The final draft of the education reform research paper will be due on Thursday at 3:30, delivered to school in a printed copy.

When you submit, make sure to:

  • make all the corrections from the original draft.
  • attach the previous draft behind your new copy.
  • hand/deliver the essay to me in Room 14.

Specific areas of concern for revision include:

  • the use of academic research.
  • organization that is coherent and consistent.
  • including an actual plan for HHS/HSD1.
  • paraphrasing in your own words.

1.Some critics have argued that the novel makes the case for the power of modern humanism while others say its power derives from the application of Christian love. Which is a stronger argument and why?

2. Ultimately, does Steinbeck intend for the reader to believe more in the power of social cooperation (socialism?) or the power of individual, human nature?

3. How does Steinbeck use biblical allusions to enhance the meaning of the work? What, taken together, do these allusions show about the Okies?

4. How does the film contrast with the book? Why might the film have changed and what thematic differences does it suggest?

5. Apply the literary criticism you studied to the book and construct an argument in which you evaluate this critical lens. For instance, what does the Grapes of Wrath say about the relationship of the Id and Superego?

As you work on your revisions and second persuasive essays, these are some resources that you might find helpful:

  1. F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said that "there are no second acts in American lives." Do the life and death of Jay Gatsby demonstrate this claim or refute it? Does the novel ultimately argue that one can never re-invent himself?
  2. Point of View is one of the most powerful techniques of The Great Gatsby. Explain how Fitzgerald’s use of a ‘witness’ point of view impacts the reader and allows Fitzgerald to develop his themes. Why does he occasionally transgress this point of view, and with what impact?
  3. Fitzgerald is known as the preeminent chronicler of the Jazz Age, perhaps better depicting its excesses and virtues better than anyone. How does Nick Carraway demonstrate both attraction to and repulsion from the lives of the incredibly rich inhabitants of Long Island?
  4. How does Fitzgerald use the juxtaposition of Carraway/Gatsby and Buchanan/Carraway to reveal more about each character?
  5. What is ultimately the most to blame for the tragic end of the novel: Gatsby’s nostalgic desire for the past, Daisy’s selfishness, or Nick’s silence?

 

When you are writing your junior writing assessment pieces, you might want to remember this little ethnocentric acronym.

True Americans Never Act Canadian

  • Topic Sentence
  • Argument/Support
  • Naysayer
  • Answer Naysayer
  • Conclusion/Wrap