Book: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D Vance
Write a 5-7-page paper responding to one of the questions, utilizing Vance’s text. You have the option of using 1-2 other sources for this paper, but you must clear them with me first.
- Question: Vance cites a report by the Wisconsin Children’s Trust Fund stating that well over half of working-class people had suffered at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), and over 40 percent had experienced several (p. 226-7). He writes extensively about his own traumatic childhood: his mother’s drug addiction and arrest, the constant revolving door of father figures, and Papaw’s alcoholism, among others. Which of these experiences appear to affect Vance most deeply, and why? How does the author cope with and eventually break free from such a difficult childhood? Although Vance acknowledges Mamaw’s and Papaw’s tumultuous marriage as a key factor in his mother’s troubles— “Mom is the Vance child who lost the game of statistics” (p. 232)—in what ways do his grandparents’ actions and attitude contribute to his success?
Sources/Directions: Below are sources to help with writing the essay. The first is the ebook / full online copy of the book Hillbilly Elegy. Second is the link to the website BookRag, which contains summaries and analysis for each individual chapter, important people, quotes, themes, etc. I strongly suggest using this especially the analysis section written on each chapter. It’s a standard MLA format essay, ***Each paragraph MUST have a supporting quote with the correct page number***. I am begging you, if you cannot find the page number for a quote do not just make one up. The last writer did this and I received an F. I would rather you leave it blank and I will find it. The directions say you are allowed to use 1-2 outside sources. For locating appropriate sources use the last source – RefSeek. RefSeek is a search engine just like google but strictly returns searches from academic websites ending in .gov or .org etc. Any source found from there is acceptable. Thank you.
Ebook – https://sec.ebooks.com/account/login.asp (ask support for Login)
BookRag – www.bookrags.com/studyguide-hillbilly–elegy/ (asl support Login to website)
RefSeek – https://www.refseek.com/
Grading Sheet, Hillbilly Elegy Paper
Process (5 points)
Has the student read and understood the text?
Introduction (10 points)
Does the introduction respond to one of the prompts?
Does it introduce both the source and the text?
Does it clearly state the student’s thesis?
Argumentative Paragraphs (50)
Are there at least four well-developed body paragraphs with four clearly different arguments?
Is the discussion fair, even, and unbiased?
Does the student’s analysis go beyond plot summary?
Does the student use the source text effectively and fairly?
Is the student providing thoughtful analysis of borrowed material?
If the student has done outside research, is it from appropriate sources?
Conclusion (10)
Does the conclusion connect to the introduction?
Does the conclusion respond logically to the arguments presented in the paper?
Does the conclusion effectively point toward a course of action?
MLA Style (10 points)
Are the pages set up according to MLA Style (headers, headings, etc.)?
Are correct parenthetical page references or signal phrases used in the text?
Is the Works Cited Page formatted correctly?
Technology (5 points)
Was the paper submitted correctly through Blackboard?
Was the file correctly titled and in Rich Text Format??
Mechanics (10 points)
Is the paper generally free from mechanical errors?
Are there problems with run-ons, fragments, comma splices?
Are most words spelled correctly?