Indigenous American Voices

Essay 1 English 232 – Indigenous and Asian American Voices

Due Dates:

Thesis and outline (15 points) are due by Sunday, March 8

Final draft (100 points) is due on Sunday, March 22

Overview:

Length: 750900 words

Format: Follow MLA format with in-text citations and a Works Cited page.

Your essay must incorporate the main points must be included in the three listed

authors works.

Length is 3 pages typed double spaced.(approximately 750-1000 words)-No longer than

1000 words.

Use concrete facts and examples from the readings..

Essay must be written using third person point of view (he , she , it they). First person

point of view (I, we, us, our, my) and second person point of view(you) must not be

used.

Direct quotes: Long/block quotes must not be used. Direct quotes length must not

exceed two lines and limit the direct quotes to two quotes per page. Direct quotes must

be introduced and incorporated into sentences.

Begin paragraphs with topic sentences or transitional sentences.

Focus: Assimilation vs. Cultural Survival

Assimilation, Voice, and Cultural Survival

In American Indian Stories, Zitkala-a presents her boarding school experience as a

site of cultural rupture. In Life Among the Piutes, Sarah Winnemucca documents

the pressures of colonial expansion and land dispossession. Meanwhile, Helen

Hunt Jackson, in A Century of Reform advocates reform from a Euro-American

perspective.

Write a focused analytical essay arguing how assimilation operates in these texts

not merely as government policy, but as a psychological, cultural, linguistic, and

narrative force.

Your essay should develop a clear thesis and analyze:

How Zitkala-a and Winnemucca represent assimilation as loss (language, land,

sovereignty, identity, family, voice)

How narrative voice functions as resistance or testimony

How Jacksons reformist framework differs from Indigenous self-representation

Who controls the narrative of Indigenous identity and citizenship

Avoid plot summary. Instead, analyze diction, tone, imagery, structure, and

perspective to reveal tensions between assimilation and cultural survival.

Generic Literary Analysis Essay Template that can be tweaked for your

topic/essay prompt. Your outline should provide concrete facts and details

that will be presented in your essay.

I. Introduction Paragraph

Sentence 12: Brief context (author, historical moment, major theme).

Sentence 34: Introduce the specific texts and central issue.

Final Sentence (Thesis Statement):

Make a clear, arguable claim about how the author develops a theme through

literary techniques.

Thesis Formula Example:

In [Title], [Author] portrays [theme/issue] not simply as [surface idea], but as

[deeper meaning], using [literary elements such as diction, imagery, tone, structure,

perspective] to reveal [larger insight].

II. Body Paragraph 1 First Main Point

Topic Sentence:

State the first analytical claim (not summary).

Context Sentence:

Briefly introduce the example.

Evidence:

Short integrated quote (no more than 2 lines).

Analysis (most important part):

Explain specific word choices (diction).

Discuss tone or imagery.

Explain how this supports the thesis.

Closing Sentence:

Connect back to the main argument.

III. Body Paragraph 2 Second Main Point

Topic Sentence:

State a new analytical claim.

Evidence:

Short quote or example.

Analysis:

Explain how literary technique develops the theme.

Go beyond what happens explain how meaning is created.

Closing Sentence:

Tie the paragraph back to the thesis.

IV. Body Paragraph 3 Third Main Point (Optional but Recommended)

Topic Sentence:

Present deeper complication, contrast, or tension.

Evidence:

Short integrated quote.

Analysis:

Discuss perspective, structure, symbolism, or narrative voice.

Closing Sentence:

Show how this strengthens the overall argument.

V. Conclusion Paragraph

Restate thesis in different words.

Emphasize why the argument matters.

Connect to a broader implication (identity, power, society, history, etc.).

Do not introduce new evidence.