READING GENDER, SEX, AND POWER IN A MEMOIR
Students will read a memoir from the following list and do an analysis intersectionality and power structures that results in a 5–7-page paper. In the paper you will utilize the readings and theories we have studied in class to support your ideas.
These memoirs are not at the bookstore, but they are available to purchase various places and may be available via your nearest library. That said, they are not scanned or on reserve or at the bookstore or reserved at any library. Please utilize your favorite way to obtain books. These books range in price from $9-$20.
Fairest by Meredith Talusan (2020)
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon (2018)
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee (2018)
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (2019)
Shrill by Lindy West (2016)
The Beauty in Breaking by Dr. Michele Harper (2020)
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors (2017)
Prompt:
Students will analyze a memoir using the questions outlined below to examine intersectionality and systems of power/privilege/inequality while creating meaningful connections between the authors’ and their own lived experiences.
Outline:
An introduction paragraph with a thesis statement that guides the essay – 1 solid paragraph.
How does the author’s gender impact their lived experiences? – 1 page
How does gender intersect with other identity categories such as ability, age, country of origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, size, social class etc. – 1-2 pages
How have the author’s lived experiences been shaped by systems of power/privilege/inequality? How has their lived experiences gone against the “mythic norm” when it comes to systems of power/privilege/inequality? 1-2 pages
How does the author’s lived experiences compare to your own experiences? – 1 page
What did you learn about gender, sex, and power reading this book? – 1 page
A conclusion paragraph that ties the paper together – 1 solid paragraph.
Paper Requirements:
5-7 pages, not including the works cited page.
Answers to the questions listed above for the body of the paper
MLA formatted, typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins.
Make sure to include a title for your essay, page numbers, and a “Name Block” in the top left corner – all according to MLA formatting.
Minimum of three quotes from any of the assigned readings so far in class.
Minimum of three quotes from the primary source book chosen.
A works cited page that includes all works you are quoting in the paper.
