“I, TITUBA BLACK WITCH OF SALEM”.
Topic:
In “Reading as Mapping,” Christina Ljungberg approaches reading from a performative and cognitive perspective*, arguing that reading is “a performative practice of mapping which figures, conceptualizes and transforms texts into mental models that generate meaningful interaction between reader and text and, in turn, reader and the world” (95). Orienting ourselves in the fictional world created by the text is part of how we understand “the internal logic of both text and narrative, assisting the reader in the process of organizing and developing her or his understanding of a particular literary text” (Ljungberg 97). I WILL ATTACH THE SECOND SOURCE.
As in the assignment described in her piece, for this third and final essay students are required to produce a map related to Conde’s novel I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem. The rationale is that diagramming the narrative will enhance our understanding of “textual complexities that may not be visible at first sight” (101).
When considering your diagram / map, consider how the “geography or space in general (architecture, house interior, streets, travel, e.g. urban wandering or mental traveling) is described and emphasized, what actually exists, what is dreamt, thought, invented, remembered, etc., and the effect this has on the narrative” (101). Your image can be hand-drawn, digitized, a combination of both, 2-D, 3-D, or any creative conceptualization of the space, as long as it adheres faithfully to evidence presented in the narrative.
Along with the map, you will write a “map reflection” (see Ljungberg, page 101).
Required Elements:
• MLA document format and citation style
• 4 pages, not including the map or works cited page
• Strong literary thesis and coherent essay structure and organization