Paper/Essay #2

 Essay # 2, Literary Analysis

 

 

Books: Fault in our Stars, Godless, or Shizuko's Daughter

 

Plan Date: Week 11

Final Draft Due Date: Week 12 

*Plans with feedback will be returned a couple of days after they are due.

 

Length: app 1000 words or more (approximately 4 pages). Please include your word count at the end of the paper.   

Essay Format: Double spaced with no cover page. Name, Course title, and Assignment # (Essay 2) should be in top left-hand corner. Title should be centered just above the body of your paper. Include Works Cited and the word count at the end of the paper.

Style: MLA (Use parenthetical references for all quotes from the book.)

 Sources: Just your books are required for this paper. But should you want to draw on additional credible and relevant academic sources for further support that is always appreciated when applicable.

Value: 200 points

 

 

Assignment Description: 

We started the semester by defining culture as all those learned behaviors, attitudes and beliefs that surround us. There may be attitudes and behaviors related to occupations, sexual orientation, marriage, religion, class, race, gender, education, wealth, or disabilities; and the attitudes may vary since the individual is influenced by the family culture as well as the culture within the school and community. 

For your second paper, I want you to think about this idea of culture and how it influences a young person's thinking and often creates conflicts as that individual searches for his or her identity. You may choose to write about Fault in our Stars, Godless, or Shizuko's Daughter, and you should center your focus on the main character(s) in the story. You also have the option to compare or contrast the impact of some aspect of culture in two of the books. Limit your discussion to only one or two aspects of culture, and don't forget that cultural attitudes can have either a positive or a negative influence.

As you begin your own search for a debatable thesis or claim, you may want to read through the discussion boards, but don't feel limited by them. You might also try some free-writing if you are interested in a topic but have not settled on a thesis. One possible way to begin is to ask one of the following questions--

 

•What tactics (positive or negative) are used by the individual to overcome cultural limitations?

•What symbols or sensory images seem to represent or parallel the cultural struggles facing the individual?

•What is the impact of cultural attitudes toward gender in the story? (You could also substitute the words like "physical disability" or "social class" or"religious freedom" for the word "gender.")

•In what way are the tactics used to overcome cultural limitations similar or contrasting in two of the books?

  

Your answer to one of these questions may be your thesis. Remember your debatable thesis is working to persuade readers to read or interpret the book(s)/characters in a certain way and to think about the larger implications of that interpretation. Don’t fall into the trap of summarizing the story or plot; you want your essay to stay focused on analysis—essentially to dig into the how and why and so what. You might think about the tactic of deception in one or more of the books, or you might consider the symbols from nature in Shizuko's Daughter.

Once you have decided on your thesis or claim, you can create your "Plan” for the paper. You should follow the same procedures that you followed for your first paper. See plan breakdown below.

 

 

The Audience for this paper should be anyone interested in literature about adolescents. Your readers may or may not have read the book, so you will need to provide a small amount of background information at the beginning of your paper. In other words, you need to provide a context for your readers. Do not summarize the whole book. Select only the information necessary to develop your discussion. Don't forget to provide the title and author's name at the start of your paper.

 

Use MLA style for parenthetical references and include your Works Cited. In most cases, you will only have one or two entries for your Works Cited, although some of you may want to consider the addition of an outside resource to explain some aspect of culture. Do not use an outside resource unless it is necessary to support or explain your thesis.

 

I have a strong student sample papers under the assignment link for you to read through.

 

Remember our course learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate an awareness of how culture affects adolescents

• Demonstrate their awareness of universal issues affecting young people

• Communicate with an understanding of audience and purpose

•Interpret and evaluate literary works through textual explication and analysis

•Support critical claims with specific textual evidence and careful, well articulated reasoning

•Discover and illuminate matters of ethnicity and gender and the cultural and historical contexts from which the texts emerged

 

 

 

Optional Plan: The plan (written in complete sentences) consists of:

1) A statement of the thesis/claim that you want to support

2) The main points that you will use to develop your thesis or build your argument In most cases, these will become the topic sentences for your paragraphs.

3) The specific pieces of textual evidence (some, but not all, in the form of quotes) that you plan to use to support those main points. Please list these pieces of evidence below each main point.

4) Anything else that you want me to review

*Remember plans, though optional, are a great way to conference and workshop with me. I can give you constructive feedback moving you forward.

 

 

 

General Rubric Notes:

A 4.0 paper will have a clearly defined thesis and specific textual references cited throughout the paper for support.. The title will set readers up for the argument and there will be thoughtful transition sentences between body paragraphs and between key supporting points. The body paragraphs will stay focused on supporting and validating the thesis with key points using a mix of paraphrased passages and quotes taken from the text. This paper will offer an imbedded summary of the books (s) in question, but will stay focused on analysis. Optional: The writer may reference an outside scholarly source for additional support. The concluding remarks will expand on the larger implications of the thesis. Critical thinking and provocative eloquent writing will be evident in this paper. Finally the standard formatting specified on the assignment sheet-- MLA style, a works cited page, appropriate font and margins will be present and there will be polished fluid analytical prose that is free of spelling and/or grammar errors.

A 3.0 paper will have many of the components of the A paper. There will be clearly defined thesis and specific textual references cited throughout the paper for support. Occasionally there will be moments where the thesis could be better supported with more specific textual references. Connections back to the thesis may be present but could be expanded on. The body paragraphs will have mix of paraphrased passages and quotes taken from the text and may reference an outside source successfully. The writing will be polished and carefully revised, but most likely demonstrating a little less critical thought and application than the 4.0 paper. Finally all of the standard formatting components will be met and the title will set readers up for the argument/analysis in the paper.

A 2.0 paper will demonstrate that the student has read the assigned reading and has applied that reading to the prompt. The thesis often could be more explicitly developed and defined, as could connections back to that thesis in the body paragraphs. The title may be general and not specific to the argument made in the analysis. Often C papers focus more on summary statements than analytical thinking. More textual references and quotes could be used throughout developing connections between the claims and the student's thesis. On occasion an outside source(s) could be relied on so heavily that the student's claims and critical thinking process is not evident. A few formatting concerns are likely to be present and this paper could fall short of the minimum length requirement. The prose will not be as fluid or as well-developed as 4.0 and 3.0 papers.

A 1.0 paper will fail to show that the student has read the work(s) in question and thought about the writing critically. A thesis may or may not explicitly address a chosen argument. 1.0 papers will need more textual support and concrete examples. These papers will have formatting errors and will need to be carefully proofread. Like a 2.0 paper, 1.0 papers will focus more on summary statements than on analytical thinking. Ultimately these papers will fail to address the main components of the assignment as specified on the assignment sheet. 

 

Sample Numerical Rubric for Literary Analysis Papers

	4.0	3.0	2.0	1.0
Thesis	Writer offers a unique, but reasonable claim that carefully directs the flow of thoughts and requires substantial critical analysis.	Claim is reasonable, requires some critical analysis, and directs the flow of thoughts throughout most of the paper.	Writer attempts to focus on claim, but some parts of the paper seem to lack focus. Claim requires only limited critical thinking	No clear statement of claim and discussion lacks focus and evidence of critical analysis.
Support and Cultural Understanding	Clear support for ideas is offered through specific and substantial textual references Writer draws conclusions based on understanding of the internal aspects of culture.	Textual references provide good support for ideas that are presented. Writer demonstrates an understanding of the internal aspects of culture	Textual references are incomplete or unrelated to the ideas that are presented. The writer demonstrates little awareness of the internal aspects of culture.	Very few textual references are used to support ideas. The writer does not demonstrate an awareness of the internal aspects of culture
Organization	Paper is organized around major points or "mini-claims” that are clearly defined. Introduction and conclusion are used effectively.	Paper is generally organized around major points. Introduction and conclusion have minor weaknesses.	Paper makes several points related to the thesis or claim, but the organization or those points is confusing at times. Introduction and conclusion need further development,	Organization of paper is very weak.
Language	Strong images are created through precise diction, effective sentence strategies, consistent tone, and careful selection of details. Quotes are incorporated smoothly into the writing. Writer has a good sense of audience.	Writer has only minor weaknesses in use of language. Good sense of audience most of the time.	Writer attempts to use language in interesting ways, but has some major flaws in diction, use of quotes, or construction of effective sentences. Writer is not always aware of audience.	Language is vague, excessively wordy, inappropriate, or confusing. Quotes and/or references seem awkward. Little sense of targeted audience.
Mechanics	Grammar, sentence structure, word usage, and punctuation are correct with very few exceptions. MLA style is followed.	Mechanical, and MLA errors are minimal and do not interfere with smooth reading of the paper.	Mechanical and MLA errors are significant and at times distracting.	Little attempt has been made to correct mechanical errors or follow MLA guidelines.