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You’re almost there! In this final unit, you will demonstrate your…
You’re almost there!
In this final unit, you will demonstrate your learning in a culminating project for the course. It will involve choosing and reading a novel independently. You will apply skills and strategies that you have developed in this course so far.
Time to begin
You may have heard the expression “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but to begin your culminating project, you are going to do just that.
Consider the novel choices below. Which one would you like to read?
Novel and Novella Choices:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=bWVubG9hdGhlcnRvbmhzLmNvbXxtcnMtYmVyZ2hvdXNlLWVuZ2xpc2gtMjAxM3xneDo0MjM5ZDNlNjFlNjExM2Ey
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
https://archive.org/stream/thestrangecaseof00043gut/pg43.txt
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
https://giove.isti.cnr.it/demo/eread/Libri/sad/OfMiceAndMen.pdf
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=bnljbGFic2Nob29sLm9yZ3xmYWxsLTIwMTMtYXAtbGl0fGd4OjMyNDc2Yjk2ZGNhYWQ0YWU
First Love by Ivan Turgenev
https://docs.igihe.com/IMG/pdf/first_love_by_turgenev_ivan_sergeyevich_translator_constance_garnett_.pdf
The Lifted Veil by George Eliot
https://spensabayalibrary.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/the-lifted-veil.pdf
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/219/219-h/219-h.htm#link2H_4_0001
The Old Man and the Sea
https://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/oldmansea.pdf
8. Animal Farm by George Orwell
https://www.sanjuan.edu/cms/lib/CA01902727/Centricity/Domain/334/Animal%20Farm.pdf
.
You will…
Read a novel that will become the basis of your formal essay.
Prepare study notes and an outline that can be used in writing your essay.
Plan, draft, and revise a literary essay of 750-1000 words in length.
Format your essay according to accepted academic guidelines, with proper use of parenthetical citations and Works Cited.
Overall: The 5-paragraph essay must critically discuss the significance of one of the novel’s themes.
Think about:
How does the author use the theme to discuss large social and cultural issues?
How does the author use the theme to discuss the human condition?
Does the theme create thoughts that challenge societal norms and foster change and progress?
Do not just state the theme: explain why the theme matters. Why is this theme important?
Essays
Essays are written for different purposes and audiences. You can write an essay to describe, prove a point, analyze, compare, entertain, or persuade.
It is important to understand the basic essay structure:
An introduction (includes the thesis statement)
3 body paragraphs
A conclusion
Before exploring this essay structure in more detail, it’s important to understand the role of the thesis.
The thesis is the most important part of the introduction to your essay. A good thesis statement is usually a single sentence that presents your main idea. The thesis statement is your point of view on the topic. When written effectively, a thesis statement clearly describes what your essay will prove. The thesis statement provides the focus for the rest of the essay. Though it is usually presented in the introductory paragraph, it is often echoed in the conclusion. A thesis can be explicit (directly stated) or implied (inferred from the text of the essay).
The paragraphs following the thesis develop ideas that support the thesis. In literary essays, examples and quotations from the text are used as evidence to strengthen the paragraphs that support the thesis.
Example
“A dog is a man’s best friend.” That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent house pets. Cats are the ideal pet as they are great companions, civilized members of the household, and very easy to care for.
General opening statement – “A dog is a man’s best friend.” That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy.
Main idea – Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent house pets.
Outline of main points – Cats are the ideal pets as they are great companions, civilized members of the household, and very easy to care for.
Transition words in an essay
Transitions are signs or guideposts in writing. Transition words are used to make connections and show changes. They tell you how to read the text. Transition words are often separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.
Take a look at the following table to see some examples of transition words and the situations when you might use them as a writer.
If you want to …
Possible transition words you can use
add ideas
and, too, similarly, further, also, as well, besides, in a like manner, another
qualify or negate a statement
but, nevertheless, on the contrary, yet, still
show order
first, next, in conclusion, finally
show space relation
above, below, to the left, nearby
introduce examples
for instance, for example
indicate a result
therefore, as a result, for this reason, thus, consequently, so
indicate repetition of an idea
briefly, in fact, indeed, in other words
Linking statements in an essay
Linking statements support the flow of your writing. They develop coherence within paragraphs and between paragraphs.
Linking statements can highlight the next point in an argument, link to earlier ideas, or announce the stage an author has reached in an argument.
Here are some examples of how linking statements can begin:
“In the first place …”
“In addition …”
“On the other hand …”
“For this reason …”
“In conclusion …”
“For example …”
Linking statements and transition words – “For many people”
Literary devices – “A dog is a man’s best friend” is a metaphor
Preparation is very important for writing an essay that is convincing and easy to follow. Now, look at the essay outline for the essay about cats.
Essay title
(This essay is untitled.)
General opening statement
Dogs are not the only animal that people enjoy.
Thesis statement
Cats make excellent house pets.
First supporting idea
People enjoy the companionship of cats.
Evidence
Cats are:
affectionate
playful
trainable
Second supporting idea
Cats are civilized members of the household.
Evidence
Cats:
do not make loud noises
do not often have accidents
Third supporting idea
It is easy to care for cats.
Evidence
Cats:
do not have to be walked
groom themselves
can be left alone for hours
Summary of supporting ideas
Cats are affectionate, civilized, and low-maintenance.
General closing statement
Cats are the ideal house pet.
Thesis statements
When planning an essay, the development of the thesis statement is the most important part.
Here is a very useful website How to write a strong thesis.
