5 [Name of Institution] THE GOOD NEGRESS Argument Paper [Name of Student] Course Professor February 23, 2019The Good Negress Background Penned down by the novelist Verdelle, the good negress is a story of a 12-year-old girl who strives to find her own identity in the presence of his stepfather and brothers. The story plots the life of an African American heroine, Denise, and her pursuit of finding her own identity and chasing a ‘better’ life. The girl is left, by her divorced mother, with the grandma while her two brothers stayed with the mother. Due to Denise’s life with her grandma, she becomes mature enough to act above her age. As the writer states ‘a 75 year old mentality in a head that is only 12’. She is called on by her mother after five years to assist her expecting mother. Though the girl feels upset in her heart of being left when she lost her father and now being called only to help her and babysit the child. However, during her life with her mother, two grown-up brothers and stepfather she experiences numerous challenges and sets on to find her own identity. Missus Pearson In her pursuit of a better life, the role of Missus Pearson cannot be left unmarked. Missus Pearson is the teacher of Denise. When the subject moves to her mother, she joins the school where she meets her teacher Missus Pearson. She notices the matters going on with Denise and comes to know about why Denise was here and also about her family life. It was Misses Pearson who named her ‘the good negress’. The teacher made efforts to bring betterment to the young girl’s life and tried under her teacher wings to provide her the necessary lessons she needed to learn and assist her to keep the light in her heart and not diminish her own identity in serving her family. Missus Pearson and Denise: Missus Pearson makes her appearance when Denise attends the school in Detroit. She is her teacher who assists her learn English. The honest efforts in teaching Denise English were reflected in the novel numerous times. Missus Pearson taught Denise to be independent. Although, the lesson that miss Pearson delivered focused on the education, they sprang beyond the classroom time too. One example from the writing is when Denise decides to write to her grandmother regarding Detroit life and Miss Pearson. This was the first time ever she did anything without pondering much over her family. This depicted she started being independent and the lessons of Miss Pearson were actually having an impact on Denise’s day to day activities. Another scenario from the story that marks the same lesson she learned was when Miss Pearson suggested Denise to use the dictionary when asked about a word. Miss Pearson’s reply roots confidence in the young girl to be able to find anything she wants to learn. Through such cases, the author has depicted an honest and devoted nature of the teacher who assists and groom her pupil even outside the premises of the school. The tremen.

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[Name of Institution]
THE GOOD NEGRESS
Argument Paper
[Name of Student]
Course
Professor
February 23, 2019The Good Negress
Background
Penned down by the novelist Verdelle, the good negress is
a story of a 12-year-old girl who strives to find her own identity

2. in the presence of his stepfather and brothers. The story plots
the life of an African American heroine, Denise, and her pursuit
of finding her own identity and chasing a ‘better’ life. The girl
is left, by her divorced mother, with the grandma while her two
brothers stayed with the mother. Due to Denise’s life with her
grandma, she becomes mature enough to act above her age. As
the writer states ‘a 75 year old mentality in a head that is only
12’. She is called on by her mother after five years to assist her
expecting mother. Though the girl feels upset in her heart of
being left when she lost her father and now being called only to
help her and babysit the child. However, during her life with her
mother, two grown-up brothers and stepfather she experiences
numerous challenges and sets on to find her own identity.
Missus Pearson
In her pursuit of a better life, the role of Missus Pearson
cannot be left unmarked. Missus Pearson is the teacher of
Denise. When the subject moves to her mother, she joins the
school where she meets her teacher Missus Pearson. She
notices the matters going on with Denise and comes to know
about why Denise was here and also about her family life. It
was Misses Pearson who named her ‘the good negress’. The
teacher made efforts to bring betterment to the young girl’s life
and tried under her teacher wings to provide her the necessary
lessons she needed to learn and assist her to keep the light in
her heart and not diminish her own identity in serving her
family.
Missus Pearson and Denise:
Missus Pearson makes her appearance when Denise attends
the school in Detroit. She is her teacher who assists her learn
English. The honest efforts in teaching Denise English were
reflected in the novel numerous times. Missus Pearson taught
Denise to be independent. Although, the lesson that miss
Pearson delivered focused on the education, they sprang beyond
the classroom time too. One example from the writing is when
Denise decides to write to her grandmother regarding Detroit

3. life and Miss Pearson. This was the first time ever she did
anything without pondering much over her family. This depicted
she started being independent and the lessons of Miss Pearson
were actually having an impact on Denise’s day to day
activities. Another scenario from the story that marks the same
lesson she learned was when Miss Pearson suggested Denise to
use the dictionary when asked about a word. Miss Pearson’s
reply roots confidence in the young girl to be able to find
anything she wants to learn. Through such cases, the author has
depicted an honest and devoted nature of the teacher who assists
and groom her pupil even outside the premises of the school.
The tremendous efforts put in by the teacher assisted the child
greatly in adopting English as her medium of communication.
Denise was guided by her teacher to use ‘No’ for a negation
instead of ‘Naw’. Then during her conversation with her
mother, Denise uses the word ‘No’ which reflects how the
lessons of Miss Pearson were helping Denise in language
grooming and the ability to deliver an accurate speech. The
efforts and necessity of Miss Pearson can be observed with the
fact that it was only for Miss Pearson that Denise could learn
the right way to spell her name. This shows a lack of
consideration on Denis’s side by her mother as. Spelling a name
is something that children. Learn at an age when they start to
write and speaks.
Missus Pearson’s Conflict
Conflicts can be termed to be a necessary part of writing.
In the writing, ‘the good negress’, a conflict can be witnessed
between missus Pearson and Denise’s mother, Margaret. As the
teachings and lessons of Miss Pearson come to fruition and a
tad difference appears in Denise, she is taken out of school.
There is another scenario that reflects Miss Pearson’s honest
efforts to Denise- when the young girl is taken out of the school
in order to care for Margaret’s child, the teacher pleads her
mother to let her get back to school. Though the intention of
Miss Pearson in such reaction was clearly fair and good, this

4. frowned and even confused Denise and even her mother.
Denise’s conflict with Miss Pearson evolved only at the specific
point in the novel, she viewed her as her Hero and admired her
role in her life.
As the writer mentions Denise’s thought as
But Missus Pearson had a righteous nerve coming up in
Margarete's house like that . . . coming in to tell a lady what she
ought to do with her own daughter."
Denise thought that approaching her mother through letters and
then showing up at home was ‘crossing boundaries’. She felt
that she had no right to show up and inform Margaret about
what she should be doing to her own daughter.
Now, the conflict between Miss Pearson and Margaret need
a discussion. The author has represented Margaret as a
traditionalist mother who has bounded her daughter to never-
ending house chores, responsibilities of the family and a sense
to take care of everyone- a nurturer. This mentality can be
grasped when she decides to leave Denise with her grandma but
takes the boys with her. The author has stated that Margaret
also led a similar life, and this is why she never thinks outside
the box for her daughter. This is reflected from the statement of
Margaret to Denise during her labor: “she had hopes and dreams
once upon a time but that “Your father wanted children and I
had them…men want children”. Therefore, the conflict between
the two can be summed up as a reason for one’s life
experiences.
Missus Pearson has a strong role in the whole novel and
she owes making the foundation of independence and a better
future in Denise’s life.
References
Day, Lisa B. " I Reach to Where the Freedom Is”: The Influence
of the Slave Narrative Tradition on AJ Verdelle's The Good
Negress." Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction41.4
(2000): 411-424.
Ullmo, Anne. "The Good Negress by AJ Verdelle, or The
Religion of the Ordinary." Revue française d’études

5. américaines 4 (2002): 100-105.
Verdelle, A. J. The Good Negress: A Novel. Algonquin Books,
1995.
FOUNDATIONS IN COMMUNICATION, COMPOSITION &
LEARNING
SEMESTER 2, SPRING 2019
The Character Analysis Paper
First and foremost, it is important to recognize that this paper
is, in essence, a specialized type of
argument paper.
Therefore, it may be helpful at the beginning to recall these
general observations about the
argument paper: As you write your argument paper, become “a
person of goodwill.” You should
argue, or advance an idea, and then articulate evidence and
reasons to support your argument.
There are several strategies for writing an
argument/argumentative paper, but the organizational
structure outlined here is most straightforward, and is
appropriate for your current assignment, as
specified below. One final point as you draft and review your
draft: remember that Clarity is not
negotiable. If your sentences are not clear, if readers do not
understand what you have written, you
must go back and clarify. There is no point in writing if your
words are not understood.
Here is one of the main strategies for constructing a paper in

6. which you argue a position:
1. Introduce the issue. State your thesis.
2. Provide a paragraph of relevant background information.
3. Give the first reason for your argument, and offer support for
this reason from either the
text you are considering or from research.
4. Give the second reason, with support from the text (or from
research).
5. Give the third reason, with support from the text (or from
research).
6. Acknowledge at least one opposing argument or
consideration that differs from your
argument. Take a moment to clearly refute (object to, with
reason) the opposing
argument. Indicate how your reasoning prevails over the
opposing position.
7. Conclude with restating your thesis, by making a call to
action, and/or by stating the broader
implications of your argument.
8. List Works Cited.
What makes this particular assignment unique is its focus on a
literary subject. In the section of the
Little Seagull Handbook (62-65) that focuses on Literary
Analysis, the writers list the following key
elements:
● An arguable thesis
● Careful attention to the language of the text
● Attention to patterns and themes
● A clear interpretation
● MLA style

7. Morgan State University
2-2019 / CHARACTER ANALYSIS PAPER ASSIGNMENT / p.
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FOUNDATIONS IN COMMUNICATION, COMPOSITION &
LEARNING
SEMESTER 2, SPRING 2019
The Character Analysis Paper Assignment
For this assignment, you will be developing a critical analysis
of one of the characters in the novel
The Good Negress.
The set of discussion questions for the novel lists the following
major characters:
● Denise Palms
● Granma’am
● Margarete
● Missus Pearson
● Missus James
● Luke edward
● David
● Big Jim
● Josephus Johnson

8. In your discussion, you will develop an argument regarding one
of the characters in this list.
Develop specific claims about the role of this character in the
novel, potentially including her or his
relationships with the other characters, the degree to which he
or she changes over the course of the
novel, or what conflict(s)—with herself, with others, with
society—the character faces and how
effectively she or he addresses that/those conflict(s).
It is important to keep in mind for the purposes of this
assignment that these characters are
fictional, not real people. It might be tempting to approach this
subject from a more personal
perspective, but doing so runs the danger of engaging in a more
superficial or informal discussion.
For this reason, avoid such considerations as whether you
personally like the character, whether he
or she reminds you of a family member or friend of yours, and
what differences you might see in the
world of the novel and the twenty-first century world in which
you live. The point of this
assignment is to examine the choices that the author has made
in her development of the character
you are discussing and how she or he functions, as a character,
inside the imaginative world of the
novel.
In order to develop and support your argument, you will need to
identify and discuss specific
moments from the novel. You will need therefore to make direct
references to the text—through
quotations, summaries and paraphrases of specific passages—
and you will need to utilize proper
parenthetical citations throughout your discussion and include a
proper Works Cited page at the

9. end.
In addition to the outline and Works Cited page, your final
essay should be a minimum of 1000 words
(roughly three to four pages) long.
Morgan State University
2-2019 / CHARACTER ANALYSIS PAPER ASSIGNMENT / p.
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