The Bean Trees – Exploring Social Issues

Introduction

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver is the story of Taylor Greer, a young woman who leaves her Kentucky home determined to find a life beyond early pregnancy and limited opportunities. Ironically, on her way west she finds herself the involuntary guardian of an Indian infant whom she names Turtle, and arrives in Tucson, Arizona as a single mother. The main action of the story centers on Taylor's struggle to raise Turtle and find a welcoming community in which to live.

Taylor's struggles and interactions with the other characters in the novel raise thematic questions about the nature of personal quests, the effects of oppression, rejection and injustice, the dynamics of relationships between men and women, and the true meaning of friendship and family. In addition to examining these themes, Kingsolver's novel also raises questions about many important social issues.
Task

Working in a small group you will research one of the social issues (assigned by random drawing) listed below to find two current articles that show opposing viewpoints regarding the issue. You will then write a persuasive essay (750 – 1000 words) in which you take a position on a possible solution for the problem or strategy to approach the problem, using clear reasons and explanations backed by information from the two documents.

Topics

Your group has been assigned one of the following topics:

1. adoption
2. single mothers
3. teenage pregnancy
4. alcohol and drug abuse
5. Native Americans
6. animal rights
7. child abuse
8. illegal immigration
9. political refugees
10. negative body image
11. phobias
12. domestic violence
13. blended families
14. religious intolerance
15. homelessness
16. interracial marriage

Process & Resources

Step One - The Annotated Bibliography

The first part of your project is to develop an annotated bibliography of at least ten articles that you will use to research your articles.

Guidelines:

1. Brainstorm a number of search terms, and use a variety of search strategies to explore your group's topic. Start by visiting the two research site, SIRS (http://sks.sirs.com) and iconn (http://www.iconn.org). NOTE: If you find articles on these sites, you should print them out. You will not be able to access them outside of school.
   
   
2. You may also search using a variety of search engines. FindArticles is another good source. In addition, you should visit the UC Berkley Library site to learn about all aspects of using the internet for research.
   
   
3. The sites you choose for your annotated must be credible, so be sure to carefully evaluate each website you visit before choosing it as a resource.
   
   
4. Be sure to choose a variety of resources that contain the current articles that show different and opposing perspectives on your assigned topic.
   
   
5. Annotate each site you choose for the bibliography, following the rules and style for an annotated bibliography. Annotations must follow specific guidelines:
   
   - Use MLA style for entering the electronic source bibliographic information.EasyBib is a free MLA bibliography/works cited composer.
   
   - Each annotation should be approximately 10 sentences.Each annotation should summarize the content of the site, assess its value, and reflect on how it will fit into your research and writing.
   
   
6. Choose a title for your annotated bibliography and write a brief description of the bibliography and its purpose.
   

Step Two - Write the Essay

The second phase of your project is to choose two articles that show opposing viewpoints on your assigned topic from the resources you compiled in your annotated bibliography to write a persuasive essay (750 – 1000 words). In your essay you must take a position on a possible solution for the problem or strategy to approach the problem, using clear reasons and explanations backed by information from the two documents.

Article Description, Resources and Guidelines

• Write a persuasive essay (750 – 1000 words) in which you take a position on a possible solution for the problem or strategy to approach the problem, using clear reasons and explanations backed by information from the two documents.
  
  
• Download the Persuasive Essay Model from the smartscion resources page to structure your essay.

Your essay must include:

• correctly formatted MLA in-text citations for any information that you include that is from an outside source (even if you write it in your own words). Consult your MLA packet or the Bedford-St.Martin's site for guidelines.
  
  
• a correctly formatted Works Cited section at the end of the article. Consult your MLA packet or the Bedford-St.Martin's site for guidelines.
  
  
• a title

Be sure to:

• Proofread your article for spelling, grammar, correct usage, and required components.
  
  
• Write a reflection and hand it in along with the essay, the annotated bibliography and copies of the two articles you used.
  
  
• Submit the essay to turnitin.