Junior English Curriculum
2014/2015 Final Exam Content and Writing Requirements
English 11A
Required Reading:
 Beowulf (unknown author), Selected Excerpts
Holt Elements of Literature - Sixth Course pps. 16-49
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Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer), Prologue, Miller’s Tale, Wife of Bath’s Tale
Holt Elements of Literature Sixth Course pps. 116-174
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Macbeth (William Shakespeare)
Holt Elements of Literature Sixth Course pps. 402-492
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Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane) full text
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One novel of choice selected from a list (see attached)
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Writing:
Argument Essay
Characterization Essay
Academic Vocabulary:
You are responsible for knowing the following academic vocabulary words and being able to
identify their use in Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, and Macbeth.
 direct and indirect characterization
 situational, verbal, and dramatic irony
 frame story
 repetition
 couplet
 meter
 parallelism
 argument
 persuasion
 logic
Language Skills:
 simple sentence
 compound sentence
 complex sentence
 compound/complex sentence
Characterization Essay for Macbeth – 50 pts.
You will write a 2-3 page (500-word minimum), MLA formatted characterization essay exploring
the character of either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth (choose one).
Below is a set of quotes from Macbeth and Lady Macbeth for you to use in your paper. These are
examples of indirect characterizations from which you can infer the character traits of the selected
character.
You can explore Macbeth as a tragic hero - one who rises to great power and is greatly admired but
with a tragic flaw. You can use the quotes provided as evidence to support your interpretation of
the cause of his tragic fall from grace.
You can be a bit creative in describing Lady Macbeth’s character in this essay. You might, for
example, consider writing about a career that would be perfect for Lady Macbeth, using her
character traits, demonstrated through her quotes, as evidence for why she might be perfect for
the job. The challenge as you take the more creative topic is to remember to maintain a scholarly
tone and to provide strong evidence for the claims you make.
You must write this essay in MLA format. You will cite the Holt version of Macbeth in your works
cited and for all MLA in-text (parenthetical) citations. If you use any other sources, be sure to list
them as works cited or works referenced.
MLA requires 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spacing, 1” margins, MLA formatted pagenumbering, MLA-style parenthetical citations and works cited format. Use the student resources
available on the Media Center web page to help you. You must use at least three quotes from the
text as support.
CHARACTER: MACBETH
ACT I
(p. 408 lines 15-19) the Captain says:
but all’s too weak:
For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valor’s minion carved out his passage
(P. 415, lines 143-144)
On meeting the Wyrd Sisters and hearing them prophesy his rise to the throne, Macbeth has an
aside and says this:
If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me/Without my stir.
(p. 418, lines 48-50)
After Malcolm (the king’s son) is given the title Prince of Cumberland making him next in line to
the throne, Macbeth says:
The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap,
For in my way it lies.
Immediately after that, Macbeth says this, (my favorite line):
Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
(p. 423 lines 25-27)
In second-guessing himself and his plan, he decides not to kill Duncan, and Macbeth says:
I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition
ACT II
(p. 429, lines 34-42)
Macbeth, directly after the murder, says
Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep”—the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,
The death of each day’s life, sore labor’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast——
Lady Macbeth. What do you mean?
Macbeth. Still it cried “Sleep no more!” to all the house:
“Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor
Shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more.”
(p. 446, lines 36)
Macbeth says,
O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!
And later on the same page (line 45)
Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck
CHARACTER: LADY MACBETH
ACT I
(p. 419, lines 13-16)
On learning by written message that Macbeth is predicted by the Wyrd Sisters (the witches) to be
Thane of Cawdor and king, Lady Macbeth says this in her soliloquy:
“Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way.
Read the lines after it to get more meaning, but these are the lines one might cite in the paper.
(P. 419, lines 23-26)
In the desire to sour his milk a little and toughen him up, she says this:
Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,
And chastise with the valor of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round
(p. 420, lines 38-39)
Here is her famous line as she prepares herself to get Macbeth to do what he must: “Come, you
spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,”
(p. 420, lines 63-64)
Here is Lady Macbeth to Macbeth:
“look like th’ innocent flower,
But be the serpent under’t.”
(p. 422- or 421 online - lines 14-15)
Here is Lady Macbeth stating the extent of her great allegiance (yeah, right) to King Duncan who
has arrived to spend the night at her castle.
“All our service
In every point twice done, and then done double,”
(p. 423, lines 35-36)
Upon learning that Macbeth has changed his mind about killing the king early on, Lady Macbeth
says,
“Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dressed yourself?”
(p. 424, lines 54-59)
Here is the very definition of heartlessness: Lady Macbeth says
“I have given suck, and know
How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.
ACT II
(p. 450 lines 53-54)
When he loses it after thinking he has seen Banquo’s ghost at the banquet, she covers by saying:
“Sit, worthy friends. My Lord is often thus,
And hath been from his youth. “
(P. 478 line 31)
Here she goes – losing her mind.
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”
Rubric is available on turnitin.com. See 11th/12th grade argument rubric.
Argument Essay – 50 pts.
For this paper, you will be asked to select a topic related to the Red Badge of Courage. Some of the topics
you might consider would be as follows:
Argue for or against our participation in the Iraq War.
Argue for or against a two-year military requirement for Americans.
Argue for or against the rights of soldiers to refrain from taking a tour of duty on the basis of religion.
Argue for or against the religious "just cause" justification for killing during a war.
Argue for or against the importance of having a president (head of the military) who has served his country
militarily.
Argue for or against any known controversial topic related to the military.
CHOOSE a topic that interests you, or get interested in a topic!
RESEARCH this topic for relevant facts and data that you can use from primary and reliable secondary
sources.
KNOW the opposing argument(s) inside out and backwards. You will need to research this at least as much
as you will need to research your argument FOR something.
EVEN-HANDEDNESS is paramount. You should avoid weakening your argument with anger or excessive
emotional appeals, and you should strengthen your argument with logical appeals that will persuade your
opponents.
REMEMBER your audience. You should strengthen the convictions of your supporters, and weaken the
conviction of your opposers.
REMEMBER, an argument is not a fight - it is an intellectual pursuit for the TRUTH.
Rubric is available on turnitin.com. See 11th/12th grade argument rubric.
Book Project – 25 pts.
Choose one of the books from the following list to read:
 Henry IV
 Scarlett Pimpernel
 The Scarlet Letter
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A Seperate Peace
Annie John
Huck Finn
Emma
Bean Trees
The Lord of the Rings
The True Story of Hansel and Gretel
The Amazing Adventures of
Number the Stars
Briar Rose
1776
Go Ask Alice
English 11B
Required Reading:
 Lord of the Flies (William Golding), Full Text
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The Glass Castle (Jeanette Walls), Full Text
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Night (Elie Wiesel), Full Text
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Film: “Life is Beautiful”
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One optional text: Satire unit including “A Modest Proposal,” Candide, and Don Quixote,
and all of Alexander Pope
Holt Elements of Literature Sixth Course pps. 581-587, 592-599, 602-607, 614-628.
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Writing:
College Admissions Essay
Comparative Literature Essay
Academic Vocabulary:
You are responsible for knowing the following academic vocabulary words and being able to
identify their use in Lord of the Flies, The Glass Castle, and Night.
 Historical context
 Memoir
 Paradoxes
 Allusions
 Puns
 Satire
 Foil character
 Direct metaphor
 Implied metaphor
Comparative Literature Essay – 50 pts.
500-word minimum.
You will practice using MLA format and will be graded on your ability to follow strict MLA guidelines.
A critical area of focus and a unique challenge for this paper will be that you must not have a single run-on,
comma splice, or fragment in this paper.
Choose one of the following topics on which to write a comparative analysis for Lord of the Flies and Night.
• Discuss the factors that determine leadership by comparing Lord of the Flies and Night. For example,
positive leadership was presented in both books, but power ultimately went to the leader who used fear to
gain followers. Explain this.
• Compare the effectiveness of satire (Lord of the Flies) with memoir (Night) as a tool for creating
awareness and, ulitmately, CHANGE.
• Discuss the importance of historical context in getting the full benefit of reading Night and Lord of the
Flies. Is it more important to have historical context to gain the full meaning of the text with satire or with
memoir? Why?
You must have a works cited page that includes our classroom edition of LOTF and one critical essay from a
.edu or similar source. Your source must be cited in your essay using correct MLA format, and you must
turn in a copy of your source with your paper.
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Focus will be on creating strong thesis statements that begin with a qualifying statement (e.g.
Although positive leadership existed in both novels, power went to the leaders who posed a threat to
safety in Night and Lord of the Flies.)
Students are expected to continue to use parenthetical citations in MLA format correctly and follow
the guidelines for MLA formatting including page numbering ½ inch from the top of page with last
name, etc.
Careful attention is paid to combining and punctuating sentences properly, virtually eliminating
run-ons, comma splices, and fragments.
Rubric is available on turnitin.com. See 11th/12th grade argument rubric.
Social Issues Persuasive Essay/Speech – 25 pts.
After reading The Glass Castle, you will choose three of the following topics to write about:
Type, d/s, and MLA format a well-constructed response to three of the following:
1. The Wells children are by far more mature, responsible, reliable, and sensible than their parents. They protect
and take care of themselves, each other, and even their parents. And yet, according to the law, they are underage
and therefore dependent on their parents. Is it time to examine children’s rights? Should some children be granted
more rights at an earlier age?
2. When Jeannette describes Grandma Smith, she remembers a woman who “had strong opinions about the way
things ought to be done – how to dress, how to talk, how to organize your time, how to cook and keep house, how
to manage your finances…”(91), and says she loved her and all of her rules. However, Rose Mary, Grandma
Smith’s daughter, felt that her mother nagged and badgered” and that was the reason she herself never set rules
for her own kids. To what extent are rules necessary for children’s healthy development and to what extent are
they restricting and limiting? Are some rules “age appropriate”? Do parents sometimes get so caught up in their
own rules that they forget their children will one day be adults? Are some rules freeing?
3. Mom’s big dream is to be an artist and she spends all of her time and the little money the family has on art
supplies. Whenever the family moves, her paints and canvases move, too. When the family tours Welch, a
rundown city with sad people, Mom sees the bright side – she will be the only artist around. She never gives up
on her dream. Is there a point when it’s time for one to give up one’s dream? If so, what is the point?
4. On one hand, Jeannette Walls describes the squalor she and her family lived in: hunger, poverty, garbage, lack
of basic necessities. On the other hand, she describes the rich intellectual world her parents imparted: discussions
of geology, math, literature, art. In light of the fact that three out of the four Walls children became successful,
productive members of society, what do you think is more important to children’s development: comfortable
living conditions or an enriching intellectual environment?
5. Everyone on Little Hobart Street in Welch is poor, and “everyone grudgingly accepted some form of public
aid.” The Walls, however, refused any kind of help, although they were the poorest family on the street. Jeannette
says, “Mom and Dad never applied for welfare or food stamps, and they always refused charity” (159”. Why did
the parents refuse any help? Should they have taken food stamps at least? Is it more important to have pride or
food? Did the refusal of food stamps and charity contribute to the children’s ultimate independence and selfmotivation?
6. Mom says that welfare “would cause irreparable psychological damage” to the kids. “Once you go on welfare,
it changes you. Even if you get off welfare, you never escape the stigma that you were a charity case. You’re
scarred for life” (188). What does mom mean when she says, “you’re scarred for life”?
Each response must be at least 250 words.
Next, choose one to revise into a speech. Rubric below:
Oral Presentation Rubric : Social Issues Mini-essays and Speech
Teacher Name: Mrs. Wood
Student Name:
CATEGORY
________________________________________
4
3
2
1
Vocabulary
Uses vocabulary
appropriate for the
audience. Extends
audience vocabulary
by defining words
that might be new to
most of the audience.
Uses vocabulary
appropriate for the
audience. Includes 1-2
words that might be
new to most of the
audience, but does
not define them.
Uses vocabulary
appropriate for the
audience. Does not
include any
vocabulary that might
be new to the
audience.
Uses several (5 or
more) words or
phrases that are not
understood by the
audience.
Content
Writing shows a full
understanding of the
topic.
Writing shows a good Writing shows a good Writing does not
understanding of the understanding of
demonstrate a solid
topic.
parts of the topic.
understanding of the
topic.
Mechanics
There are no errors in There are a few errors There are enough
grammar or spelling. in grammar or
errors in spelling and
spelling.
grammar that student
should revise their
final editing strategy.
College Admissions Essay – 50 pts.
SEE ATTACHED HANDOUT AND RUBRIC.
There are many
errors in spelling and
grammar that convey
to an audience a lack
of attention to formal
expression.