After reading Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, find two contemporary news articles that connect to issues you can point to in the book (I recommend going to Google News, which synthesizes many different articles from different sources), and write two 250-word explanations (one for each article), explaining how each is a relevant pairing with the novel. To do this, point to specifics from the articles and the novel. Don't overly generalize. 

The articles need to be:

• recently published (in the last year) 

• news (not opinion, spin, or entertainment)

• accurate (based on verifiable facts)

Pay attention to the quality of your news sources, as not all of them are created equal. The closer to the middle of THIS CHART your source is, the better off you will generally be.

After reading Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, find a film, series, podcast, Tic-Toc/IG channel, or song/album that you feel strongly connects to the themes in the novel and write a 400-word analysis of how this piece of entertainment connects. Remember, we're focusing on THEME with this one. 

A theme is not one word.

• For example, "love" is not a theme, it is a topic. 

A theme is a complete sentence that explains how that topic connects to human experience.

• For example, "Love can be joyful and allow a person to find fulfillment in life; however, loving another person is also risky because it can also lead to heartbreak and have long-lasting negative outcomes."

A theme is the greater insight into human experience that the author wants the reader to understand after engaging in the communication. Because of this, a theme is not directly about the novel. In fact, it shouldn't mention any details in the novel directly. Broaden it from the book/film/song/etc. and, instead, talk about human experience.

Search for a historical event that is related to your topic, and record a video yourself talking about it for 3-4 minutes. 

There are some rules:

1. No, "Apartheid" is not an acceptable topic. Apartheid was a whole lot of events. Narrow your topic and be specific.

2. This should not be read. If it feels like you are reading your material, it will not receive credit. To make this unquestionable, I encourage you to frame your video so that your hands are showing. You might want to have someone else hold your phone and simply talk about the historical event with them, explaining a little about it, its context, and how you feel it shares a connection to the novel. 

3. Reference specifics in the novel. Avoid being too general.

Find two quotes that you feel are universal truths regarding the themes in Born a Crime. One should be from the novel itself, and one should be from outside of the novel and attributable to a real person (quotes from "anonymous" are not acceptable). Then, send me two 250-word emails (one for each quote) that does the following:

• Put the quote in the subject line (include the page number for the one from Born a Crime).

• Contain a professional greeting/salutation. I'm Mr. Spagnolo to you. :)

• In the body:

  • Accurately attribute the quote. Who said it? When and where was it spoken/written?

  • What do you feel the quote means?

  • How does it connect to the the novel? Be specific!

  • Why do you consider it to be a "universal truth"?

• Have a closing and signature (you can type your name as a signature). 

• Use block formatting for your email. Don't know what that is? Don't be helpless. Look it up.

Find a recent (from the last few years) government action, proposal, policy, etc. that you feel is connected to Born a Crime. This government action must be unrelated to the articles that you found in the Reading portion of this REHUGO project. Also, it must come from one of the following countries: Vietnam, U.S.A., or the country/countries from which you claim citizenship.  Then, write a 400-word analytical argument that does the following:

• Briefly explains the government action, proposal, policy, etc.

  • Who? What? Where? When? Why?

• Connects it with Born a Crime.

• Argues whether the action, proposal, policy, etc. is positive or negative. Share your thoughtful reaction.

Helpful Links:

• Google News

• VnExpress

Find an area in your local community (right here in Hai Phong) where you see an issue related to Born a Crime. Then, in a 400-word response, describe the issue, connect it to the novel, and explain empathy's role helping to address the local situation.