1. (Due Jan. 26th) Satire/Parody Term Final

The following must be submitted by 3 pm on Jan. 26^th:

• Final project (flash drive, cd, or email)
• Script (Including names of all group members in the heading. Use proper heading)
• Self-evaluation—In what way(s) did you contribute to this project? Be detailed. Be honest. Are you satisfied with your effort? You are ONLY to evaluate yourself (not your peers).

The following will be considered when assessing the satire/parody project:

• Project’s visual impact/Cinematic Effect. Many of you are making films! Be thoughtful/creative in how you compose each shot (i.e. camera angles, shot variety, etc.). Creative use of costume, props, etc.  Pay close attention to lighting (i.e. poor lighting, backlighting, etc).
• The project should demonstrate control of satire and/or parody. Additionally, all projects are expected to employ irony as one of the primary figurative elements to carry the project’s purpose/message. Be thoughtfully/creatively/subtly ironic!
• Project is thoughtful. Beyond the visual element, the written element should also reflect great thought on subject and form. Clear, interesting conflict. Effective use of dialogue. Clear purpose to each scene.
• Project is thoughtfully/effectively edited. Smooth flow/transitions. Effective pacing. Attention to continuity.
• Project reflects exceptional effort.  This one is very important as I (and my fellow assessors) expect to see a project that “took time and effort” to complete.

2. (Due 1/31) Slaughterhouse Five—Complete the novel! Be prepared to discuss:

• Edgar Derby’s characterization
• Howard Campbell’s monograph
• Dominant theme(s) by the novel’s end

3. (Due 2/2) 2-3 TYPED Pages of Essay Prep–You know that you have to decide between 1984 and SH5 for your next essay. This will be a 4 page literary analysis.

Everyone must do the following thesis prep! Thesis/Essay Pre-writing (As always, I expect to see a great deal of thought put into this first formal stage of the process.  In preparation for your essay, you must fill in the blank here:

In my SH5 essay I will explore Vonnegut’s treatment of ___________.

Fill in the blank with an element(s) that you would like to explore. Many of you will choose to explore his treatment of a specific theme, and that is fine, but know that you are not limited to theme here. Then, develop the idea.

Example:

In my SH5 essay I will explore Vonnegut’s treatment of the psychology of war.

Ultimately, my argument/so what will be born out of my close study of HOW V develops this idea (psychology of war) and WHY. Elements/Devices relevant to this treatment:

• The Money Tree
• Campbell’s monograph
• Tralfamadorians as an allegory for religion (this one can be broken down quite a bit)
• Billy as an antihero

Then, type out at least SIX pieces of evidence critical to illustrating/illuminating your discussion/argument. After analyzing each piece of evidence, answer the following question:  Why did you choose this evidence? This is the first step of the process! The more thought and effort you put into this, the easier the entire process will be.

1. Term Final–Complete first draft is due tomorrow. Please print and review the guidelines. Be sure to follow the essay guidelines. This stage of the writing process will be graded.

1. Starting tomorrow, we will spend class time working toward the term final. Please come to class prepared to work on either the insight paper or the context paper. Deadlines:

Insight Paper: Due 1/13

Independent Research Paper:

First Draft due 1/19

Final Draft due 1/25

1. Term Finals (5-7 pages) Term Final Guidelines

I expect everyone to be present Tuesday! If you are absent and you do not have an excuse from either a parent or doctor, then your essay will be marked late. Further, you will not be paired with an editor (as these pairings will take place Tuesday in class) thus receiving a zero as everyone is expected to edit a peer’s essay.

General Formatting:

• Double-spaced; size 12 font; Times New Roman or similar
• .75 margins on both left and right sides. Justify margin. Indentations– .5” or 1 tab space.
• All pages beyond the first page should be numbered.  Page numbers should be placed at the bottom right of each page.
• No Cover Page.  Include name, class, and date (Single space the heading)
• Be sure TITLE reflects the theme of the essay (for instance, 1984: Hierarchical Hegemony)
• Include Title, Author, and General Theme of work in first paragraph of essay…For Example—Jean Paul Sartre’s Nausea
• Follow MLA guidelines

Avoid the Following:

• Avoid Pronouns: I, it, you, me, we, us
• Avoid Troublesome language. Do your best to avoid the following words: it, these, this, those, kind of, almost, seems, maybe, like, then, later, eventually, basically, so, many, a lot, things, due to the fact (or any variations of the fact that), in reality, very, really, forms of the verb “to be”
• In the intro, nix all book-review commentary—i.e. “is fascinating, interesting…”
• Avoid meaningless sentences–i.e. “Authors rely heavily on symbolism.”
• Contractions
• While I am not suggesting that you avoid all modifiers, you certainly should be conscious of how you are using them. Yet, definitely avoid the likes of really, basically, very, excellent, terrible, etc.
• Avoid misspelling proper nouns!

Remember:

• When writing about literature, write in the present tense.
• Active voice should be your default voice and only use passive when you are CHOOSING to use passive voice.
• Get comfortable writing in complex and compound sentences.
• Introductions and conclusions are factored into the grading of this essay.
• Read your essay aloud and you will hear many diction and syntax issues.

Keys to Good Writing:

• Cohesion—Every sentence fits together; paragraphs flow smoothly.  Ensure that the entire discussion comes together as one unified discussion of your text and its context.
• Concision—Less is more.  Use fewer words to explain yourself.  Begin fusing sentences by merging ideas into tightly knit phrases.
• Precision—Accuracy.  Use words that accurately capture what you mean.  Don’t settle for words or expressions that come close.
• Coherence—Does your essay make sense? Are your ideas organized in a logical sequence? Do you prove your thesis? Do the parts contain the essence of the whole?