The objective of this essay: To provide you with an opportunity to synthesize some of the ideas we’ve discussed throughout the semester. What have you learned by reading these texts?      ·       This essay will focus on THREE texts.   Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe   Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography by Mark Mathabane   The Island by Athol Fugard     The strongest essays will do the following: ·       Provide an introductory paragraph that makes some kind of claim about the topic/issue you plan to examine   ·       Provides specific evidence from each text   ·       Makes some connections between the texts within the essay (either in the body of your essay and/or in the conclusion of your essay)   POSSIBLE issues to write about:   ·       Power dynamics     ·       The nature of oppression   ·       The nature of resistance o   Hidden vs. public transcripts   ·       Race/racism   ·       Gender roles   ·       Religion and/or fundamentalism   ·       Education   ·       Family   ·       Tension between tradition and “western” practices   ·       Identity   ·       The role of stories/storytelling   You may also want to develop a claim that involves examining the complex intersection of two topics listed above, e.g. “gender roles and religion” or “oppression and race,” etc.  My advice: Write about issues that you care about and that are meaningful to you.