How does their approach to the War differ from that of men in the book?
CONFEDERATES IN THE ATTIC ESSAY ASSIGNMENT
Essay Parameters:
1. 4 pages (minimum).
2. Double spaced.
3. Written in college level English.
4. Uploaded to Turnitin via the link in this folder on the due date (see Syllabus).
6. 12 pt font
7. 1 inch margins
8. Must have a developed thesis statement that is followed by the information provided in the paper.
9. Quotes and cited paraphrasing are good for this kind of paper!
10. Cite where in the book your details come from. This includes quotes, facts, or any borrowed material.
11. MLA or Chicago format are fine for this essay.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE TOPICS BELOW
While Americans cling to the Civil War, they’ve forgotten most of the rest of their history. There is no comparable obsession with the Mexican War, the War of 1812, or even the
American Revolution. Create an essay where you discuss some of the reasons for this, as
stated by the author’s stories.
Horwitz meets many women who are as devoted as men to memory of the War: Sue Curtis, June Wells, Melly Meadows, Mauriel Joslyn. How does their approach to the War
differ from that of men in the book?
Many Southern whites revere the rebel battle flag as a symbol of the valor and sacrifice of their ancestors. To many African-Americans, the same flag is a hated symbol of
segregation and white supremacy. Create an essay that discusses this topic with
examples from stories in the book: Is there any middle ground? Which of the states in
the South have navigated this minefield most successfully?
Horwitz writes about the killing of Michael Westerman while flying a Confederate flag from his truck, in Todd County, Kentucky. What are the social and emotional reasons why
Westerman’s killing becomes such a flashpoint for Southern anger, both black and
white?
The subtitle to Horwitz’s book is “Dispatches from the unfinished civil war.” In what ways is the war unfinished, according to the stories noted in the book?
How will your paper be graded? Here is the rubric!
Full Credit (A Level) Written completely in college level English with few grammatical mistakes. Numerous relevant details demonstrating mastery of material. A clear thesis that is supported by the paper’s structure. Paper’s structure is apparent: Intro, Body, Conclusion. Sources properly referenced by in-paper citations: (Horowitz: 23) Bibliography is present and professional in style. Half Credit (B-C Level) College-level written response Relatively complete. Thesis is present, but paper does not follow it, or the thesis is vague, leaving
little guidance. Writing is vague with relatively view supporting details. Most of the borrowed material is referenced, but some paraphrased or borrowed material not cited. Bibliography is present and fairly correct. Websites cited show only a URL and not a full reference. Less than Half Credit (D Level) No thesis, or clear paper organization. Virtually no supporting details; mostly broad generalities. More than ten grammatical mistakes, and spelling errors, including such interchanges of similar words
like “there‟ for “their‟ Lack of formal and correct English with the use of “I, we, us, our, you,‟ or “didn’t, wouldn’t, isn’t” Sporadic citing of sources. Demonstrates unsatisfactory level of understanding of reading material. No Credit (F Level) Not college-level discourse; incoherent, extremely poor grammar, rambling. Fails to respond to the question prompts or response is largely wrong and unsupported. Contains very few details from the reading. No sources are cited, leading the reader to judge the paper as plagiarized or made-up.