Due Apr 13

Essay Structure

Re-read Louis Menand, "Cat People: What Dr. Seuss Really Taught Us," with an eye to the way he structures the essay. Identify the 2 or 3 or 4 main sections of the essay and come to class with a brief outline summarizing what each section does. I'm particularly interested in how analysis of the main text motivates discussion of the historical context, as well as what leads him back to Dr. Seuss's book.

I’ll be checking your summary outlines at the start of class as a HW assignment.

Also, since so many of you were unprepared on Tuesday, please post your revised HW for Tuesday in the comment space below:

Notes from History

Using the skills you learned during the first half of the semester, find at least two scholarly accounts of your chosen slice of Cold War culture (two secondary sources) and several illustrative primary sources. To clarify: I’m not looking for secondary sources on your central text; I’m looking for sources that speak to the slice from history from the previous assignment that you’ve chosen to focus on.

For HW, write a brief factual summary of what you learned, listing the secondary and primary sources you found. Paste this into the Comment Section below, and attach one of your primary sources to the comment. Come to class ready to present what you've learned about the context and why you think it's relevant or enlightening for your central text.

Note that in writing your essay you will need to ground historical claims by reference either to an authority (a secondary source) or evidence (primary source instances). So be thorough in digging up sources.