here is Part 1 which goes with part 2 that you completed …
The Unfair Hand of Fate
We like to think we are the determinants of our destinies, but are we? Most of the time we are forced to come to the harsh realization that, amidst all our self-confidence and chest-thumping, there is a mysterious hand that charts the course of every man’s life. Whether or not one believes in the infinite hand of fate is a nonfactor, because many times than not, one encounters situations for which an explanation is simply beyond human understanding.
Take, for instance, the situation of Teresa, a young lady whose only motivation was to rise above the poverty standards of her childhood. She studied with a set purpose to achieve more in life, and to thrive beyond the imagination of her village witches. As fate would have it, after completing her high school education, she got a scholarship to study at Princeton. Imagine the exuberant joy experienced in her family that day.
All in all, she successfully attained her degree in Financial Banking and got employed at a renowned financial institution in the USA. Fast and efficient, due to her work ethic and diligence, she quickly rose from being just a clerk at the bank to a managerial position. So much so that, when the bank wanted to send a representative to work in Kenya, Teresa was selected to go work abroad. Respecting her African origins, she interpreted this as an opportunity to finally honor her ancestors by returning to serve her native people, after being an immigrant in the USA since childhood.
With high prospects for her future, Teresa quickly settled into her new job in a new country as an Excel Financial Manager. All this time, she could not help but thank her lucky stars for how fate was smiling at her. The young lady diligently worked with the bank’s elite customers, handling their large amounts of money with grace. An uneventful two years passed by until she started identifying with the locals.
One fateful Monday morning, a strange customer visited the bank, claiming to have been sent to her by its mother branch in the country. Since the customer wanted to transfer a large amount of money from his account to another bank, her team did their due diligence before Teresa finally authorized the transaction. Three months passed by until one afternoon, she received a call from the bank’s main branch. The call was concerning a complaint by that particular customer that his money had been withdrawn from his account through her bank without his authorization.
One thing led to another until finally, Teresa got arrested for conspiration to commit a fraudulent transaction and was sentenced to one year in prison. Thinking in hindsight, she realized that some of her colleagues had set her up to take the fall for them enriching their own pockets. But since the bank’s reputation was at stake, an arrest had to be made. Who better to be the sacrificial lamb than Teresa, an unsuspecting black foreigner?
Needless to say, when she, at last, managed to appeal for her freedom, she had lost her job. Her working Visa was no longer active and she had a three-month-old daughter she had given birth to in prison. Dejected and awestruck at how cruel fate could be, her dreams shattered, she had to return home in shame.
Part II. Analysis (Due Sunday, April 10)
In 2 to 4 pages: introduce and thoroughly describe your own original writing (this must be the piece of writing you created for Part I); address your writing’s rhetorical situation (Who made it? Who is its intended audience? What purpose does it intend to serve?); ask yourself “Why this, now? Why is this the work that came from your brain as you presently reside in the US?” draw parallels and/or contrasts between your writing and 2-3 of our readings so far. (One or–ideally–both or all three of these must be readings from weeks 7-10.)
Your essay must use properly cited quotes and paraphrases from the readings to show direct links between your writing and the text(s). You’ve addressed the question Why this, now? of your own writing. What does the fact that you’ve created what you have, in 2021, say about America—or the present state of American literature?
How does that compare and contrast with the 2-3 works of African literature you’ve selected to also address?
Develop the essay around a thesis that states the significance of these parallels and contrasts. Your thesis will answer the questions “So what? Why does it matter that these things are alike or different?”
***Inclue a revision of your creative piece (Part I) with the analysis (Part II).***
Use quotes and vivid descriptions to support your thesis.
Do design your essay and cite your sources and use MLA formatting.
Do consider emailing your prof. to set up a call or visiting office hours to discuss your essay.
Final essays will be evaluated based on how well the writing/writer:
fulfills the requirements of the assignment with original work (60%) uses support for claims (quotes, paraphrases, specific description) (20%) organizes ideas (10%) uses conventions (grammar, punctuation, citation) and appropriate style/tone (10%)
