For this assignment, you will start with a “they say” argument–a popular assumption or cultural myth about a particular group or code of behavior—and
develop your own argument that either agrees or disagrees.
What is a stereotype in our society that you would disagree with? Read the short story “how to date a brown girl” by Diaz and analyze specific relationships
and gender roles.
Think about aspects of your own “rules” of a kind of relationship (male/female, parent/child, human/animal, etc.). Write an essay in which you compare and
contrast common assumptions about relationships with your own perspectives. Think about your own assumptions of gender roles in society (i.e.
male/female toughness and/or fragility).
The result should be a thesis-driven compare-and-contrast essay that makes a claim about what new knowledge or insight comes out of your comparison. In
other words, what did you learn and what can we all learn? Support your claims with examples from text that compare to or contrast with your personal
experience.