Essay Length: 500-750 words (2-4 handwritten pages)
Background
According to the Robert Gottlieb, Charlotta Bass’ life exemplifies, or illustrates, important facts about the history of Los Angeles. She was a black woman in a rapidly expanding and diversifying city that until very recently was ruled by a small group of powerful business and civic leaders, all male and all white. She spoke out in support of the poor, the oppressed, and the powerless in a city that tried to show to the world an image of abundance and prosperity. She suffered insults, ridicule and attempts to silence her voice because of her liberal ideas, and because of her race and gender. For Gottlieb, however, what is most striking about her life is how the battles she fought and how she chose to fight them still speak to us today.
Topic
Select one of the four issues that Bass addressed and do the following: describe the issue, explain what she did about it and describe its resolution. Then explain what this particular issue and how Bass chose to deal with it tells us about Los Angeles both then (in Bass’ time) and now.
Hints
When you discuss the relevance of this issue to today, you can use your own knowledge and/or experience to illustrate your ideas.
General Hints
Read the topic a couple of times and note what it requires you to do. Complete all the tasks of the assignment.
Take time to plan and organize your essay before you begin to write. (Scratch outlines are often quite helpful.)
Be sure to start with a strong focused thesis. Set out to argue or prove something and then gather and use evidence from your own experience as well as the text to support your claim.
Make sure that you support or illustrate general points with specific examples and vivid details.
Allow yourself enough time after writing to go back over your essay, check for errors or omissions, and make any necessary corrections.