Literature VII
Mr. Carrick
Students: In this course students will move beyond Literature VI to study some young adult literature as well as poetry, novels and short stories from the literary canon. Students will consider the idea of justice with Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, venture into the bizarre and macabre in selections of short stories and poetry from Edgar Allen Poe, examine the heroines and heroes of popular folklore and delve into mystery with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles. In addition to these major works, students will also cover a broad spectrum of American and British poetry and short stories.
Expectations: Students should arrive to each class prepared to participate in class activities and discussions. Students will bring to each class their binders, papers, writing implements, pertinent texts and any other appropriate materials. Most importantly, students will come to each class with a curious and alert mind. Students are expected to carefully and thoughtfully read all assigned reading so as to adequately prepare themselves to participate in class activities.
Late Work: In order to receive full credit, all work must be turned in on time in class on the day it is due in hard copy form. No e-mail submissions will be accepted unless otherwise specified. All late work will be penalized one letter grade per school day past the due date. This includes school days on which the class does not meet. Assignments turned in on the due date but after class will be penalized one-half letter grade.
Paper format: All assigned essays will be required to follow MLA format. A more detailed description of the requirements of this format will be distributed in a handout prior to the deadline for the first essay.
Grading:
50% tests, projects and essays
35% homework, daily class work, quizzes
15% class participation
I Am the Cheese Essay
You will write an essay at least 2 pages long in MLA format on one of the following prompts:
Prompts:
1. Identity: This book is about discovering identity, altering identity and coming to terms with one’s identity. Discuss some of the characters that must deal with their identity and how it affects them using the examples we discussed in class as your evidence.
2. Individual vs. Organization: this book is largely about the conflict of one vs. many. Discuss how individuals in this book take on larger organizations and what the outcome of those challenges are using the examples we discussed in class as examples.
3. Symbolism: discuss the symbolism present in the book in items such as the wind, the bike and Pokey the Pig and how they relate to the conflict between freedom and entrapment. Describe what each represents for Adam.
Advanced: (clear with me before beginning assignment)
4. This book is a mystery novel, yet there is an extra dimension that separates it from more conventional mysteries like Hound of the Baskervilles. Compare and contrast I Am the Cheese with Hound. What plot elements do they have that are alike and how is I Am the Cheese an updated version of the mystery novel.
5. It seems odd that there is no mention of Amy Hertz from the agency, given the fact that she was such a close confidant of Adam’s. Could this be because there was no Amy? Did Amy Hertz really exist or was she merely part of the story that Adam seems to be making up? Argue one side or the other, using evidence from the book to prove your point.
Introduction:
You will want to both capture the attention of the reader in this introductory paragraph and clearly state what theme you will be discussing and how you will show how that theme exists in the novel.
Body Paragraphs:
Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that states the main idea that will be discussed in the paragraph. This topic should be supported within the paragraph by evidence from the book (quotes, paraphrases), analysis that explains why this evidence is important to the main idea of the paragraph, and a concluding sentence that ties this paragraph back to your introduction. YOU MUST USE AT LEAST TWO DIRECT QUOTES IN YOUR ESSAY!
Conclusion:
As always, you need to carry your paper forward in your introduction. Do not simply restate your thesis. A strong conclusion will accomplish this by presenting the reader with a new question to consider or explaining what the author hoped to accomplish with the book or even a reference to some other work or works that use similar themes. I suggest you seek my help before diving into your conclusion.
Grading:
The essay will be graded based on the above guidelines and the same grading rubric used in Canterbury composition classes.
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