HISTORY
Empire of the Summer Moon Final Essay
In a well-written and thoughtful essay, answer the following five questions concerning the monograph, Empire of the Summer Moon, by S.C. Gwynne.
To do well on this essay you must fully answer all of the questions in an essay form. Please do not simply write the questions number and the answer. Make it an essay.
Important: you must cite specific information in the book that corresponds to your points. A simple parenthesis with a page number is fine for citation, e.g. (175).
Finally, the only material you can reference is the book itself. Please do not use outside sources or summaries. That would do more harm than good since it would be plagiarism. Plagiarism is bad. I have not had too much problem with it so far this semester. Let us not start now.
There is no min or max page limit to this essay, but I think a good essay would probably fall in the range of 3-5 pages. These are large questions, after all.
Please use the standard essay format: double-spaced, 11 or 12pt font, Times New Roman or Arial script (or any other professional script).
Questions to answer:
- Why do you think Gwynne wrote this book? What was the main point he was trying to get across? Was he effective in convincing you about his point?
- How did race and ethnicity factor into the realities of the Texas frontier? Can the story of the “West” be told in terms of race? Why or why not? Be sure to give specific examples from the book.
- Compare and contrast white-Texan culture to the culture of the Comanche during the 19th Century. What major differences and/or similarities do you see? Be sure to use specific examples from the book.
- In your opinion, was Quanah Parker a “preserver of the Comanche culture” or a “sell-out?” Is he a heroic figure of the Comanche or just a person that adopted the “American ways?” Be specific and give examples from the book that fit your argument.
- Finally, in a concluding paragraph, briefly write what you thought of the book. Did you like or dislike it? What worked and what did not? Be honest here. I like to get feedback to decide if I will continue to use the book in the future.
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