- Write a short background about the author--major accomplishments, when she lived, etc. (one paragraph) You should use Google to research the writer/speaker. Choose the most important points about the author's life and contributions to literature. Always cite the source of your information.
- Write a short summary of the text--main ideas and/or plot. (at least one paragraph--seven sentences)
- Cite three examples of fine use of rhetoric and/or literary elements. Elaborate on why the rhetoric/literary elements are so effective (one to two sentences for each example).
- Choose two sections of the text to read aloud and discuss. Explain why you chose each section. Create some questions to ask your peers about these sections. Indicate the passages you want to read aloud by writing the paragraph or page number and the first three words of each section. Be sure to have something written down--explanation, questions, etc., for each section. (at least one paragraph--seven sentences)
- Connect ideas in the text to three other texts, current events, history, classes, etc. Explain in one or two sentences the connection you make.
- a. ENC classes: Explain how the text itself is organized. Where are the shifts (tone, mood, subject, theme, rhetorical modes)? How are the shifts effective? What are the strongest parts/highlights of the text, and why? What are the major arguments, themes, ideas, rhetorical devices/literary elements, etc.? Explain how and why the rhetorical devices/literary elements are effective. Find excellent evidence/textual support for your analysis. Why did the author place certain information/scenes at different points in the text? Comment on the overall effectiveness of how the text is structured and organized? Would you have changed anything? (at least one paragraph--seven sentences)
b. English III classes: Explain how the author's use of tone, mood, imagery, figurative
language (similes, metaphors, personification), structure, plot, theme(s),
characterization, and shifts (any change in mood, subject, tone, etc.), the climax,
beginning, and ending are effective. Always define your literary terms as well. For
example: A simile compares two things using like or as. Always provide textual support
(quoted examples) for the literary items you discuss.
Be able to state the genre of the work and explain what types of writing fit into that genre.
(Section 6 should be at least one paragraph--seven sentences)
(Both ENC and English III classes can use any ideas listed for the different courses
in item 6 above.)
Important: Your final document should be in MLA format--heading, headers with page numbers, title format, font, margins, spacing, etc. See the link on the right side of my website for a sample MLA-formatted paper. Points will be taken off if your paper is not formatted correctly. Also--You must have both a printed-out copy in your binder and an electronic copy on the desktop of your laptop computer for the entirety of the semester. This assignment could be collected at any time, not just the day it is due. Thank you.
See Class Rules for how to format the name of your electronic file.