Category: Weekly Assignments (Page 2 of 7)

Homework 5: “Learning to Read” by Malcolm X

GENRE:

INTENDED AUDIENCE:

PURPOSE:

• What did you think of this text? Explain! 
• What is it mostly about? Write a 2-4 sentence summary. Be specific. Refer to the text itself. Use quotes even! 
• What motivated Malcolm X to learn to read?
• What does Malcolm X mean when he said from his prison cell, “I had never been so truly free in my life?”
• Why do you think Malcolm X wrote this article? Who do you think is his intended audience?
• How is Malcolm X’s literacy narrative similar to or different from those of Tan and Vargas?

Homework 4: “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas

Read “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas as write a response to the questions below. 

GENRE:

INTENDED AUDIENCE:

PURPOSE:

• What did you think of this text? Explain! 
• What is it mostly about? Write a 2-4 sentence summary. Be specific. Refer to the text itself. Use quotes even! 
• What is the genre of the text? What is the tone? 
• How do Antonio Vargas’s experiences influence his literacy development (reading, writing, speaking) and the development of his identity? Be specific. For example, how does an experience impact the way he speaks or his experience in school or at work?
• Why do you think Antonio Vargas wrote this article? Who do you think is the intended audience?
• What challenges did Antonio Vargas face? How did he overcome those challenges?
• What experiences and/or people affected Antonio Vargas the most? Explain.

Name ________________________ Date _____________

GENRE:

INTENDED AUDIENCE:

PURPOSE:

Homework 3: “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan

1. What did you think of the piece? Did you like it? Or not? Why? Explain! (Don’t worry my feelings won’t be hurt! Be honest!)
2. What is it mostly about? Write a 2-4 sentence summary. What is the THEME? How does she explore the theme throughout the essay? Be specific. Refer to the text itself. Use quotes even! 
3. Amy Tan writes, “Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use.” What does she mean by this? What different “Englishes” does she use? When does she use them?
4. What does Tan mean when she uses the term “mother tongue?”  How does her “mother tongue” shape her identity?
5. How does Tan describe her mother’s English? Be specific! How does Tan’s perception of her mother’s language change when she realizes how her mother’s English is viewed by others? What does this reveal about the power dynamics of language? 
6. How does Tan’s own experience with English differen from her mother’s? How has her upbringing and education affected her relationship with language? 
7. Think about your relationship to the languages in your life. Describe at least two different languages or forms of language that you use either in speaking or writing. For example, when you text or email vs. when you speak. Or when you speak to a family member vs. a friend. Or a professor vs. a friend. Does it change depending on your audience? How? Why?