Literary Analysis for Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Directions:
Write a 3-page literary analysis essay on one of the following prompts. In your essay, make sure to carefully embed
quotes from the novel to analyze. These quotes should support your thesis (your argument), which you consistently
refer back to throughout your essay. There will be a rough draft, a day for peer review, and a final draft that will be due
on Turnitin.com.
Bildungsroman: A bildungsroman novel recounts the psychological or moral development of the protagonist as
he or she transitions from youth to maturity. Select a single pivotal moment in the psychological or moral
development of Christopher. Then, write a well-organized essay that analyzes how that single moment shapes
the meaning of the novel as a whole.
Surroundings: In the novel, cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape the psychological and moral
traits in Christopher’s character. Write a well-organized essay analyzing how surroundings affect Christopher
and his character as well as how the surroundings illustrate the meaning of the work as a whole.
Sacrifice: It has often been said that what we value can be determined by what we sacrifice. Consider how this
statement applies to a character from the novel that has deliberately sacrificed, surrendered, or forfeited
something in a way that highlights that character’s values. Write a well-organized essay analyzing how the
particular sacrifice(s) illustrates the character’s values that provide a greater understanding of the meaning of
the work as a whole.
Justice: Some say that life is a search for justice. Choose a character from the novel that must respond to an
injustice. Then, write a well-organized essay that analyzes the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to
which the character’s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search on the work as a whole.
The rubric that will be used to grade each essay prompt is located on the back of this handout out. The due dates for the
drafts are below as well as the Google Classroom and Turnitin.com codes. It is a requirement that this essay is on Google
Drive and Turnitin.com. If you have additional questions, please ask them in class.
Dates to Remember:
Assignment:
Due:
Electronic Copy, Hard Copy, or Turnitin.com:
Chrome Book Day – Intro paragraph and body outline
Mon 11/9
Electronic Copy on Drive
Rough Draft
Tues 11/10
Turnitin.com
Peer Review
Tues 11/10
Hard Copy
Chrome Book Day – Full draft for final editing
Thurs 11/12
Electronic Copy on Drive
Final Draft
Fri 11/13
Electronic Copy and Turnitin.com
Codes:
1st Period:
5th Period:
8th Period:
Google Classroom Code
7mjr1e
obb5in
hyljmjj
Turnitin.com Class Code
10785176
10785196
10785207
Turnitin.com Password
sears428
sears428
sears428
Summative Assessment: Literary Analysis of Curious Incident Scoring Rubric
Effective
Adequate
Inadequate
Insufficient
CCSS.W.9-10.1
Write an
argument to
support claims in
an analysis of
substantive topics
or texts, using
valid reasoning
and relevant and
sufficient
evidence.
30 pts.
These writers
effectively make and
support a claim that
answers a prompt and
analyzes the use of
specific literary
techniques (such as
point of view, syntax,
imagery, or diction).
This claim is carried
throughout the paper.
(30-27)
The claim and analysis is
less persuasive and/or less
sophisticated than papers
in the “effective” range.
The claim is somewhat
vague. The literary
techniques are not
strongly tried back to the
claim or the discussion of
details/quotes may be
limited.
(26-24)
The claim and analysis may
misread the novel or
passages in an essential way,
rely on paraphrase, or
provide only limited
attention to technique.
Illustrations from the text
tend to be misconstrued,
inexact, or omitted
altogether.
(23-21)
These papers
demonstrate little success
in making a claim that
addresses one of the
prompts and analyzing in
the text.
(20-0)
CCSS.RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and
thorough textual
evidence to
support analysis
of what the text
says explicitly as
well as inferences
drawn from the
text.
30 pts.
The essay makes
diverse and effective
references to and
inferences about the
text to illustrate,
organize, and support
the argument. Analysis
of textual evidence
strongly analyzes
selected rhetorical
strategies and ties back
to the claim
(30-27)
The writer makes valid
inferences about the text
and is able to provide
evidence to support
claims. The analysis of this
textual evidence may not
make clear connections to
literary techniques or may
not directly tie back to the
essay’s thesis.
(26-24)
The writing may be sufficient
to convey ideas in relation to
the prompt, although the
body paragraphs may have
poor organization (Topic
Sent., Evidence, Analysis
structure), limited analysis of
textual evidence, or
insufficient/inadequate
textual evidence.
(23-21)
These papers may have
misunderstood their
selected prompt, offered
vague generalizations,
offered pure summary of
the text, or just listed
strategies used without
developed analysis.
(20-0)
CCSS.W.9-10.10
Write routinely
over extended
time frames (time
for research,
reflection, and
revision) for a
range of tasks,
purposes, and
audiences.
25 pts.
Essay demonstrates an
effective use of peer
edit and drafting to
present a polished and
professional final draft.
All components were
completed on time.
Intro and outline
due 11/9
Rough draft 11/10
Final draft 11/13
Turnitin
submissions
(25-23)
Essay demonstrates an
adequate use of peer edit
and drafting to present a
polished and professional
final draft with few
oversights. Most
components were
completed on time.
Intro and outline due
11/9
Rough draft 11/10
Final draft 11/13
Turnitin submissions
(22-20)
Essay demonstrates an
inadequate use of peer edit
and drafting to present a
draft that shows little
improvement from an initial
draft. Several components
were not completed on time.
Intro and outline due
11/9
Rough draft 11/10
Final draft 11/13
Turnitin submissions
(19-17)
Essay demonstrates little
success during peer edit
and drafting to present a
draft that is either flawed,
sloppy, or rushed. Due
dates were not met.
Intro and outline due
11/9
Rough draft 11/10
Final draft 11/13
Turnitin submissions
(16-0)
CCSS.W.9-10.1.d
CCSS.L.9-10.1
Establish and
maintain a formal
style and
objective tone
while attending to
the norms and
conventions of
standard English
grammar.
15 pts.
Although not without
flaws, these essays
reflect the writer’s
ability to control
elements of effective
writing (language,
vocabulary grammar,
MLA, style, etc) to
provide a keen analysis
of a literary text. 5+
vocab words used.
(15-14)
The essay demonstrates
that the writer’s ability to
control elements of
effective writing is a little
more general but used
correctly. The writer
could benefit from an
additional proofreading.
5+ vocab words are used.
(13-12)
This essay demonstrates that
a wide use of elements of
effective writing is missing.
The writer rushed through
proofreading before turning
in the essay. Between 1-4
vocab words are used.
(11-10)
The essay demonstrates a
weakness in writing and
word choice. The writer
did not proofread before
turning in the essay. No
vocab words are used.
(9-0)
Notes:
Score: __________________/100