Honors English 10 and Honors English 11

Classen School of Advanced Studies

Summer 2009

 

 

 

Instructor

Ms. Carolyn Thomas

 


Resources

Honors English 10                                                                       Honors English 11

The Pearl,  John Steinbeck                                                              Black Boy,  Richard Wright

The Great Gatsby,  F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Assignments

·        Read the assigned novel(s)

·        Write a book analysis for each novel  (guidelines and requirements below)

 

Assessments

  • A book analysis for each novel is due the first day of school
  • Class discussions during the first two-to-three weeks of school
  • Other supplemental assignments
  • A test for each novel

 

 

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The Book Analysis Paper

 

 

Content Guidelines

After carefully reading the novel, write a paper including details that contribute to a unified and coherent discussion of the following items:

 

 

I

 

an introduction that includes the novel’s title, author, and setting.  The introduction must end with a thesis statement, a definitive statement that reveals an attitude about the work, and an opinion that subsequent sections will support.  For example, the thesis may make a qualitative statement about the work’s place in history or an appraisal of the novel’s theme, particularly as that theme may relate to subsequent paragraphs of the discussion.  Above all, the thesis will be a generality to which all subsequent sections of the discussion are subordinate and immediately relevant.  This section should not exceed one page.

 

II

 

a discussion of the author’s style.  You should approach this section on a mechanical level --- an analysis of sentence structure and diction and how they work with the work’s theme(s).  Observations about sentence structure will note variety and type of sentences, with specific references to the effect of such sentences.  Diction, the author’s choice of words, may give evidence of forcefulness directness, precision, or a number of other qualities.  This section should not exceed one page.

 

 

III

 

an explication of the novel’s theme, the abstract concept that becomes concrete through its representation in person, action, and imagery in the work.  The theme may generalize about the human condition, an individual’s place in the universe, how people behave under trying circumstances, or people’s relationship with one another or with a society.  You may wish to approach this section by considering the author’s purpose in writing the novel and how the parts of the work support that purpose.  This section should not exceed one page.

 

 

IV

 

a conclusion that draws together all points of your paper’s discussion. This section may call attention to the work’s universality or even to its literary excellence.  If the conclusion begins with a paraphrase of the thesis in section one, the remaining statements are echoes of other points in the introduction and key elements from the body of the discussion.  At the conclusion of this discussion, provide a clear, brief, yet insightful thematic statement.  This section should not exceed one page.

 

 

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Formatting Guidelines

  • All pages are included, in order (according to the book analysis paper guidelines), and held together with a staple in the top left-hand corner.
  • Leave a one-inch margin on all sides.
  • Double-space the entire paper.
  • Pagination:  Number your pages beginning with the first page of your paper continuing to the last page.  In the upper right-hand corner, type your last name before each page number.  Do not add a period, a hyphen, or any other mark or symbol.  Do not use the work “page” or an abbreviation of the word “page.”
  • The heading:  Type your name, the instructor’s name, the course title, and the date in the upper left-hand corner of the first page of the paper.  (Begin one inch from the top and double-space throughout).
  • The title:  Center the title (double-space before and after); do not underline your title or put it in quotation marks or type it in all capital letters.
  • Section identification:  Center the number of each of the sections ( I, II, III, IV ).  Do not label the sections.

 

 

Requirements

·        The paper should have an effective title.

·        The paper should be unified and coherent.

·        The language should suit the topic, audience, and purpose..

·        Idea and details should be arranged in an effective order.

·        The transitions between and among ideas should be clear.

·        The text should have no errors in grammar or usage.

·        The text should have no errors in mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, and abbreviations) or spelling.

·        The paper should be three-to-four pages.

·        The paper should be word processed in Times New Roman 12 or Arial 10.