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Timeline for the Senior Demonstration
2009-2010
_____1. Hand out Demo Packets in Senior English classes and meet with seniors after convo. WED., Nov. 18th
_____2. Turn in signed topic sheets to Mr. Gregory. December 2nd by 3pm
_____3. Present non-catalog topics to demo committee for approval. DECEMBER 5th (sign up for a time)
_____4. Topic sheets returned (with sponsor pairs). DECEMBER 7th
_____5. Appealed topic/sponsor sheets due. DECEMBER 8th
_____6. Posting of final list of topics and sponsors. DECEMBER 12th
_____7. Confirmation of Demo Books with students and sponsors. FEBRUARY 28th
_____8. First paper due Thursday, APRIL 7th at 3:00pm
_____9. Second paper due Wednesday, APRIL 30th at 2:30pm
_____10. Orals. MAY 3rd-MAY 11th
_____11. Senior Demo Colloquy at the Music House. Thursday, MAY 27th
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Paper Assignments for the Senior Demonstration
There are three major components of the Senior Demonstration—two essays, each worth 35% of the
overall grade, and an oral defense, worth 30% of the overall grade.
 PAPER #1—
In this essay each senior will write about his or her personal response to some aspect of his or her reading.
In completing this assignment, students may not consult sources other than their primary sources, their sponsor,
and their Humanities teachers. These essays should be at least 2500 words (about ten pages).
 PAPER#2—
In this essay each student will expand his or her personal understanding of the works he or she has studied
by consulting a minimum of five outside sources. The sources may come from print or internet sources.
Students should make sure, however, that each source is credible. Students should also be sure to address ALL
of their primary sources in their second paper. These essays should be at least 2500 words (about ten pages).
 Oral Defense—
The Oral Defense is the culminating piece of the Senior Demonstration. After delivering two to three
minutes of biographical data on the authors of the student’s chosen works, each student will answer questions
posed by his or her sponsor concerning both the specific content of the books and the student’s interpretation of
events described in the works. As part of the oral, other faculty members present may ask follow-up questions.
In addition to Mr. Bonner, Mr. Gregory, and the Demo sponsor, other faculty members at times sit in on Orals.
Note:
1. You must have a C- average or better in your English class at Spring Break in order for your demo to
count as your final exam grade for English.
2. You MUST pass the demo in order to graduate from Asheville School. If you fail the demo, you will
need to re-do the entire process on a new topic over the summer.
3. You must earn a B- or higher on every portion of the demo in order to earn commendation or high
commendation.
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Mr. G’s Three Golden Keys to Improving Your Demo Paper
1. Outline, outline, outline.
a. have a clear, specific, and demanding thesis (one you BELIEVE in)
b. make clear transitions between and within paragraphs
c. relate body paragraphs back to your thesis
2. Don’t simply retell; instead—analyze, evaluate, and comment.
3. Meet early and often with your sponsor.
Common Grammatical Pitfalls
A. MLA format, MLA format, and MLA format (did I mention MLA
format?)
1. Mr. Gregory said, “Go Duke!” (Bonner 101).
2. Learn how to PARAPHRASE (and yes, you must cite paraphrased material)
3. Avoid PLAGIARISM! When in doubt, cite it.
4. Cite web pages properly (589 & 565-566 in Troyka)
5. Follow MLA guidelines for paper format (page numbers, title page, works cited
page: 597, 602, and 616 in Troyka)
B. Avoid mixing tenses
C. Learn how to use commas correctly
D. Introduce and explain quotations (know when to use commas and when to
use colons)
E. Avoid long quotations if possible; just pick out the essential parts.
F. For every one sentence of quoted material, shoot for three sentences
of commentary.
G. If you must use them, indent long quotations (4 lines or longer)
Other Tips
*Write MORE than the minimum (2500 words = minimum & minimum often = C)
*Use your primary books extensively in your second paper.
*Be SPECIFIC. Don’t generalize without specific evidence.
*Answer the “So what?” question.
*Do not rely strictly on the internet for your research. You should have a healthy
mix of sources: internet, books, periodicals, etc.
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About the Demo Oral…
Dear Senior Humanities Scholar:
Mr. Bonner and I decided that we should write a letter to you describing what you should expect when you
take your Senior Demonstration orals. Each session lasts twenty minutes. Check your schedule to make
sure you do not have any conflicts with your appointed time, be outside Room 404 a few minutes early, and
wait in the chair provided until we call for you. We may be running a few minutes late. You may not bring
notes with you into the oral examination; bring only your expertise, your wit, and your enthusiasm.
Everyone will be asked the same question at the beginning of the exam: “Would you give us a short
biographical sketch of your author?” If you are responsible for more than one author, know the biography
of each, though we will not expect you to be as thorough as those students who are responsible for only one
author. Think about each author for whom you are responsible in the context of the time period in which he
or she lived. If appropriate, consider the impact of the author’s life on his or her writing. Do not plan to
spend more than two minutes on the biography, unless you are responsible for more than two authors. If so,
you may have three minutes to present biographical information, but under no circumstances should you
exceed three minutes. We never cease to be amazed by how many students go over three minutes each year.
Please practice your bio ahead of time and be sure to time yourself. Going long on your bio is a silly way to
lose points on your oral.
The rest of the exam will be spent in two ways. First, we will ask objective questions about your texts (to
ensure that you have read each work carefully), the same kind of questions that on a written examination
would be labeled “identifications.” If you answer these questions quickly and well, we will move on. If
you have trouble identifying characters and events, then, unfortunately, we may spend the rest of the
examination continuing to ask you these questions. We hope, of course, that we can proceed quickly to the
last part of the oral examination, when you will demonstrate an understanding of the major themes of the
works under consideration and the essential questions of critical interpretation.
Three aspects of your performance will be graded: your ability to recount the characters and events of your
texts; your critical interpretation; and your ability to express yourself clearly and with poise. Assuming that
your response to the first two aspects is creditable, each aspect will be counted equally in the grade. Finally,
we cannot overemphasize the importance of coming into the exam with the intent to impress by your poise,
your obvious command of the material, your enthusiasm for your subject, and your persuasive skills.
Please return all the books that you checked out from the Skinner Library or that you borrowed from any
teacher. Failure to do so will be met with alarm.
Please do not send yourself into nervous conniptions preparing for the oral. Prepare biographical
information, review the works you read, and consider various critical interpretations of these works. Get a
good night’s sleep prior to the examination. The talk of the Chinese water torture is only a rumor.
Sincerely,
John Gregory
Humanities Chair
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Name:_______________
Overall Grade:_____________
SENIOR DEMONSTRATION ORALS GRADING CRITERIA
I. Objective knowledge (one-third)
___Accurate, interesting, and concise (2 min) biographical sketch
___Understanding of the author’s relation to the times in which he or she lived
___Recall of characters and events; going to specifics easily and frequently
___Obvious command of the material
Grade__________
II. Interpretive skills (one-third)
___Depth of analysis; connections between and among works (and to outside works)
___An ability to discuss the major themes of the text or texts
___A familiarity with critical theory about the author
___An originality of approach
Grade__________
III.
Rhetorical performance (one-third)
___Poise
___Ability to express thoughts clearly and concisely
___Persuasive powers
___Conviction, Enthusiasm, Passion
___Presentation
--Dress, appearance, posture (no gum!)
--Voice (loudness, modulation)
--Eye contact & gestures
Grade_________
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Sample Oral Questions
Varieties of Religious Experience, William James
1. How does James define religion?
2. James is a scientist and not a devoutly religious person. In what ways is he critical of both science and
religion?
3. What evidence does he have for the validity of religion? Is it persuasive?
4. What would James think of Neurotheology? Would it validate his theories or not?
Mere Christianty
1. Why “Mere” Christianity; define what he means by mere. Why does he write about “mere.”
2. How and why can a good God allow evil? [Freedom needed for true love]; connect to Brave New World
3. “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is
that I was made for another world.”—Explain this; connect it to neurotheology.
4. Absolutism and natural law versus relativism? Explain.
5. Explain how science requires just as much blind faith as religion, or how Dawkins and co. are scientific
fundamentalists?
The Plague, Camus
1. Why does Camus use a plague? What is it a sustained metaphor for? [facing death];
2. “To philosophize is to learn to die”—Montaigne (quoting Cicero?); in other words, all of philosophy is
learning how to face death; how does this relate to what Camus is trying to do in The Plague, and how do his
specific characters learn to face death? Give three different examples. Which is best?
3. How would Lewis, Percy, James, and Dawkins face The Plague if they were characters in Camus’ novel.
What would you do in the scenario of the novel? How would you face the plague? (Party, help others?)
Lost in the Cosmos, Walker Percy
1. What is the Delta factor, thirdness, or triadic behavior? (95)
2. What is semiotics?
3. Why is Carl Sagan so anti-religious and yet so obsessed with ETs?
4. What is C3 consciousness (And how does it relate to Lewis’s quotation above?)
5. Why do we know more about Venus than we know about ourselves?
6. Why are people who have everything they think they want still unhappy?
7. What is missing?
The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus
1. Explain how Camus uses this story which most of us think of as describing hell?
2. Why is suicide the ultimate question?
3. Why is it more noble to suffer without hope or a reason?
4. Is religion a crutch? Wishful thinking? How would Lewis answer, Percy, James?
Higher Level Questions:
1. Evaluate Lewis’s apologetics, his defense of the faith. Did you buy his arguments?
 What is his most compelling argument?
 What is his weakest argument?
2. What rhetorical technique does Lewis use most effectively (analogy).
3. What would Stephen Dedalus think of Lewis’ argument (or Joyce)? What would Hamlet think of Percy?
4. What drew you to this topic and what did you get out of it personally?
5. What preconceived notions (biases) did you go into this topic with? Did your reading alter any of these?
Your initial question to me was Why do people still believe in religion when science has disproved it and it is
atavistic? What kind of answer do you have now? What are your new questions that you will pursue?
6. I’d like to address a contradiction in your paper. You ultimately conclude that people should believe in God
because it is healthier (even though you still cannot). Yet the scientific evidence shows that only people who
believe (that is believe that religion is true) get the health benefits. There is no evidence that people who simply
go to church because it will make them healthier actually get healthier. In other words, what is the flaw in the
pragmatist argument?
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Humanities Department Essay Grading Criteria
An A paper exceeds the expectations for the assignment. It contains compelling strengths and rich content.
The author states a demanding thesis and defends it by using relevant textual evidence. The paper maintains a
readable and highly organized style that never gets in the way of the author’s intended meaning. This paper is
marked by stylistic finesse: the title and opening paragraph are engaging; the phrasing is tight, fresh, and highly
specific; the sentence structure is varied; the tone enhances the purpose of the paper. The paper bears evidence
of careful editing and revision and contains few, if any, grammatical errors. The author creates useful and artful
transitions between paragraphs and sections of the essay. This response reveals an appreciation for and grasp of
the subtleties of the work(s) and topic(s) the author has studied. The author provides an intriguing and wellarticulated conclusion derived from the essay that precedes it. This paper, because of its careful organization
and development, imparts a feeling of wholeness and unusual clarity.
A B paper meets the expectations for the assignment. There is no weakness that limits the response as a
whole, nor is there compelling strength which enhances the response as a whole. This paper delivers substantial
information—that is, substantial in both quantity and interest value. Its specific points are logically ordered,
well developed, and unified around a clear organizing principle that is apparent early in the paper. The author
states a demanding thesis in an introduction that draws the reader in and defends the thesis by using relevant
textual evidence. The paper bears evidence of editing and revision and contains few grammatical errors. The
author attempts to create transitions between paragraphs and sections of the paper. This response maintains a
readable and highly organized style, which only rarely gets in the way of the author’s intended meaning. The
diction of the B paper is typically more concise and precise than that found in the C paper. Occasionally, it
even shows distinctiveness—i.e., finesse and memorability. This response reveals an appreciation for and grasp
of the work(s) and topic(s) the author has studied. The author provides a well-articulated conclusion derived
from the essay that precedes it. On the whole, the B paper makes the reading experience a pleasurable one, for
it offers substantial information with few distractions.
A C paper is limited in some way although it meets the assignment’s basic expectations. The author states
a thesis that is typically too broad and attempts to defend it by use of textual evidence. The entire analysis lacks
depth. This response does not use (or uses ineffectively) examples from the text to support or enhance the
argument; the author does not make clear the relevance of what textual evidence is included. This response
may have evidence of poor editing, paraphrase, or direct quotation. The author’s work does not reflect a firm
grasp of the appropriate documentation. There may also be gaps in the author’s logic or in the organization of
the essay. This response fails, at times, to use relevant information or connect that information to the thesis in
an organized, articulate fashion. The body paragraphs lack topic sentences that tie the material back to the
thesis. Vague generalizations often plague these papers-- generalities that prompt the confused reader to ask
marginally: “In every case?,” “Exactly how large?,” “Why?,” “but how many?.” Stylistically the C paper has
shortcomings as well: the opening paragraph does little to draw the reader in—it may be uninteresting; the final
paragraph offers only a perfunctory wrap-up or summary, rather than an appropriate conclusion; the transitions
between paragraphs are often bumpy; the sentences, besides being a bit choppy, tend to follow a predictable
(hence monotonous) subject-verb-object pattern; and the diction is occasionally marred by unconscious
repetitions, redundancy, and imprecision; poor grammar prevails. The C paper, then, while it gets the job done,
lacks polish and intellectual rigor.
A D response fails to meet several important expectations for the assignment. Its treatment and
development of the subject are as yet only rudimentary. The thesis, if it exists at all, is flimsy. This response
may reveal an inadequate reading of textual material, specifically a misinterpretation of the texts. This essay
may contain material that is simply erroneous. Because of a lack of revision and/or editing, sentences are
frequently awkward, ambiguous, and marred by serious mechanical errors. This paper may contain a faulty use
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of documentation, paraphrase, or direct quotation and often is devoid of any textual evidence at all. There are
major gaps in the author’s thinking process and/or ability to convey his/her ideas on paper. There is no logical
arrangement of paragraphs. This paper may have all the component parts of an essay; however, there are
significant problems within those component parts. This paper, in fact, often gives the impression of having
been conceived and written in haste.
An F response simply fails to meet the basic expectations for the assignment. For example, the response
fails to meet the minimum length requirement, fails to reveal a complete reading of source material, lacks
evidence of editing, or grossly misinterprets central themes of or details from source material. Its treatment of
the subject is superficial; its theme lacks discernible organization; its prose is garbled or stylistically primitive.
Mechanical errors are frequent. In short, the ideas, organization, and style fall below what is acceptable for the
assignment.
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CATALOG OF SENIOR DEMONSTRATION BOOK GROUPINGS
Keep in mind, you are picking a set of BOOKS, not a topic.
1.
Malory, La Morte D'Arthur and White, The Once and Future King
2.
The sonnet: Sir Philip Sydney, William Shakespeare, and others
3.
Shakespeare, sonnets
4.
Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus
5.
Shakespeare, A Midsummer's Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet
6.
Shakespeare, Othello and The Merchant of Venice
7.
Shakespeare, King Lear and The Tempest
8.
Shakespeare, Henry the Fourth, Part One and Henry the Fifth
9.
Shakespeare, Richard II and Richard III
10.
John Donne, selected poetry
11.
George Herbert and Henry Vaughn, poetry
12.
John Milton, Sonnets, Comus, "Lycidas," "L'Allegro," and "Il Penseroso"
13.
Pope, "Rape of the Lock," "An Essay on Man," and "The Dunciad"
14.
Wordsworth, selected poetry
16.
Coleridge, poetry and prose
17.
Blake, "Songs of Innocence and Experience," "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," and "Jerusalem"
18.
Keats, poetry and letters
19.
Shelley, selected poetry
20.
Romantic poetry
21.
Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights and Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre and Villette
22.
Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Pride and Prejudice
23.
Selected works by Charles Dickens
24.
Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays and J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye PLUS one
25.
Darwin, The Origin of Species and The Voyage of the Beagle or The Descent of Man
26.
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Browning, selected poetry (dramatic monologues)
27.
Trollope, The Warden and Barchester Towers
28.
George Eliot, Middlemarch and Adam Bede
29.
Hugo, Les Miserables and Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
30.
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass PLUS one
31.
Stendhal, The Red and the Black and La Chartreuse De Parme
32.
D. H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers and The Rainbow
33.
D. H. Lawrence, Women in Love and The Rainbow
34.
Greene, The Heart of the Matter and The Power and the Glory
35.
Orwell, l984; Huxley, Brave New World; and Butler, Erewhon
36.
Yeats, Collected Poems
37.
Joyce, Dubliners and Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man
38.
Joyce, Ulysses and Homer, The Odyssey
39.
T.S. Eliot, selected poetry
40.
Forster, A Passage to India and Howard's End
41.
Beckett, Waiting for Godot and Endgame and Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
42.
Einstein, selected writings; Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times; and Schilpp, Albert Einstein: Philosop
- Scientist
43.
Miller, Death of a Salesman, All My Sons, The Crucible, and A View From the Bridge
44.
Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Grass Harp, Other Voices, Other Rooms, plus a couple of Short Sto
45.
Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Apollinaire, and Morrison,
46.
Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country and Lessing, The Grass Is Singing
47.
Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude and Allende, House of Spirits
48.
Neruda, Twenty Poems of Love and additional poetry
49.
Burgess, A Clockwork Orange and Orwell, Animal Farm and l984
50.
Morrison, Song of Solomon and Beloved and Walker, The Color Purple
51.
Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land; Orwell, 1984; and Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
52.
Tyler, Celestial Navigation, Earthly Possessions, Accidental Tourist, and Breathing Lessons
53.
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Plato, The Republic and St. Augustine, Confessions
54.
Gibbons, Ellen Foster; Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye; and Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn
55.
Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions, Cat's Cradle, Hocus Pocus
56.
Heller, Catch-22 and Vonnegut, Slaughter House Five
57.
Goodall, In the Shadow of Man and Dawkins, The Selfish Gene
58.
Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms; Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front, and selected poetry from
World War I
59.
Poe, Selected works
60.
Cormac McCarthy, selected novels
61.
Allan Gurganus, selected novels
62.
Sinclair, The Jungle; Dreiser, Sister Carrie; and Crane, A Girl of the Streets
63.
Carson McCullers, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, A Member of the Wedding, and two stories ("Sucker" a
"The Haunted Boy" or two others)
64.
Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Joseph Heller, Catch 22
65.
J.M. Coetzee, selected novels
66.
Faulkner, selected novels
67.
Selected readings in pop cultural criticism (Greil Marcus, Simon Reynolds, Jon Savage, Gina Arnold, and
others)
68
Thomas Wolfe, selected works
69.
Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front, Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms and The Sun Also Rises
70.
Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching, Hoff, The Tao of Pooh and
Te of Piglet
71.
Readings in Hinduism: The Bhagavad Gita, etc.
72.
Mahatma Ghandi: autobiography, biography, etc.
73.
Deloria, Custer Died for Your Sins; Neihardt, Black Elk Speaks; plus one more (maybe Smoke Signals)
74.
Selected Works of Walker Percy
75.
Selected Works of Kierkegaard
76.
Selected Literature of the Holocaust
77.
Weisel, Night; Potok, The Chosen; Uril, Exodus
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78.
Selected works of Jorge Amado
79.
Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club and Hundred Secret Senses plus one
80.
Toni Morrison, Beloved, Song of Solomon, and Alice Walker, The Color Purple
81.
Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker, The Selfish Gene, and The Extended Phenotype
82.
Biographies of one of the following: Harry Truman, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham
Lincoln, T. Roosevelt, F. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou, or Rachel Carson
83.
Malcolm X, WEB Dubois, Booker T. Washington,
84.
Literature of the Progressive Era: London, Drieser, Sinclair, Steffens
85.
Selected topics in American History
86.
Selected Novels of Ernest Hemingway
87.
Irving, Owen Meany, Widow for One Year, and Cider House Rules
88.
Irving, Owen Meany; Hegi, Stones from the River; Lamb, She’s Come Undone
89.
Quantum Mechanics and Eastern Philosophy
90.
Selected Works by Mark Helprin
91.
Welty, Delta Wedding, The Optimists’ Daughter, plus selected Short Stories
92.
Selected works by Norman Mailer
93.
Sagan, Contact and The Demon Haunted World
94.
Hawking, A Brief History of Time; Overbye, Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos; Smoot and Davidson, Wrinkle
Time
95.
Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb and Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb
96.
McConnel, Challenger: A Major Malfunction and Chaisson, The Hubble Wars
97.
Shakespeare, King Lear and The Winter’s Tale; Conrad, Heart of Darkness
98.
Wharton, Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, plus one
99.
Kozol, Savage Inequalities; Kotlowitz, There are No Children Here, plus one
100.
Orenstein, School Girls; Pipher, Reviving Ophelia, plus one
101.
Wharton, Ethan Frome; Hurston, Their Eyes were watching God; Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
102.
Fitzgerald’s TENDER IS THE NIGHT and THIS SIDE OF PARADISE and Fitzgerald’s SAVE ME THE
WALTZ
103.
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Gibson’s NEUROMANCER, BURNING CHROME, COUNT ZERO, and MONA LISA
OVERDRIVE
104.
Pinter’s BIRTHDAY PARTY, THE CARETAKER, and THE HOMECOMING
105.
Camus’ THE PLAGUE, Chekhov’s WARD NUMBER SIX, Tolstoy’s THE DEATH OF IVAN
ILLYICH, Verghese’s MY OWN COUNTRY, and Sontag’s ILLNESS AS METAPHOR
106.
Joyce’s DUBLINERS and PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN
107.
Walker's POSSESSING THE SECRETS OF JOY and THE COLOR PURPLE and McMillan's
WAITING TO EXHALE
108.
Zolnow's THE DANCING WU HI MASTERS, Capra's THE TAO OF PHYSICS, and Hoff's
THE TAO OF POOH
109.
Sinclair's THE JUNGLE and THE SHAME OF THE CITIES, Dreiser's THE TITAN, and
Norris' THE OCTOPUS
110.
Rashke's ESCAPE FROM SOBIBOR, Snyder's HITLER'S ELITE, Wiesel's NIGHT, and
Hitler's MEIN KAMP
111.
Dostoyevsky’s NOTES FROM UNDERGROUND and CRIME AND PUNISHMENT and
Capote’s IN COLD BLOOD
112.
Kingston’s THE WOMAN WARRIOR, Hoffman’s LOST IN TRANSLATION, de
Tocqueville’s DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, and EL NORTE
113.
Robbins’ SKINNY LEGS AND ALL, Malone’s HANDLING SIN, and O’Connor’s WISE
BLOOD
114.
Greene’s BRIGHTON ROCK and Burgess’ A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
115.
Forster’s A PASSAGE TO INDIA and A ROOM WITH A VIEW
116.
Morrison’s SONG OF SOLOMON, THE BLUEST EYE, and SULA
117.
Palmer, An Unruly History of Rock’n’Roll; Arnold, Route 666, the Road to Nirvana, and Kiss
This; Reynolds, Blissed Out and General Ecstasy; Savage, England’s Dreaming
118.
Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Hell’s
Angels; Ventura, Letters at Three a.m.
119.
Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye; Knowles, A Separate Peace; Hilton, Goodbye, Mr. Chips;
Hawley, The Headmaster’s Papers
120.
Wolfe, Bonfire of the Vanities and A Man in Full
121.
Ted Hughes, collected Poetry
122.
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Sylvia Plath, selected poetry and The Bell Jar
123.
Agee, A Death in the Family, Welty, The Optimist’s Daughter, plus one
124.
Selected works of C.S. Lewis.
125.
Selected works of John Steinbeck
126.
e.e. cummings, Complete Poems
127.
On the Road, Jack Kerouac; Naked Lunch, William Burroughs; Howl, Allen Ginsberg
128.
Books by J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy)
129.
Plays by Arthur Miller (All My Sons, A View From the Bridge, Death of a Salesman, and The
Crucible)
130.
Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler; The Rise And Fall of the Third Reich, William Shirer
131.
Robert E. Lee, A Biography, Emory M. Thomas; Virginia’s General, Albert Marrin; Lee the Last
Years, Charles Flood
132.
Plays by Eugene O’Neill (Long Day’s Journey into Night and The Iceman Cometh); No Exit,
Jean Paul Sartre; The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams
133.
The World’s Religions, Huston Smith; Bagavad Gita; Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu; Book Of Job
134.
A Rumor of War, Philip Caputo; The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien; 365 Days, Ronald
Glasser.
135.
Let the Trumpet Sound, Stephen B. Oates; The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Edited by Clayborne Carson; Why We Can’t Wait, Martin Luther King, Jr.
136.
The Iliad, Homer; The Odyssey, Homer; The Aeneid, Virgil
137.
Queen Victoria, Elizabeth Longford; Queen Victoria in her Letters and Journal
(Selections), Christopher Hibbert; Queen Victoria (Selections), Christopher Hibbert;
History of the English Speaking Peoples (Selections), Winston Churchill
138.
Knight’s Cross: A Life of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, David Fraser The
Rommel Papers, Erwin Rommel
139.
Flawed Giant, Robert Dalleck; Triumph and Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson,
Joseph Califano, Jr.
140.
Puzo, The Godfather, The Sicillian, and Omerta
141.
Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley; Iwo Jima/Legacy of Valor, Bill Ross; Iwo Jima,
Richard F. Newcomb
142.
Peter the Great, Robert Massie; Russia in the Age of Peter the Great, E.L. Hughes
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143. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez; The House of Spirits, Isabel Allende
Como Agua Para Chocolate, Laura Esquivel
144. Confessions, St. Augustine; The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis; The Myth of Sisyphus
Albert Camus; The Plague, Albert Camus
145. Conroy, The Great Santini, Lords of Discipline, My Losing Season
146. Stegner, Angle of Repose, The Big Rock Candy Mountain
147. King of the World, David Remnick;The Muhammad Ali Reader, Gerald Early;
Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, Thomas Hauser
148. The Koreans: Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies,
Michael Breen; Avoiding the Apocalypse: The Future of the Two Koreas
Marcus Noland; North Korea Through the Looking Glass, Kong Dan Oh, Ralph C. Hassing
149. Anthony Beevor, Stalingrad, Berlin
150. The Varieties of Religious Experience, William James; Lost in the Cosmos, Walker Percy
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis; The Plague, Albert Camus; The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus
151. War As I Knew It, General George S. Patton Jr.,; General Patton: A Soldiers Life, Stanley P.
Hirshson; Patton: The Man Behind The Legend 1885-1945, Martin Blumenson
152. Wright, Native Son, Black Boy, and Ellison, Invisible Man
153. Card, Ender’s Game; Ender’s Shadow
154. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad; Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
King Leopold’s Ghost, Adam Hochschild; The Troubled Heart of Africa, Robert B. Edgerton
155. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson; The Last Sherlock Holmes Story, Michael
Dibdin; Portrait of a Killer, Patricia Cornwell; In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
156. Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe; Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance,
Kenneth Silverman
157. Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris; Naked, David Sedaris; The Partly Cloudy Patriot,
Sarah Vowell; Miss Lonelyhearts, Nathanael West
158. Going After Cacciato, Tim O'Brien; The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien
Meditations in Green, Steven Wright; Dispatches, Michael Herr
159. Wilde, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Windermere’s Fan
A Woman of No Importance, Selected short stories
160. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen; How to Be Alone, Jonathan Franzen; White Noise, Don
DeLillo
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville; In the Heart of the Sea, Nathaniel Philbrick
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162. Complete Sonnets, William Shakespeare; The Art of Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Helen Vendler
163. On Human Nature, by Edward O. Wilson; The Moral Animal, by Robert Wright
The Triumph of Sociobiology, by John Alcock
164. The Search for Modern China, Jonathan Spence; Wild Grass, Ian Johnson;
Wild Swans, Jung Chang
165. The Tennis Partner, Abraham Verghese; My Own Country, Abraham Verghese
Tell Me a Riddle, Tillie Olsen; A Leg to Stand On, Oliver Sacks
166. The Republic, Plato; Politics, Ethics, Aristotle; A Theory of Justice, John Rawls
Anarchy, State, and Utopia, Robert Nozick; Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War: "The
Melian Dialogue"
167. Autobiography of a Face, Lucy Grealy; Truth and Beauty, Ann Patchett
“The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Gilman; A Leg to Stand On, Oliver Sacks
168. The Portable Jung, ed. Joseph Campbell; Man and His Symbols, Carl Jung
The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell; The Odyssey, Homer
169. Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman
170. Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson and The Life of Emily Dickinson, Richard B. Sewell
At the end of each year, the Demo Committee reviews the best new topics of the year, and adds only those
to the Demo Catalog.
Demo Topic Choice Sheet
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NAME:__________________________________
Please write down your THREE choices for your Senior Demonstration topic. Failure to provide viable
2nd and 3rd choices, which must come from the catalog (or failure to turn this sheet in ON TIME) will
result in the Demo Committee assigning you a topic from the catalog. If your choice is from the catalog,
please include the number of your choice. If you are creating your own Demo topic, please write in
approximately 100 words what you are planning to read, why you want to do this topic, and why you feel
this topic is intellectually demanding and rigorous. Include this description on the back of this sheet.
Please meet with teachers to discuss their interest in sponsoring a particular topic (and ask for their
signatures on topics they might be willing to sponsor), but please keep in mind that regardless of what
ANY teacher has assured you, the final decision about topics and sponsors will be made by the Demo
Committee. Please give this sheet to Mr. Gregory by DECEMBER 2nd Choosing the right topic is one of
the most important aspects of the Demo. Do not take this part of the process lightly. Students who seem
unprepared, who have not thought much about their topic, who do not fill out this form neatly and
completely, and who do not have specific books picked out which seem intellectually demanding, will be
assigned their second or third choices. And remember, pick BOOKS not topics.
Signatures
List of Book Titles and Authors (and catalog numbers, if appropriate)
#1__________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
(potential faculty sponsor)
#2__________
(potential faculty sponsor)
#3__________
(potential faculty sponsor)
__________
(Bonner or
Gregory)
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
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Guidelines for Senior Demonstration Sponsors
The primary role of the sponsor is to be supportive and available. Students have been told that it is their
responsibility to seek help, that teachers will not seek students out to see if they are doing their work. Students
have been told, too, that they must not wait until the last minute to ask for help. Sponsors should not feel
obligated to help students at the last minute.
I. Reading Primary Sources
Students may seek help from teachers if they have a problem understanding what they are reading. They are
encouraged to meet early and often with their sponsors to discuss what they are reading. They might also share
their journal entries with their sponsors. Sponsors are expected to read (or re-read) carefully all of the books
that the students read. Please do not sign up to sponsor a demo unless you plan to read ALL of the books your
senior has to read.
II. Papers
A. Critical Analysis (paper #1)
1. Planning
Students are encouraged to talk with sponsors before they select a topic. They should have considered
possible topics before they approach the sponsor. Often students will be on the right track; on occasion
they will need help in refining a topic, sometimes even with formulating a topic. The student should
be actively involved in the process of refining and formulating the topic.
2. Working on the paper
Students are encouraged to consult with sponsors when they are working on papers. General
comments concerning the acceptability of the direction and arguments of the paper are appropriate.
Specific editing and proofreading of the paper are the responsibility of the student, but it is acceptable
to offer some help. When a student presents a paper that reflects much thought and work and that the
sponsor considers close to its final form, the sponsor may point out problem areas on the first page or
two and tell the student to work on these areas on these pages and to identify and correct similar
problems in the remainder of the paper. A student may talk with his or her English teacher if the
student wishes to and/or if the sponsor thinks it is appropriate. Students have been told that they are to
work only with their sponsor and with their English teacher. Again, students must not expect help
from their sponsor or from their English teacher at the last minute.
3. Grading the paper
Sponsors should recommend a grade for content (since they have read the books and should be the
experts on this aspect of the paper). They should keep in mind, as well, the organization of the paper
and the degree to which the student supports the thesis. Sponsors should also consult the
Humanities Department Grading Criteria when grading the paper. They should make comments
on the paper but should write the recommended grade on a separate grade sheet.
The student’s English teacher will give the final grade for the paper. Usually, this final grade is within
a third of a letter grade of the grade given by the sponsor. If there is a greater disparity, the student’s
English teacher will consult with the sponsor. Sponsors should not discuss with students the
recommended grade.
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B. Critical Analysis Supported with Research (paper #2)
1. Planning
In addition to following the directions for the first paper, it is acceptable for sponsors to advise students
concerning secondary sources. Students should also work closely with the librarian.
2. Working on the paper
Follow guidelines for the first paper.
3. Grading the paper
In addition to following the procedures for the first paper, the sponsor should consider the
appropriateness of choices of secondary sources.
Correct use of documentation and MLA format is also a major part of this paper. Plagiarism is a very
real concern, and, though it is the student’s responsibility to cite all sources correctly, sponsors should
assist in this area as needed. The librarian is also a great resource for issues related to sources and
documentation.
III. The Oral Examination
A. Planning
Students are to prepare biographical information for a two-minute presentation at the beginning of the oral
exam. They should focus on important information of general interest about the lives of the authors of
primary sources and facts about their lives that are helpful in understanding the works under
consideration. The sponsor is not responsible for helping the student prepare for this presentation.

Students should be encouraged to review the works studied in order to be prepared to answer
objective questions about the content of the works.

They should be encouraged, too, to look for patterns in the works studied and to try to anticipate
questions about the content of the works.

They should be prepared to demonstrate an understanding of major themes of the works studied
or, when appropriate, ideas that are crucial to an understanding of the works studied.
Sponsors should prepare questions that cover the first three categories. They may also wish to cover one
or more of the following categories:

They should review secondary sources used and be prepared to answer questions concerning
different perspectives on the primary works studied.

They should, of course, be prepared to answer questions about the content of the papers they
submitted.

They should be prepared to answer questions about the period or periods in which the primary
works were written, with an emphasis, of course, on how these works reflect or influenced the
thinking during these periods.
Sponsors may give students sample questions in each area, but are not to rehearse students for the exam.
B. The Oral Examination
The sponsor is responsible for preparing questions for a 20-minute exam and for asking them during the
exam. Other adults present may ask a question, but nearly all the time provided should be available for
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the sponsor. Before going on to the next stage of questioning, the sponsor should satisfy himself or
herself that the student has read the primary sources carefully. Any student who does not answer the
objective questions satisfactorily will fail the oral and will need to retake it.
During the actual exam, please watch the clock and stick to exactly 20 minutes; we are on a tight
schedule. Begin with objective content questions, but once you have established that the student knows
his or her books (this should only take a few minutes), move on to the bigger, deeper questions that
involve higher level thinking skills like synthesis and evaluation. Too often, sponsors spend 18 minutes
on content questions and only have time for one higher level question.
Plan to leave some space at the end for other teachers to ask questions if they have them; if they don’t,
make sure you have enough questions to fill the entire time. As a general rule, plan to have MORE
questions than you think you’ll need.
C. Grading
The sponsor will recommend a grade for the oral. The recommendation will weigh heavily when the
Demo Committee makes the final decision.
NOTE: There are, of course, different expectations for students in different levels of English. More is
expected of students in the AP class than of students in the Honors class. More is expected of students in
the Honors class than of students in the Regular class.
A few final reminders:
A. Do not simply proofread and correct their mistakes and do their work for them; teach!
B. This is the student’s paper, not yours. You are not responsible for how well he or she does. A poor
grade on a demo paper is not a poor reflection on you, and, what is even more important, a good grade on
a demo paper should not be a good reflection on you.
C. You are working with seniors. We are trying to prepare them for college, where no one will be holding
their hand. Please do not hold their hand. If at any point you feel yourself doing more work than your
senior, STOP!