Harounand the Sea of Stories
Literary Analysis Essay
Literary Analysis Essay-To Kill a MockingbirdName____________________________________Overall Scores: Application __________________ Strategies ___________________ Conventions _____________ Total Points: _____________/7010864On TimeStudent submitted essay on time (all assignments were checked off prior to essay being due)Student had the assignment completed in class; however, it was not printed out or turned inStudent turned essay in on time; however, did not complete all assignments prior to the essay due dateStudent did not turn the assignment in on timeIntroduction/ Conclusion(Application)Introduction is effective in all of the following categories:immediately engages the readerappropriately introduces author and workprovides a clear and concise definition of element(s) being examined and background information as necessaryConclusion recaps thesis and main points; leads to a thoughtful analysis, reflection, or summaryIntroduction includes all of the following categories:immediately engages the readerappropriately introduces author and workprovides a clear and concise definition of element(s) being examined and background information as necessaryConclusion recaps thesis and main points and leads to a thoughtful analysis, but does so less powerfully or memorablyIntroduction includes two of the following categories:immediately engages the readerappropriately introduces author and workprovides a clear and concise definition of element(s) being examined and background information as necessaryConclusion goes nowhere; simply repeats introductionIntroduction includes one of the following categories:immediately engages the readerappropriately introduces author and workprovides a clear and concise definition of element(s) being examined and background information as necessaryNo substantial conclusionThesis(Application)Thesis (claim) is effective in all of the following areas:States the authorStates the literary focusUses an action verbthat links literary focus to the bigger pictureThesis (claim) includes all of the following areas:States the authorStates the literary focusUses an action verbthat links the literary focus to the bigger pictureThesis (claim) includes three of the following areas:States the authorStates the literary focusUses an action verbthat links the literary focus to the bigger pictureThesis (claim) includes less than three of the following areas:States the authorStates the literary focusUses an action verbthat links literary focus to the bigger pictureDevelopment(Application)Topic sentences effectively align to support thesisClear, relevant, and specific evidence effectively supports thesis and each topic sentenceTwo effective quotes are used per paragraphTopic sentences align to support thesisClear, relevant, and specific evidence supports thesis and each topic sentenceTwo quotes are used per paragraphMost topic sentences align to support thesisEvidence is not clear, relevant, and specific; does little to support/oppose claimOne effective quote is used per paragraphTopic sentences fail to support thesisEvidence is not clear, relevant, and specific; does not support claimOne quote is used per paragraph OR no quotes are usedAnalysis(Application)Analysis contains original thought and successfullyexpandson evidence to reveal and support bigger pictureAnalysis contains some original thought andexpandson evidence to reveal and support the bigger pictureAnalysis merelysummarizesthe evidence, OR commentary does not contain original thought beyond readings and/or discussionsAnalysis merelysummarizesthe evidence, OR commentary does not contain original thought beyond readings and/or discussionsOrganization (Strategies)Essay does not deviate from prescribed organizational methodTransitions are seamless and work to connect ideasAll quotes are imbeddedEssay does not deviate from prescribed organizational methodTransitions work to connect ideasMost quotes are imbeddedEssay slightly deviates from prescribed organizational methodLittle evidence of transitions which ineffectively work to connect ideasSome quotes are imbeddedEssay deviates from prescribed organizational methodNo evidence of transitionsNo quotes are imbedded4321Conventions0-2 spelling/grammar errors including “I”, “you”, “we”, or “us”, contractions, and taboo wordsStrong and varied sentence structure clearly conveys meaning throughout the whole essay3-5 spelling/grammar errors including “I”, “you”, “we”, or “us”, contractions, and taboo wordsStrong and varied sentence structure clearly conveys meaning6-9 spelling/grammar errors including “I”, “you”, “we”, or “us”, contractions, and taboo wordsMinimal evidence of varied sentence structure10 or more spelling/grammar errors including “I”, “you”, “we”, or “us”, contractions, and taboo wordsSentence beginnings, length and structure lack variationMLA (Conventions)0 errors1-3 errors4-6 errors7 or moreCreative title: ____________/2Reminders
Never use “I”, “you”, “we”, “our” (even though this is your interpretation, you may not provide opinions)Always talk about literature in present tenseDo not retell the story in your essay (this is not a book report)Incorporate a discussion of as many literary techniques as possible (if applicable)Embed your quotes into your sentenceAfterHarounrealizes that his mother has indeed left his father, the mood of the story changes and the outside “air [becomes] too weepy for words” (Rushdie 24).
Developing Your Thesis Statement
Step 1: Look back over the themes we went through at the beginning of this unit.Stories are vital and important. A life without them is meaninglessStories are constantly interwoven and rebornStories can be cheapened and polluted through the absence of imagination and the insistence that they serve some type of purposeThe mess of democracy is preferable to the “darkness” of dictatorshipIn the end, the world needs both light and darknessThe world is filled with opposites which in the end must be reconciledSticking up for what you believe in defines a personThe relation between the imaginary world and the real world is complex and important
Step 2: Look back through Rushdie’s life and history.The background hand-out I gave you at the beginning of this unit
Step 3: Skim back over your annotations throughout the novelDo you see any scenes, lines, or parts of the novel that connect to any greater themes?What does Rushdie use (literary devices) to reveal a bigger theme?What are the most important lines in the novel? Why are they important in your understanding of the entire novel?Do you see any scenes that allegorize (represent) Rushdie’s life?What does Rushdie use (literary devices, descriptions or character interactions) to reveal to the readers aspects of what he was going through when writing this novel?Do you see any warnings Rushdie is trying to give to us?How does he use magic realism to convey these warnings?
Step 4: Decide what you want to focus on based off of what you discovered throughout the novelStep 5: Create your unique thesis statement (remember, a good thesis is made up of three parts)Part 1:Aspecific element in the text(an event, an image, a description, a scene, a literary device, etc.)Part 2:Anactive verb(that links Part 1 and Part 3)Part 3:The story’slarger theme(the author’s purpose in writing the story; the story’s meaning)
Example
Part 1:Aspecific element in the text(an event, an image, a description, a scene, a literary device, etc.)Part 2:Anactive verb(that links Part 1 and Part 3)Part 3:The story’slarger theme(the author’s purpose in writing the story; the story’s meaning)Rushdie utilizesdichotomiesthroughout the text touncoverthe idea thatopposites must exist in order for there to be balance.TheLand ofChupaccuratelyparallelstheoppressive control over freedom of speechimposed by the Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khomeini.
Topic Sentences
Topic sentences mustdirectly connectto your thesis statement and work as thereasons that prove your thesis.You must incorporatewords from your thesisstatement ineach topic sentence.Example:Rushdie utilizesdichotomiesthroughout the text touncoverthe idea that opposites must exist in order for there to bebalance.For my topic sentences I would choose three instances of dichotomies and tell what each one reveals.Land of theGupandChup, light and dark, good and evil, speech and no speech, story, anti-story, dull and lively, fantasy and reality…T.S.- The existence of the shadow warrior captures thedichotomybetween theGupsand theChupswhile alsorevealingthe beauty of a possiblebalanceamongst them.
Evidence
Without evidence to support your argument (thesis) and argument points (topic sentences), you have no argument.Think about a trial. The thesis of the defense is “he/she is not guilty”. The topic sentences are reasons proving why he/she is not guilty. The evidence is DNA samples, testimonies, forensics which all support the reasons, which ultimately supports the thesis of “not guilty”.Your evidence must directly support your topic sentence and thesis statement (after choosing it,check if it provesyour thesis and topic sentence)
Example:Thesis: Rushdie utilizesdichotomiesthroughout the text touncoverthe idea that opposites must exist in order for there to bebalance.T.S.: The existence of the shadow warrior captures thedichotomybetween theGupsand theChupswhile alsorevealingthe beauty of a possiblebalanceamongst them.Evidence: AsHarounobserves the shadow warrior from the land ofChuphe has an epiphany that “the dance of the shadow warrior had its own grace and beauty (just as speech could be graceless and ugly); and that Action could be as noble as Words” (Rushdie 125).
“Chalk Talk”
Analysis
Can not be a summary of the play or a recap of your evidence.The goal of analysis is to prove your thesis and topic sentence and show the significance of your evidence.You need to “dig-deeper” to reveal something new to your audience and showhow the specifichelpsreveal the larger theme. (Think thesis equation)THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF YOUR ESSAY- IT SHOULD BE AT LEAST 3-5 SENTECNES AND IT MUST BE WELL THOUGHT OUT!!!!!
In an in-class essay format, make sure you have outlined (in your mind) the points you want to make about each topic sentence.While thinking and writing, as yourself the question “so what”?Why is what I am writing important? How does it help reveal something significant? Why is it interesting? Why is it important for readers to understand this?
Example Paragraph
The existence of the shadow warrior captures the dichotomy between theGupsand theChupswhile also revealing the beauty of a possible balance amongst them.AsHarounobserves the shadow warrior from the land ofChuphe has an epiphany that “the dance of the shadow warrior had its own grace and beauty (just as speech could be graceless and ugly); and that Action could be as noble as Words” (Rushdie 125).Before this moment,Harounhas understood the world in terms of opposites and dichotomies; either one or the other must exist, but never both at the same time. This is the first momentHarounrealizes that the balance created because of these opposites is not only appealing, but necessary in order for each to exist. Harmony between theGupsand theChupswill only manifest when each group learns to embrace their differences. Similarly, harmony cannot exist inHaroun’sworld until he realizes that having an equal balance of fantasy and reality is essential to living a happy and fulfilled life.
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