Page 80 - The Language of Composition 4e Teacher Edition Sample.indd

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2. AP FRQ Argument. In her 1928 essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me,” Zora Neale
4
Hurston claims that “The game of keeping what one has is never so exciting as the game of
getting.” When in pursuit of an accomplishment or goal, do people find the process more
rewarding than their experiences following success? Write an essay that argues your position
on the validity of Hurston’s assertion.
Identity
3. Rhetorical Analysis. Hurston employs figurative language, particularly metaphors,
throughout her essay. Analyze how these rhetorical choices develop her argument.
4. Research. Hurston claims that “[s]lavery is the price I paid for civilization. . . . It is a bully
DIFFERENTIATION adventure and worth all that I have paid through my ancestors for it” (par. 7). What does she
mean by this? Research the history of slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow in the United
Copyright (c) 2023 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Uncorrected proofs have been used for this sample chapter.
Scaffolding States. Write an essay in which you explore how Hurston’s argument engages with history in
“How It Feels to Be Colored Me.”
Composing Q4. Here is another opportu- 5. Connections. Hurston describes her personal development when she was sent to school
nity to connect to the Conversation about in Jacksonville as “a sea change” she “suffered” (par. 5). Discuss a time when you went
reparations in Chapter 7. You could have through “a sea change,” or profound transformation. Like Hurston does, be sure to include
students include paragraphs 6–7 as an reflections about how you were before and after as well as what the catalyst was for the
additional source for the conversation. transformation.
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6. Multimodal. Thinking about your own identity, finish this sentence from paragraph 14 of
Hurston’s essay: “At certain times I have no , I am me.” Then illustrate with a
drawing, painting, poem, or other piece of visual or written art the “certain times” when you
DIFFERENTIATION feel free from an external label or identifier.
7. Speaking and Listening. Hurston writes that the “position of [her] white neighbor is much
Connections to Self more difficult” (par. 8) because Hurston believes she, as a Black woman, has nothing to lose.
Composing Q5. This question, as with oth- Later in the paragraph, she explains her philosophy further: “The game of keeping what one
This question, as with oth-
ers within this chapter on Identity, is similar has is never so exciting as the game of getting.” Develop and organize your thoughts on this
philosophy for a class discussion. Generally speaking, is getting and achieving more exciting
to many college essay prompts. You might than keeping and maintaining?
have students retain their answers to this
etur
ning to the draft
question and consider returning to the draft
question and consider r
if they are exploring ideas for college
application essays.

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DIFFERENTIATION
Inquiry
For more information on Hurston’s final
decade of life, students could view Florida
Frontiers’s “The Last Years of Zora Neale
Hurston” on the PBS website. In the video,
various commentators explore her life’s
accomplishments and why she faded into
obscurity, only to rise again in the latter part
of the twentieth century. One explanation
would argue that public interest and tolerance
for dialect writing faded. Students could
watch the video and do further research on
Hurston’s last years, developing a position on
why her popularity diminished in the last part
of her life.

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