Essay 1 Assignment (NEW DUE DATE)

In the documentary film The Central Park Five we are told the story of the arrest, trial and conviction of five black and Hispanic teens in New York City in the late 80s for crimes they did not commit. Write an argumentative essay in response to one of these three prompts :

1. How is the Central Park jogger case exemplary of systemic oppression of people of color? Make sure that your discussion is not just limited to the NYPD, but to the role of prosecutors and defense lawyers as well.

2. Examine media coverage of the Central Park jogger case. What role did sensationalist media coverage play in the fate of the Central Park Five? Make sure that your discussion is not just limited to their arrest, trial and conviction, but to coverage of their exoneration as well.

3.At the end of the film, historian Craig Steven Wilder says, "I want us to remember what happened that day and be horrified by ourselves because it really is a mirror on our society. And rather than tying it up in a bow and thinking that there was something that we can take away from it, and we’ll be better people, I think what we really need to realize is that we’re not very good people. And we’re often not." How is the story of the Central Park Five a mirror on our society? What does it say about us, the public at large? To what extent are we responsible for what happened to The Five?

YOUR ESSAY MUST

Be submitted in class on Thursday October 11th

Be at least 600 words in length.

Include an intro with a clear thesis statement, at least 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion. More than 3 body paragraphs is perfectly OK.

Be well-organized and developed with supporting details, using the techniques and types of evidence we have discussed in class.

Be proofread for grammar, sentence and other language errors.

Include references (quotes and/or paraphrases) to the film. You may make references to Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Letter to My Son” but doing so is optional. You do not need to do any outside research for this essay, but if you do include evidence from other sources, then you must cite them appropriately and include them in a Works Cited page. Works Cited page is not required if all you use is the film and Coates.

NOT be a summary of your sources , but rather, a presentation of YOUR ARGUMENT and YOUR THINKING with support from the sources. Do not use any sources excessively.

Be in the Proper Format  --- DOUBLE SPACED!

Include a proper heading and title. NO COVER PAGES or IMAGES.

Be in correct MLA format, including in-text citations.

Be ORIGINAL and NOT plagiarized.

NOTE: I WILL NOT BE PROVIDING FEEDBACK ON GRAMMAR IN ORDER TO  FOCUS ON YOUR CONTENT. HOWEVER, LANGUAGE CLARITY IS PART OF YOUR GRADE, SO MAKE SURE YOU PROOFREAD CAREFULLY FOR GRAMMAR AND LANGUAGE ERRORS BEFORE SUBMITTING THIS ESSAY.