Memoirs are effective forms of writing to use for a number of reasons. As a 20th Century American, one can look upon memoirs as both a telling of a time past and a time present; memoirs show a piece of our history, and thus by extension a piece of one's own identity as an American.
A less effective form of writing is that of social science argumentation, which asks us to believe various results of tests, polls, and studies. While an effective means of persuasion, it is not quite as stirring as that of the 'simple' memoir, or story of our 'own' people.
This paper will examine two writings which have been studied this year- that of Margaret Meade's "Coming of Age in Samoa" as well as Whittaker Chambers's "Witness." These two memoirs show different sides of America, and Americans. Meade's "Coming of Age" speaks of a time when she was in Samoa studying adolescent children and trying to figure out why American children seem to have such rough childhoods, while Chambers's "Witness" tells a tale of his adventures as a soviet spy in the 1930s.
The first part of this paper shall examine some of the reasons which make Margaret Meade's "Coming of Age in Samoa" a less effective piece of persuasion, while the second part of this paper shall examine some of the reasons that Whittaker Chambers's "Witness" is a compelling memoir composition.
Meade's writing examines life in Samoa through a study of adolescent girls. Meade explains how social science claims that the study results are indicative of the hypothesis that social science studies advance knowledge about a society and help dictate "appropriate" conduct. It should be noted that Meade's very...
American Social Thought on Women's Rights This paper compares and contrasts the arguments in favor of women's rights made by three pioneering American feminists: Judith Sargent Murray, Sarah Grimke, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This analysis reveals the centrality of religious argumentation to the feminism of all three. Murray and Grimke were both converts to varieties of evangelical Protestantism who drew considerable intellectual and emotional nourishment from strands of Christianity, which encouraged,
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Essay Topic Examples 1. The Role of Nature in the American Renaissance Romantic Period: Explore how nature is characterized and glorified in the works of American Renaissance Romantic writers. Discuss the symbolic and thematic significance of the natural world in the context of societal progress and the individual's spiritual journey. 2. Transcendentalism and Its Influence on American Romantic Literature: Analyze the philosophical movement of Transcendentalism and its impact on the literature of the American
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