challenge/
complicate each other. How do the texts reflect basic American values regarding issues of equality,
justice, freedom, etc. of the 1960’s? How do the texts (penned within a few years of each other) reflect
the tension and momentum of the Civil Rights Movement and help to establish a basic foundation for
future understanding and expectations of these ideals? This can be done in one paragraph.

7. In one paragraph for your researched source:
• Provide a very brief overview of this argument, including main claim, purpose, and audience (just a
few sentences here). Then provide a focused discussion of how this text illustrates, clarifies, extends,
and/or complicates/challenges Kennedy’s and King’s historical arguments, as previously analyzed.
• Discuss ways in which this contemporary argument may show a direct or indirect influence by King’s
and Kennedy’s ideas. In what ways does it reflect contemporary attitudes about the importance of
equality and justice in the year 2020?

8. Conclude by referring back to your analysis of King and Kennedy and as well as your insights on the
contemporary source. Discuss the significance of these arguments regarding contemporary
circumstances. In what specific ways does your analysis reflect the importance of King’s and Kennedy’s
ideas? In what specific ways are the ideas in these texts relevant to a complete understanding of
contemporary American ideas about equality, freedom, and justice?

9. Cite quotations and paraphrased material using the page number in parentheses immediately after the
quote. Include the author’s name in the citation only when necessary for clarity (e.g., King 3).

10. Provide a properly formatted MLA Works Cited page to document your three sources (instructions will be
provided).

11. Use active and rhetorically accurate verbs in reference to the authors’ arguments.

12. Thoroughly edit the final paper so that sentences are readable and appropriate for an academic audience
(e.g., no unnecessary wordiness and minimal simple sentences).

Length: Minimum 1200 words (around 4 pages)

Format: Follow standard MLA formatting guidelines:
One-inch margins
Double-space text
Use standard 10- or 12-point font (e.g., Times, Palatino, Arial)