In a typewritten, double-spaced, essay between 3 and 5 pages (750-1000 words) discuss one of the following topics:

In “The Language of the Trees,” a chapter in the 2012 bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben discusses varieties of nonverbal, non-linguistic communication among trees and other plant-based life. How does nonverbal communication function in your life? What forms of nonverbal communication do you find in your life and how do they function? What kinds of influence do these forms of communication have? Are they significant? How so?

Thinking about Princeton professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor’s article “How Do We Change America?” and civil rights activist James Baldwin’s letter to his nephew from The Fire Next Time, is there a healthy way to understand contemporary race relations in the United States? What do race relations look like in the U.S. and why? What does James Baldwin mean when he writes in his letter to his nephew, “and we can make America what America must become”? What might the America that America must become look like? Why? How so?

When composing this assignment make sure to use either Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or another acceptable word processing program. The essay you produce should refer to and summarize the readings you are working with, as well as quote from those readings.

Feel free when composing your essay to draw on both reliable textual evidence and especially your own life experience.

This assignment is due before the start of class on Thursday, September 17, 2020. Make sure to attach a copy of your essay to an email message and send this to me by the due date.