Secondary Source Blueprint (Anam)

The Migrant as Colonist: Dystopia and Apocalypse in the Literature of Mass Migration.” ASAP/Journal, vol. 3 no. 3, 2018, p. 653-677. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/asa.2018.0043.

II. Identify the thesis of the article or chapter, aka WHAT is its central argument?
A. “British and French migrant dystopias illustrate the particular anxiety that results from the simultaneous fear of being overtaken by Islamic hegemony paired with the fear of being colonized by former colonial subjects. The development of contemporary mass migration into Britain and France (and Europe generally) seems to stand at the exact intersection of these two historically informed anxieties. I seek to draw a connection between the literary form and the conditions of migration as they transition from those of arriving to settling, and by dystopian extension, dominating” (pg. 656-657)

B. The framing of migrant stories in western nations stems from a fear of Islam. Modern literary works connect the conditions of the modern immigrant to their actual experiences by contextualizing the fear.”

III. Analyze and describe HOW the argument is organized.
The first section sets up the thesis and attempts to state a clear thesis that will follow for the rest of the paper. It defines important terms that will appear throughout the paper (migrant dystopia, etc.). It introduces the “They Say” that will be expanded upon in later parts of the paper. (653-657).

The following grouping of paragraphs expands upon the context and brings in a lot of that historical background mentioned in the first part. It further expands on a lot of the roles of various groups, once again mentioned in the introduction. It also connects back to modern literature and sets up books that will later be discussed. It brings in the idea of a geopolitical battle, with Europe and all of Islam, talking about the crusades and ideological battles of the past. Brings up colonization as a major idea, connecting it to the new dystopian idea of migrants. (657-661)

Brings a more modern perspective to the historical background, post World War 2. Further transitions back to the idea of migrants, not just the battles between Europe/Christianity vs. Islam. Begins to bring in literature examples/evidence to support ideas and historical context (The Camp of the Saints). (661-664)

Connects back to French politics in the modern era, expanding on evidence presented in the previous section. Includes quotations and summaries. (664-671)

Brings Britain into the conversation, brings up another novel (Maps for Lost Lovers) which highlights the bias against immigrants. Connects back to the historical arguments and the never ending battle between Europe and Islam using both quotations and summaries of the work. (671-672). Continues with the impacts of Britain, talking about Exit West. Connects back to defined terms and historical arguments laid out in previous parts. Talks about and develops the thesis further by using this novel, adding some commentary. Uses both summaries and quotations when talking about Exit West. Tacks on a conclusion to wrap up ideas spoken about in both the beginning and end of the essay.

IV. List three rhetorical strategies you would like to apply to your own essays.
Great variety of examples that both do and do not support the argument the author is making.
Great use of “They Say”, lots of things that the author is able to bounce ideas off of.
Chronological, which makes the paper easy to follow through history.

V. (Optional) List any rhetorical moves you do not want to imitate.
Very wordy, sounds overly like an academic essay, I do not feel like the author is talking to me when the argument is being made. Contains a lot of dead language that does not really serve the paper in any way, but makes it a lot harder to understand (“fundamental concept”, “especially at the outset”).
Even though it’s in the first “section” the thesis is very buried in there, hard to discern.
The thesis/I say is not concise. You have to read it multiple times to fully understand.
Lots of defined terms that come back later in the paper. They are not hard to understand, but they force you to be fully involved in the language of the paper, you cannot lose focus.
No hook, not really any attention grab for the reader to latch onto in the beginning and continue to read, especially since the entire point of the paper is buried four pages in.

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