Instruction
Do on google docs and send to my email with edit permission
I will copy and paste into Blackboard
Write an essay in which you apply Rico’s conclusions about “natural writing” to one of the other texts we
read in this unit: “Somebody done Hoodoo’d the Hoodoo Man” by Al Young or “Coming into
Language” by Jimmy Santiago Baca. The Rico text will function as a “lens” through which you will
interpret the other text which will function as an “artifact.” Every part of the “lens” may not apply
perfectly to the “artifact.” Thus, you want to consider the extent to which the “lens” is useful in analyzing
the “artifact” you choose. Do the author’s experiences reflect the ideas of “aesthetic/creative
development” which Rico traces? Consider in particular whether the author passes through the innocent ,
conventional, and cultivated stages she describes, remembering the role wonder and storying play in each
stage. As we discussed in class, when you consider the cultivated stage, you will also want to consider the
author’s writing itself and/or the author’s ideas about writing.
Audience: You should write the essay as though your reader is academic and educated but may not be as
familiar as you are with either the lens or the artifact. This means that you may, for instance, need to
briefly explain scenes or introduce characters.
Organization of Assignment: The paper should be organized into three sections: the introduction, body,
and conclusion.