Paper #1 assignment: "Acting Human in Public" due February 4th

See the due date below...this is NOT due next class period. I want you to spend some time working/thinking about this. We'll do some in-class writings to help you with this paper as well, so don't feel you have to rush on this. Let me know if you have any questions! 

Paper #1: Acting Human in Public

INTRO: In Brandon Stanton’s book, Humans of New York, we meet dozens of New Yorkers (and some from out of town) going about their daily business. Some pose for pictures, others wait for loved ones, some give advice, while others are lost in the moment. Yet all of them are in some way relatable, and they all say something about who we are as human beings, in any city, in any country, trying to figure out the greatest question of all: why am I here?

PROMPT: For this assignment, I want you to choose THREE photos that you feel answer the question, “this is what being human means to me.” The photos should be related in some way, and you need to help us see how they’re related in your paper (especially if it’s not obvious). In your paper, you need to use the photos to help us understand how you define the idea of being a ‘human,’ and how these people represent your ideas, emotions, and experience. Think about which pictures moved you, inspired you, surprised you, or made you laugh. Why did you connect with them? What do they say about you and your own journey as a human being?

REQUIREMENTS: Your paper should do all of the following:

• Introduce the book and the author for your reader. Remember, most people probably don’t know what Humans of New York is, or where these pictures come from. (Don’t write to me, in other words).
• Briefly describe each picture so we can see the people you’re talking about, what they’re doing, what they’re saying, etc.
• Quote from some of the pictures: respond to what they say or what Stanton says about them. Cite them according to MLA format (see below).
• Explain why you connect with each image, and how you understand who these people are. Don’t assume your reader sees the same things that you do: show us!
• Be at least 3-4 pages double spaced, though you can do more.

MLA FORMAT: When you quote from a picture in your paper, it should look something like this: Before taking the girl’s photo, Stanton asked her, “Do you mind if I take your photo, just like that?” Her response was simply, “I don’t know” (Stanton).

Also include a WORKS CITED PAGE, which lists the book each photo comes from like so:

Stanton, Brandon. Humans of New York. New York: St. Martins Press, 2013.

NOTE: Paper #1 IS DUE IN TWO WEEKS: FEBRUARY 4^th, BY 5PM (you can drop it in the box on my door, HM 348, or e-mail it to jgrasso@ecok.edu).