Core 2 (102):  Paper topic 2 and Writing Guidelines

Topic:

The paper is set in the United States in 1864 as the Civil War is drawing on into its fourth year with great destruction and cost on many levels on both sides of the conflict.  You are not to know about anything that happens after December 31, 1864 so no visions of assassinating President Lincoln!

You are to create a character no younger  than 20 years of age.  Decide their age, gender, where they live, ethnic background that is appropriate for where they live and for the profession they are in (including military or civilian), religion, married/widowed/single, with or without children, extent of their education (make it appropriate to the other characteristics you give them).  Give them a name and make it clear if they live in a rural or urban setting and where in which of the States (no territories, please).  They can be of any race or ethnicity, so long as it would be appropriate for 1864.  For example, there were not many Vietnamese living in the United States in that year, but there was increasing immigration from Ireland and otherplaces in Europe and from the Pacific and Asian regions.

They can have the same gender as yours or you can have them by the one you want.  Be creative.  Just be accurate.

Once you've decided all these attributes of your person, you are to write a 5-paper on their concerns in 1864 - hopes, fears, challenges they are facing, etc.

DO NOT MAKE IT five pages on how well the children are doing or how swell life is!  Really put yourself in this person's shoes, in their life, and consider what was of importance to a person then, what challenges on a daily life they might face, what long term fears or hopes they might have.  BE THOUGHTFUL!

Consider the following as you create your person: economic concerns (i.e. income, paying taxes on homes, being able to start a businees, etc.), social concerns (i.e. social class, free or slave, white or black, expectations of life, job opportunities or limitations, marriage or not, etc.), religion (what might their religion mean to them then, how might it inspire their actions for the better or for the worse), political view point.    You are not limited to these topics, but they are certainly a good place to start.

Keep in mind not all people had access to newspapers or would be up to date on the latest scientific discovery, but everyone came to learn about the things that matter to them, that touched on their lives.

Use ideas and materials from Flight, the Frederick Douglas reading, materials from lecture and discussion to be inspired in the creation of this paper, but don't directly lift any ideas from these works and reproduce them in your paper.  Your paper is to be original in all senses.  You may find a little additional research is necessary to make a realistic life for the character you are creating, and that is fine, but you should not undertake any major research effort.  There is no need to cite works used in the creation of this character or which help you envision what their life was like, since they are to be used for inspiration only.


Format:  This is a creative writing paper and while rooted in historic truth and should have historical accuracy, it is a work of fiction.  As such, you can use the first-person voice if you wish.  You can write this paper in any creative format you wish (i.e. series of journal entries from 1864, newspaper accounts, correspondence, last will and testament, etc.) BUT you  CANNOT write it in the form of a play dialogue, as that uses up too much space.

Physical Guidelines: