History Comparitive Book
History Comparitive Book Report
Order Description
A Response to "On Her Own Ground" and "The Fish that Ate the Whale" (The two books compared in this book report).
"On Her Own Ground" Author: Madam C.J. Walker
"The Fish That Ate the Whale" Author: Rich Cohen
Your task:
You have read two biographies that profile Americans who “made something of themselves.” For this paper, we want you to compare the lives of Samuel Zemurray (The Fish
that Ate the Whale) and Madame C. J. Walker (On Her Own Ground) and write a 4-6 page paper addressing the following question:
How do the lives of Samuel Zemurray and Madame C. J. Walker, as depicted by their respective biographers, illuminate the tensions and possibilities of the American
Dream?
Some specifics:
In the paper, you must develop a thesis statement that you support with specific evidence drawn from the two books. You should not use any outside sources for this
assignment. If you must use an outside source, be sure to include a full citation. When quoting from the books please use parenthetical notation to indicate page
number.
Do not simply summarize the biographies. Your task here is to analyze them in relation to each other, while still showing a good knowledge of each individual work.
Think about what these two lives, as represented by the authors, teach us about late 19th/20th century America.