In order to fully address this prompt, you will need to do three things:
Examine how L.A. sells itself through dominant narratives by summarizing and analyzing “Journey Beyond the Stars.”
Choose either the Westside or South L.A. to explain the specific dominant narratives of that area (utopia ordystopia). You may want to bring in examples to showcase these dominant narratives from commercial/popular texts (such as a scene from a film, an ad, a tourist guidebook, etc). This outside source is optional. Other examples of dominant narratives can be found in the introductions to the South L.A. and Westside chapters in A People’s Guide to Los Angeles.
Examine an alternative narrative of that part of L.A. and explain how this alternative narrative challenges, disrupts, or subverts the dominant narrative. Use at least one specific example/entry from the corresponding chapter of A People’s Guide to Los Angeles.
Your essay should be at least 4 full double-spaced pages with 1” side margins, 1” header and footer margins, Times New Roman, 12 pt font.
Your introduction should end with a thesis that gives your readers a main claim or guiding idea which will be developed throughout.
Your essay must incorporate both required texts, using accurate summary, direct quotations (with MLA style citations) and analysis of your evidence.
Cite all sources in MLA format (in text), in addition to a Works Cited page. Use Purdue OWL or The Little Seagull Handbook to look up proper MLA in-text citations and Works Cited formatting.
Proofread for mistakes and edit for clarity. Consider paragraph organization and appropriate transitions to lead your reader through your discussion.
The goal of this essay is to demonstrate your understanding of dominant narratives as well as how alternative perspectives can reshape our stereotypical understandings of a place. You will do this by demonstrating the following key writing skills:
Summary: Effectively communicating the key points of a text in a way that a reader unfamiliar with the text will understand it; explaining difficult concepts clearly and specifically
Integrating quotations: Demonstrating the ability to incorporate relevant, interesting evidence into an essay using conventions such as signal phrases and citations
Adding to a conversation: Further exploring ideas, concepts, questions, or terms raised by another writer, which calls for your own examples, claims, and analysis as you test, complicate, or add to the ideas raised by another writer
Analysis: Opening up meaning for readers, based on evidence from your subject, beyond an opinion-only reaction by offering explanations, insights, and connections between evidence and claims.