Womack
Name______________
Catcher in the Rye Final Essay
Now that we’ve reached the conclusion of the journey of a madman,
it’s time to put into words your thoughts. You will choose one of the
timed writings we’ve started in class. A copy of the prompts is
provided below. Your final essay should consist of at least ❶three
body paragraphs, ❷a strong introduction with thesis statement, ❸a
concluding paragraph reinforcing what you’ve argued throughout the
essay. It is also necessary to ❹include a works cited and to ❺follow
all MLA guidelines
Due date: Wednesday, November 18 by 4:00 p.m. to turnitin.com.
Option 1 – Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society
by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society
because of gender, race, class, or mental/physical disability. Consider
either The Catcher in the Rye or the short story “How I Contemplated
the World from the Detroit House of Corrections” and explain how
such a character plays a significant role. Show how that character's
alienation reveals the surrounding society's assumptions and moral
values. Avoid plot summary.
Option 2 – One definition of madness is “mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it.” But Emily
Dickinson wrote
Much madness is divinest Sense –
To a discerning Eye –
Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a “discerning Eye.” Consider either The Catcher in the Rye or
the short story “How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Corrections”. Then write a well-organized
essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged
reasonable. Explain the significance of the “madness” to the word as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
Option 3
A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, recounts the psychological or moral development of its protagonist from
youth to maturity, when this character recognizes his or her place in the world. Select a single pivotal moment in the
psychological or moral development of the protagonist of “Girl”, “How I contemplated the World from the Detroit
House of Corrections”, or The Catcher in the Rye. Then write a well-organized essay that analyzes how that single
moment shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.
Option 4
The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings. “The writers, I do believe, who get the
best and most lasting response from their readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral
development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events—a marriage or a last minute rescue from
death--but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death.” In a wellwritten essay, identify the “spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation” evident in the ending and explain its
significance in the work as a whole.
**Please view the rubric to ensure success on this essay. Good luck! I look forward to reading your thoughts!
Womack
Name______________
For my visual learners, here is an example of the order in which you should write your essay. Notice, the
first step is not the introduction, but instead, it is topic sentence 1. Follow the numbers below to see how
to better organize an essay.
INTRO
7. Vital info (title, author, topic):
8. Background information on the topic.
9. Example 1:
(Sometimes it’s best/necessary to combine
10. Example 2:
these examples in one sentence rather than
three separate sentences.)
11. Example 3:
6. Thesis statement:
BODY PARAGRAPH (Do this step three times for most Five Paragraph Essays)
1. Topic sentence/transition:
3. Context:
2. Textual evidence:
4. Commentary/Analysis
5. Concluding sentence and transition:
CONCLUSION
12. Thesis (broad version – don’t merely restate your argument):
13. Analysis (why the thesis matters):
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Body Paragraphs (CASA)
What is a Body Paragraph and for what reason is it used?
Body paragraphs are truly the most important part of the essay. Without the information contained here,
the thesis is merely conjecture. Once an argument has been made, it is essential to support the
argument. Remember to always return to your CASA (home) when structuring your body paragraphs.
Structure of a Body Paragraph:
.
1. Claim: (1 sentence)
- State the argument you’re addressing in this paragraph
(Careful! It’ easy to word your argument too broadly or narrowly. Find the middle and
check in while you’re writing to make sure you’re talking about what you stated.)
- Must be an argument – never a fact.
2. Anchoring details (at least 2 sentences)
- Set up the quote from the text by providing context.
- What’s happening?
- Where is the character when s/he speaks?
- To whom is s/he speaking?
- What does the reader need to know in order to understand the context of the quote?
3. Supporting quote (length depends on quote)
- Choose a quote from the book that directly supports the topic sentence.
- MLA formatting guidelines. Use one of the following methods.
1. Salinger gave voice to the emptiness and hopelessness Holden felt as he crossed the street and
believed he would “disappear” (198). This emptiness continues when…
2. As Holden crosses the busy streets he reveals his loneliness and hopelessness by crying “Allie, don’t
let me disappear...Please Allie” (Salinger 198).
.
- Pay close attention to where you place your punctuation. It matters!
4. Analysis (at least 5 to 8 sentences)
- This is the most important part of the paragraph.
- If you don’t explain why this specific point matters, then you’re just giving a summary.
- Explain what this example means and WHY it matters.
- Explain how this example represents what the author is saying about the topic.
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Introductions
Notes for Introductions:
Goal of the intro –
1. Introduce your reader to the text, author, and topic.
2. Prepare your reader for what’s going to come in the essay with general evidence.
What to include in the intro –
1. In your first sentence, introduce your title, author, and general topic. Many teachers ask for a
‘hook’ as the beginning of the essay. While this is a well-meaning tactic, most often hooks are cheesy and
cringe-worthy. If an essay is the attempt of a writer to economize words and to make a succinct argument,
then get to it! Cut out the hook and begin your essay with this simple pattern.
TITLE-AUTHOR-TOPIC
Examples:
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, portrays the behavior of a sixteen year old “madman” in search of
sanity.
J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, illustrates the morals of society through a sixteen year old
boy.
Emily Dickinson wrote “Much madness is divinest Sense – To a discerning Eye –“ Madness can be both
“eccentric behavior” or a “discerning Eye,” or simply, failure to conform to the norm and the struggle to be
different as seen in Joyce Carol Oats coming-of-age short story “How I Contemplated the World from the
Detroit House of Corrections”.
2. Transition from the general topic to specific examples or reasons for support.
 Remember to lay the groundwork for your essay.
 Consider (briefly) introducing characters, settings, themes, etc. What information does the
reader need to understand your essay?
 Start broad and become more focused as your intro continues.
 Provide the three (or more) claims you’ll use to support thesis.
 A thesis does NOT list the arguments you’ll be making. It is an “umbrella” statement that
finds a common thread in upcoming arguments.
 A thesis is objective (in 3rd person) and does not use “I” or “you” anywhere in its contents.
In its most basic form, a thesis can be understood to follow this pattern:
Womack
Name______________
1st
2nd
3rd
Begin with a specific topic or
concept…
…continue with an analytical or
debatable phrase…
…explain significance to audience
(the ‘so what’).
Exactly who or what?
does/ does not
because
When?
should/ should not
proving that
How many?
proves/ disproves
resulting in
Which ones?
highlights/ downplays
so that/ in order to
Where?
argues/ asserts/ suggests
casting doubt upon
symbolizes
illuminating
characterizes
reminding the audience that
expresses
reinforcing the idea of
reveals
emphasizing
demonstrates
Holden Caulfield’s erratic behavior
proves reasonable and even rational
Illuminating the wisdom of Emily
Dickinson when she claimed ‘much
madness is divinest Sense.’
Conclusions
You’re almost done! After following all the above rules, you want to make sure you end with a strong
conclusion.
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Name______________
Include the following three things in your conclusion
-
Revisit your thesis statement (don’t restate it word for word, though)
Borrows from the body paragraphs, without flatly repetitive or listing points already covered.
Revisit your topic sentences (again, don’t restate word for word)
A bigger picture statement (ties together your essay but makes it relevant in the world)
MLA and Works Cited
Make sure you include a Works Cited page at the end of your essay. It should be on a page by itself (not just
after the conclusion) and should begin at the top of the page with the words “Works Cited” centered.
Typically, multiple source entries will look very different for this essay, you will have only one source and
will need only one entry. Please see the image below for formatting your works cited page and look at
Purdue OWL for further instructions if necessary.
**For students using one of the short stories as primary text, please see me independently.
Other Important Reminders
Womack
Name______________
1. Never use personal pronouns in scholarly essays. These include you, I, me, we, our, us, etc. Try these
substitutes when correcting your personal pronouns.
a. I can relate to…  The reader can relate to…
b. You never know what you’re going to get  One never knows what one will get.
c. Our common view is that of…  A common societal view is that of…
2. Avoid contracts (unless they’re directly from the text). These include don’t, can’t, aren’t, shouldn’t.
Contractions are informal and this formal writing.
3. You’re responsible for knowing your turnitin.com account username and password. Please do not email me
hours before the essay is due explaining that you’ve forgotten your password or username or the class code.
No excuse is legitimate at this point in the year. Make it happen, people!
4. Follow all MLA guidelines, including setting up the beginning of your essay. MLA is a super easy way to earn
points and prove you’ve proofread your work carefully. When I see mistakes in MLA, it tells me you were
rushing.
Lastname 1
Student Name
Instructor Name
Class Title
Month Day Year (Fully written out, not shortened in any way)
Title of Essay Centered
The whole essay is in the EXACT same font. Nothing is bolded or underlined or in any way different
from any other part of the essay at all. The one and only exception is the title of the book. If it’s a novel, us
only italics. If it’s a short story, use only quotation marks around the title of the story. So The Catcher in the
Rye looks like that at “How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Corrections” looks like
that. Also notice that the whole essay is double spaced and that the text is in Times New Roman size 12.