writing assignment 2 the catcher in the rye essay

In preparation for our this assignment, make sure to carefully read and use the following resources to help you draft your single-source essay on Catcher. Sample WA2 Essay Components

Instructional Guide: Writing Assignment 2: The Catcher in the Rye Essay (PRINT ME)

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Writing Assignment 2:

The Catcher in the Rye

Essay

Workshop Deadlines:

Workshop has two deadlines and both must be met.

•

P

ost first draft of WA2 in the D

7 forum by 11:59 PM

April

1

•

Post

peer

–

evaluation of WA2 in the D

7 forum by 11:59 PM

April

5

Final Draft Deadline:

April

11

, 201

9

by 11:55 PM PST

Objectives:

The purpose of this assignment is to:

•

give students additional practice with literary analysis by

examining significant

components of a novel

•

help strengthen their writing and analytical skills by doing the following:

•

carefully dissecting a story’s theme and characters

•

using the argumentation rhetorical method of writing to present essay

•

formulating a

strong thesis argument with a plan of development

•

selecting and integrating relevant evidence from the story in order to

substantiate their argument

•

using MLA format to cite their sources both parenthetically (in

–

text) and on

a Work(s) Cited page.

Instru

ctions:

Now that you have fully read J.D. Salinger’s

The Catcher in the Rye

, have gained a

deeper understanding of the cultural context of the story, and have examined the

various elements of the novel (characters, theme, setting, symbolism, point

–

of

–

view

…etc.), it’s time to write about this controversial novel.

For this writing assignment, please select the most prominent central

theme

of the story

(only one theme) and examine how three of the significant primary or secondary

characters from the story h

elp showcase that theme.

•

Your introductory paragraph must properly introduce the story by including the

name of the author, the title of the story, when it was published, and any brief

and relevant bit of information (regarding author, the era in which t

he text was

written,…etc.) that is needed to launch your argument. At the end of your

introductory paragraph, please insert your thesis (central theme of the story) with

its plan of development (three characters that drive that underlying theme).

•

Your ess

ay must only be between 1000

–

1500 words in length.

•

Your argument must be sufficiently supported with directly quoted, paraphrased,

and/or briefly summarized passages from the story, all of which must be properly

cited according to the correct MLA standards

. To specify, you

must

use between

two to four relevant quotes or paraphrased passages from the novel for each

significant character that you deem advances the theme of this story (i.e. three

characters equals to 6

–

12 borrowed passages from the novel).

•

Fi

nally, please remember to keep focused, control your writing, and do not open

any doors that you are not willing to shut with an explanation.

2

NOTE:

Chapters 8

–

11 and 13 (Sample Essays: Essay on a Novel) from your

WEAL

textbook will help prepare you for th

is assignment. Additionally, please refer to the

“Essay Components” document included in the Writing Assignment 2 learning module,

the MLA links also in the module, and the series of checklists included on pp. 2

–

4 of this

instructional document.

Grading

Rubric:

Point Value:

Workshop

10 points

Introductory Paragraph

15 points

Supporting Paragraphs

30 points

Concluding Paragraph

15 points

Syntax

20 points

Citations

10 points

___________________________

Total

100 points

Required Elements:

The following revising and editing checklist (pp.2

–

4) is my criteria for grading.

_____

Developed introductory paragraph that captures the readers’ attention,

introduces the author, title of novel, novel’s publication year, relevant

cultural or

biographical information, and thesis

_____ A clearly stated thesis with a logical plan of development that properly introduces

the focus of your essay. Place thesis and plan of development at end of intro

paragraph as the last sentence.

____

_

Strong topic sentences at the start of supporting paragraphs that begin with

appropriate transitional phrases, include the plan of development point being

discussed in that paragraph and reinforce the thesis in some way.

_____

Effective transitions thr

oughout essay: use transitional/signal phrases at the start

of each supporting paragraph and when launching supporting examples

(First,

Secondly, One way X is so, Additionally, Next, Conversely, for example, for

instance…etc.)

_____

Convincing summarized,

paraphrased, and/or directly quoted evidence that

support your main point (thesis). Quotes or paraphrased passages (contextual

support) must be directly relevant and should sufficiently illustrate your claim

_____

Use of 2

–

4 relevant quotes and/or paraph

rased passages for each significant

character that advances the theme of the story (i.e. three characters equals to 6

–

12 borrowed passages from the novel)

_____

Do not place quotes back

–

to

–

back.

_____

Correct integration (Triple

–

E Formula) and citation (MLA) of

quoted, summed up,

and/or paraphrased

material: establish context of quote before inserting quote,

discuss the significance of the borrowed passage to your main argument after

quoting, and use th

e MLA format to cite your sources both in

–

text and on your

Work(s) Cited page

_____

Triple E: Present the

example

, include the contextual

evidence

to support the

example, and provide an

explanation

of

how

the contextual evidence supports

the example and t

he thesis in order to make sure that your readers understand

why you have used that source in your essay.

_____

Avoid beginning and ending your paragraphs with quotes; instead, begin your

paragraphs with strong topic sentences and end them with muscular

concluding

remarks.

_____

Closing sentences at the end of supporting paragraphs that bring topic of

paragraph to a close

_____

Concluding paragraph must include the following: reiteration of the thesis and

plan of development to properly bring the argume

nt to a close and to frame the

essay; followed by a closing thought, resolution, or brief and relevant quote that

ends the entire discussion on a thoughtful note.

_____

Use the present tense.

_____

Careful use of diction (detailed descriptions, concise

language, avoid slang,

avoid fallacies or biased language…etc.

_____

Proper use of mechanics (good grammar, appropriate punctuation marks, strong

sentence structure…etc.)

Eliminate the following:

_____ Spelling errors

_____

Run

–

ons

_____

Fragments

_____

Slang and clichés

_____

Contractions

_____

Personal pronouns, such as

you

,

your

(

s)

,

yourself

,

me

,

I

,

mine

,

myself

,

we

,

us

,

our

(

s

), and

ourselves

_____

Repetition, especially at the beginning of nearby sentences

_____

Vague words, such as

good

,

interesting

,

nice

,

hate

,

neat

…etc.

_____

Pronoun Agreement errors

_____

Subject

–

Verb Agreement errors

_____

Punctuation errors, such as comma, semi

–

colon, quotation marks,

apostrophes…etc.

Finally, be sure you have included the following:

_____

Cor

rect use of commas, semi

–

colons, apostrophes, and quotation marks

_____

A combination of sentence forms (simple, compound, complex, and compound

–

complex)

_____

Parallel structure with parallel elements in a series (commas must separate three

or more elem

ents in a series)