McNamara, Fall 2014
Novel Theme Essay
Essay Prompt: Determine the central theme of a novel and analyze its development over the course of
the story, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details.
Novels: Choose one of the following books to read:
1. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens*
2. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte*
3. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott*
4. The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
6. This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald*
7. A Separate Peace, John Knowles
8. Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes
9. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
10. Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
11. The Perks of Being a Wall Flower, Stephen Chbosky
12. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
13. Vernon God Little, DBC Pierre (Peter Finlay)*
14. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan*
15. The Last Time I Saw Mother, Arlene J. Chai
16. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro*
17. Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murikami*
18. This Earth of Mankind, Pramoeyda Ananta Toer*
19. Untouchable, Mulk Raj Anand
20. Tiare, Celestine Hitiura Vaite
21. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz*
22. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, Julia Alvarez*
23. Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya
24. Flight, Sherman Alexie
25. Fools Crow, James Welch*
26. Billy, Albert French
27. Native Son, Richard Wright*
28. Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld
29. The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
30. The Secret Life of Bees, Susan Monk Kidd
31. Atonement, Ian McEwen*
32. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers
33. The Book Thief, Markus Zuzak
34. How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff
35. Looking for Alibrandi, Melina Marchetta
* Denotes “challenge books,” either because of content, style, reading level, and/or length.
Due Dates:
1. Each day in class, students will read 3 chapters of their novels and record a summary of each 3
chapters (no shorter than 3 sentences) and will record central themes and evidence that supports
those themes.
2. Students must complete reading their novel by September 27, 2013
3. 15 citations of evidence showing the central theme will be due on September 27, 2013
4. Thesis statements will be due on September 30, 2013
5. Introductory paragraphs will be due on October 2, 2013
6. Paragraphs 1-4 due on October 7, 2013
7. Conclusion due on October 9, 2013
8. Rough drafts of essays will be due by October 11, 2013
9. Final draft due October 15, 2013
Rubric
Paragraphs
Citations of evidence
of central theme
Grammar
Attention to detail
Paragraphs
Citations of evidence
of central theme
Grammar
A
5 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of at least
6 sentences.
6 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is
excellent, few
mistakes.
B
5 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of less
than 6 sentences.
5 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is good,
more than a few
mistakes.
Paper is properly
formatted and cited,
no spelling errors
Paper is properly
formatted and cited,
few spelling errors
A
5 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of at least
6 sentences.
6 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is
excellent, few
mistakes.
B
5 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of less
than 6 sentences.
5 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is good,
more than a few
mistakes.
C
4 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of at least
6 sentences.
4 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is unclear,
hard to interpret
writing due to
grammatical errors.
Paper is not
properly formatted,
many spelling
errors.
D
3 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of less
than 6 sentences.
3 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is unclear,
hard to interpret
writing due to
grammatical errors.
Paper is not
properly formatted,
many spelling
errors.
C
4 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of at least
6 sentences.
4 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is unclear,
hard to interpret
writing due to
D
3 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of less
than 6 sentences.
3 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is unclear,
hard to interpret
writing due to
Attention to detail
Paragraphs
Citations of evidence
of central theme
Grammar
Attention to detail
Paragraphs
Citations of
evidence of
central
theme
Grammar
Attention to
detail
Paper is properly
formatted and cited,
no spelling errors
Paper is properly
formatted and cited,
few spelling errors
A
5 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of at least
6 sentences.
6 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is
excellent, few
mistakes.
B
5 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of less
than 6 sentences.
5 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is good,
more than a few
mistakes.
Paper is properly
formatted and cited,
no spelling errors
Paper is properly
formatted and cited,
few spelling errors
A
5 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of at least 6
sentences.
6 citations of evidence
from the text to
support the central
theme of the novel.
Grammar is excellent,
few mistakes.
B
5 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of less than
6 sentences.
5 citations of evidence
from the text to
support the central
theme of the novel.
Grammar is good, more
than a few mistakes.
Paper is properly
formatted and cited, no
spelling errors
Paper is properly
formatted and cited,
few spelling errors
grammatical errors.
Paper is not
properly formatted,
many spelling
errors.
grammatical errors.
Paper is not
properly formatted,
many spelling
errors.
C
4 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of at least
6 sentences.
4 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is unclear,
hard to interpret
writing due to
grammatical errors.
Paper is not
properly formatted,
many spelling
errors.
D
3 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of less
than 6 sentences.
3 citations of
evidence from the
text to support the
central theme of the
novel.
Grammar is unclear,
hard to interpret
writing due to
grammatical errors.
Paper is not
properly formatted,
many spelling
errors.
C
4 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of at least 6
sentences.
4 citations of evidence
from the text to
support the central
theme of the novel.
Grammar is unclear,
hard to interpret
writing due to
grammatical errors.
Paper is not properly
formatted, many
spelling errors.
D
3 paragraph essay,
each paragraph
comprised of less than
6 sentences.
3 citations of evidence
from the text to
support the central
theme of the novel.
Grammar is unclear,
hard to interpret
writing due to
grammatical errors.
Paper is not properly
formatted, many
spelling errors.