Definition Argument (Words: 1200-1500)

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Using MLA or APA format and citation style, including three (3) sources, write a definition argument in which you limit, expand, clarify the meaning of a contested/ambiguous term.

The body paragraphs should include examples that support your definition, and/or give examples that are purported to fit the dictionary/legal/philosophical definition but do not. The body should include transitions and topic sentences to aid in coherence and unity, and support—both major and minor. Integrate authoritative sources to support your claims and cite them both parenthetically and in a works cite/reference list.

The conclusion should remind the reader of your thesis and give the big picture or answer the “so-what” question. What have you learned about definitions/language and their import to society.

Sources should be parenthetically cited and listed in a works cited list

Introduce all borrowed material (including paraphrases and summaries).

***Remember your paper requires your analysis and opinion; it should not be a summary or paraphrase of another source.

Do not begin a sentence with a quote.

End borrowed material with a parenthetical citation.

Never end paragraphs with quotes, paraphrases, or summaries.

Capitalize the first letter of each significant word in titles.

Underline or italicize titles of books, journals, magazines, newspapers, films.

Use quotation marks around titles of articles in journals, magazines, newspapers, short stories, book chapters, poems, and songs (for MLA Style).

The word count does not include the Works Cited list.

Why The Media Needs To Stop Saying ‘Thug’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

Definition Essay Outline

1. Attention Getter: “We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one tribe” (Black Panther).
   1. Discussion: The film Black Panther is an example of Afro-futurism at its most prominent. The representation of an African nation, self-sufficient, wealthy, technologically advanced and devoid of the issue “otherness” not because race doesn’t exist but because history and tradition do and are paramount to the story. The citizens of Wakanda just are, and they exist unapologetically black, not as one-dimension extras, but as the nexus of the story.
   2. Segue: The imagining of a world such as this was often missing in traditional science fiction. So African and African American artists began writing themselves into a future where they would be free from racial terror and bondage. They engaged in what would eventually be coined, Afrofuturism.
   3. Thesis: Though the term “Afrofuturism” has only existed for about 25 years, the definition can be applied to African and African American authors, visual artists, and musicians who wrote well before 1995 and has evolved since it coinage to be more inclusive.
2. Topic sentence 1: Afrofuturism has an interesting if not ironic history and development.
   1. “The term was conceived a quarter-century ago by white author Mark Dery in his essay “Black to the Future” (Broadnax)
   2. The definition itself: “cultural genre or style, a re-imagining of African tradition that projects techno-futuristic possibilities” (Frank).
3. Topic sentence 2: Before the term was coined, however, afro futurists existed.
   1. Musicians
   2. Psychedelics
      • i.Sun Ra
      • ii.George Clinton
4. Topic Sentence 3: Not only did Afrofuturist musicians exists, so too did authors.
   1. Paule Marshall
      • i.Works influenced by the tradition
   2. Octavia Butler –works rooted in the tradition
      • i.Kindred—time travel
      • ii.Parable-series (alternate present/ future)
5. Topic sentence 3: Derby’s definition provides a nice foundation; however, it is incomplete.
   1. Womanism
   2. Economic disparities/class
   3. Concepts of race
6. Topic sentence 4: Others, too, have expanded and reimagined the term.
   1. Niama Safia Sandy
      • i.Artwork
   2. Nnedi Okorofor
      • i.Novels
7. Topic Sentence 5: R&B and hip hop artists brought more attention to the tradition in the late 1990s.
   1. Erkya Badu “See Ya Next Lifetime” video
   2. OutKast—aesthetic
8. Contemporary musicians are continuing the legacy and exposing a wider population to Afrofuturism.
   1. Janelle Monet
   2. Jay Z’s “Family Feud”
9. Conclusion: Afrofuturism is not just about the world of Wakanda and Black Panther. It is about…

Works Cited

Broadnax, Jamie. “What the Heck is Afrofuturism.” Huffington Post. Verizon Media. 16 Feb. 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-broadnax-afrofuturism-black-panther_us_5a85f1b9e4b004fc31903b95.

Frank, Patricia. “Your Brief and Far Out Guide to Afrofuturism.” Huffington Post. Verizon Media. 25 April 2016, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/your-far-out-guide-to-afrofuturism-and-black-magic_us_5711403fe4b0060ccda34a37.