Mo Del
Mr. Manero, p. 3
English 11, 6.0
22 September 2014
Thesis
Statement
(10) Quality thesis statement
(10) Transitions and Clincher
(20) Treatment of quotes
(10) Style (WC, Diction, Sent. Constr.)
(10) Mechanics
Knowles’ Use of Trees in A Separate Peace
While ultimately one distinct tree lies at the heart of Gene Forrester’s Devon years in Knowles’ A
Separate Peace, trees in general emerge as a central motif throughout Gene’s journey from his
TRANS
.
protected adolescence to the stark realities of adulthood. First, upon arriving back to Devon fifteen
years after his graduation, Gene remarks extensively about the change he notices in that one particular
TRANS
.
tree that he comes to find. Specifically, when he says, “the tree was not only stripped by the cold
Embedded
Quote
season, it seemed weary from age,” remarking on the change in the tree over fifteen years, his coming
of age and change in perspective parallels the altered appearance of a tree that once seemed to have
so much grandeur (14). Years later as Gene is now thrust into the stark, outside world, he sees this tree,
Trans.
Analysis
like the world itself, as bare and unprotective. The tree is no longer “dominating the riverbank,” and it
TRANS
no longer bears the same level of meaning it did for Gene when he was a young adolescent peering up
at its enormity. Additionally, trees, particularly during Devon’s summer session, appear to provide a
protective covering over an adolescent world shielded from war and adulthood. For instance, because
TRANS
Additional
Analysis
Gene remarks that “from the Devon Woods, trees reached in an unbroken, widening corridor…on the
tame fringe of the last and greatest wilderness,” recognizing their seemingly limitless cover, he
intimates that the world of Devon exists under somewhat of a protected covering in the summer, where
the kids can exist in an environment of youthful freedom without fear of war or imposing rules of adult
authority figures (30). The plush, deciduous covering of the summer session lies in great contrast to not
only Gene’s image of the tree when he opens the narrative, but also the barren, austere landscape of
the winter session. While Gene’s most vivid memory and most poignant moments revolve around
CLINCHER
Phineas and “the tree,” the “world of branches with an infinity of leaves,” signifies the protected
adolescent world that ultimately shapes Gene’s growth (30).
English 11, 6.0
Characterization Essay Assignment
Directions:
Craft a one paragraph literary analysis of The Story of an Hour. Your essay should be a
characterization of Mrs. Mallard.
Essay focus:
We have read, examined, and discussed The Story of an Hour, and the development
throughout that story of its protagonist, Mrs. Louise Mallard. Examine what Chopin is revealing to her
readers through the development of Mrs. Mallard. What is the reader meant to see in Mrs. Mallard?
What are Mrs. Mallard’s most defining qualities and what is Chopin going for in her depiction of Mrs.
Mallard? Your essay should examine these points.
Requirements for Development:
1) Your topic sentence should be your thesis statement that establishes the angle you will take in
analyzing Mrs. Mallard’s character.
2) You must include 2 quotes from the story to support your thesis. Each quote must be embedded into
an analytical sentence that includes 2 levels of analysis.
3) You should implement transitional language as depicted in the sample essay.
4) As with most expository essays, your paper should be approx.. 25% Self Evident and 75% analysis.
5) The final sentence of the paper should be a strong clincher that serves as a bookend with the thesis
statement.
6) The paper MUST BE SUBMITTED TO www.turnitin.com or you will not receive credit.
Turnitin.com Information
CLASS NAME
maneroperiod3
maneroperiod6
maneroperiod7
Other requirements
DUE DATE:
FORMAT:
CLASS ID
8685876
8685888
8685907
PASSWORD
period3
period6
period7
Monday, 9/22/14
Typed, double spaced, proper heading: REFER TO SAMPLE ESSAY
Scoring:
(10) Mechanics
(10) Style (WC, Diction, Sent. Constr.)
(20) Treatment of quotes
(10) Transitions and Clincher
(10) Quality thesis statement