History 271
Devine
Fall 2004
Paper
Assignment on Children of the City
The Children of the City paper is due September 30. Papers must be FOUR COMPLETE PAGES with one-inch margins. See the “On Writing Papers…” section of the syllabus for further information on the paper assignment. The syllabus is available on line at:
http://www.csun.edu/~twd61312/271syl2004.htm
You may do this paper assignment OR wait and do your
paper on Russell Baker’s book, Growing Up. (The Growing Up paper
will be due on 28 October). Check your
schedule and see which due date is better for you. Remember that you also have the option of doing both
papers and I will count the higher grade.
Answer ONE of the following questions:
Create a character and tell his or her story of growing up in the city around the turn of the 20th century (i.e. 1895-1905). This may take the form of an “autobiography,” a short story, a letter, or a series of diary entries. Try to be as detailed as possible, drawing from specific information in the book.
Among the various things you might want to mention include: your character’s ethnic background, what things your character does, what games s/he plays, where s/he lives, what it is like to live there, how s/he makes money, what s/he likes to spend money on, some of his/her “tricks of the trade,” the requirements of his/her job, his/her likes and dislikes, the different things s/he sees during the course of a day, what s/he thinks of his/her parents, what s/he thinks of other adults (policemen, reformers, teachers), his/her favorite places, why s/he likes or dislikes living in a city. You will also want to describe the surroundings in which s/he lives: what does his/her neighborhood look/smell/sound like? How is it different that neighborhoods s/he works in? What things might your character see and do during the course of a normal day? These are meant as suggestions to get you thinking. The paper grade will be based on how detailed and how authentic you are able to make your story. Be sure your paper is historically accurate – that is, don’t have your character watching TV or listening to the radio when the setting is the year 1910. The best papers will literally transport the reader back in time so they can experience what life was like for young “children of the city.”
In 1915, one “child saving” reformer declared, “These children out on the streets are having their childhood stolen from them. They are exploited by greedy adults, denied a proper education, and become victims to the darker forces that are all around them. They are exposed to all the wrong values, are corrupted by their adventures on the streets, and are ill-prepared to become honest, hard working citizens when they grow up. It is outrageous and a failure of our society that we allow them to live such lives.” Upon hearing this, “Smitty,” a twelve-year-old newsie responded, “Ah, she’s nuts. None a’ that stuff is true at all.”
Who do you think is closer to the truth, the reformer or “Smitty?”
Cite as much specific evidence from the book as you can to make your case. Perhaps you might think that both are right to an extent. Regardless of the position you take, be sure that in the first paragraph you clearly explain to the reader what your paper will be arguing.