9thGradeEssayPrompts

LifeofPi
Writeacriticalessayinwhichyoudiscusstwoworksofliteratureyouhavereadfromthe
particularperspectiveofthestatementthatisprovidedforyouintheCriticalLens.In
youressay,provideavalidinterpretationofyouropinionusingspecificreferencesto
appropriateliteraryelementsfromthetwoworks.Youmayusescrappapertoplanyour
response.
CriticalLens:
Youmusttakelifethewayitcomesatyouandmakethebestofit.
YannMartel
LifeofPi,2001
Guidelines:Besureto
Provideavalidinterpretationofthecriticallensthatclearlyestablishesthecriteria
foranalysis
Indicatewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththestatementasyouhaveinterpretedit
Choosetwoworksyouhavereadthatyoubelievebestsupportyouropinion
Usethecriteriasuggestedbythecriticallenstoanalyzetheworksyouhavechosen
Avoidplotsummary.Instead,usespecificreferencestoappropriateliterary
elements
(forexample:theme,characterization,setting,pointofview)todevelopyour
analysis
Organizeyourideasinaunifiedandcoherentmanner
Specifythetitlesandauthorsoftheliteratureyouchoose
FollowtheconventionsofstandardwrittenEnglish
CreationStories
Inatyped,welldevelopedessay,considertheimplicationsofwhatyouvelearnedabout
thesecreationstories.Whatsimilaritiesordifferencesoccurinthesemyths?Whatdoes
eachmythsayaboutthepeoplewhotoldit?Whatarchetypesarepresentinthesemyths?
Drawsomeconclusionsaboutwhythesemythsarestillimportanttoday.Whatisthe
importanceofthestoriesthatarethecornerstoneofaculturesliterature?
Speak
ThroughoutLaurieHalseAndersonsnovelSpeak,themaincharacter/narratorMelinda
Sordinodescribesthetrialsandtribulationsofherfirstyearofhighschool.Melinda
frequentlyusesfigurativelanguage(metaphor/simile)tocompareherselfandothersto
animalsorinsects.Whatisthesignificanceofthisuseoffigurativelanguage?Whydoes
Melindaconstantlycompareherselfandotherstoanimals?
******

Pleasepickoneofthefollowingquestionsandwriteafullydevelopedessayresponse.
Pleaseincludeatleast2piecesoftextualevidence(directquotesfromthebook,properly
citedwithinthebodyofyouressay).
1. HeatherexplainstoMelindathattheyarejustdifferenttypesofpeopleand
maybetheyshouldnthangouttogetheranymore.DoyouthinkthatHeatherand
Melindawereeverreallyfriends?
2. DoyouthinkthatMelindasparentsandtheschoolarehandlingherbehavior
properly?Whyorwhynot?Whataretheydoingrightandwhatcouldtheybe
doingbetter?
Whenyouuseadirectquoteitshouldlooklikethis
(Anderson32).
Inordertoproperlyciteaquoteyouopentheparenthesis(
Writetheauthorslastname(Anderson
Writejustthepagenumberthequoteison(Anderson32
Closeparenthesis(Anderson32)
Punctuateaftertheparenthesisisclosed(Anderseon32).
Odyssey/Speak
Writeafullandcompleteessaythataddressesthetopicbelow.Besuretomakesurethat
youhaveaclearandspecificthesisstatementaswellasspecificexamplestosupportthat
thesisineachbodyparagraph.
Also,besuretoAVOIDusingI,Me,My,We,You,Our,UsandANYcontractions

Itisgoodtohaveanendtojourneytoward;butitisthejourneythatmatters,intheend
UrsulaK.LeGuin

Inawellconstructedessay,respondtothisquoteusingbothMelindasandOdysseuss
journeystories.Howisthejourneywhatmattersinthesestories?
KiteRunner
Writeafullandcompleteessaythataddressesthetopicbelow.Besuretohaveaclear
andspecificthesisstatementthatanswersthequestionaswellasspecificexamplesto
supportthatthesisineachbodyparagraph.
Also,AVOIDusingI,Me,My,We,You,Our,UsandANYcontractionsandinclude
transitionsbetweenideas.

InTheKiteRunnervariousthemesemergethroughoutthestorybasedaround
generaltopics.Selectthreetopicsfromthelistbelowandexplainhowtheyare

seenthroughoutthenovel.Usedirectquotestosupportyourthesis.Avoidplot
summary.

Father/Sonrelationships
PersonalJourney
Redemption
Sacrifice
Theft
Love

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10thGradeEssayPrompts
AllQuietontheWesternFrontFinalEssay
Directions:Thepromptthatfollowsisbasedontwosources:WilfredOwensDulceet
DecorumEstandErichMariaRemarquesAllQuietontheWesternFront.Thisessay
requiresyoutointegratethetwosourcesintoacoherent,wellwrittenessay.Refertothe
sources,bothdirectlyandindirectly,tosupportyourposition.Avoidmereparaphrasing
orsummarizing.Yourargumentshouldbethecentralfocus;theuseofthesources
shouldsupportyourargument.

Introduction
Inclasswehavediscussedthecontributingfactorsthatinfluencedtheyounger
generationsdecisiontoenterthewar.Somefeelthattheywereliedtobytheolder
generation,whileothersfeelthatitwasanhonorableandgloriousdecision.
Assignment
Readthefollowingpoem(includinganyintroductoryinformation)carefullyandreview
yourchosenpassagesfromthenovel.Then,inanessaythatsynthesizesthetwo
sourcesforsupport,takeapositionthatdefends,challenges,orqualifiestheclaim
thatitishonorableandglorioustofightforonescountry.
Guidelines

Includeaclearlydevelopedthesisstatementinyourintroduction.
Usequotationsfromthetexttosupportyourargument.Rememberthetechniques
forintroducingquotationsthatwediscussedinclass.
Structureyouressayaccordingtotheoutlineprovidedinclass.
Considerliterarydevicesandelementsdiscussedthusfar(imagery,tone,mood,
diction,theme,characterization,etc.)
DOUBLESPACEYOURESSAY.

CatcherintheRye

1.SalingerweavesavarietyofsymbolsintoTheCatcherintheRye,including(but
notlimitedto)theredhuntinghat,theducksinCentralPark,andAlliesmitt.Select
andanalyzeonesymbolthatSalingerusesinthebook.ExplainhowSalinger
developsthisobjectasasymbolthroughoutthestory.Discussthesymbolsmeaning
andsignificanceandexploreitscontributionstotheoverallmessageofthenovel.

2.Throughoutthenovel,Holdenisatormentedadolescent.Hefeelsalienatedand
isolatedatPencyPrep,heisbelittledbywomenhewantstoimpress,heisbeatenup
twice,hewantstorunawayandcuthimselfofffromallotherpeople,andheeven
considerssuicide.Yet,inspiteofHoldenspain,thenovelisfunny.Itreallyis.Why
didSalingerchoosehumorasthetoneforthenovel?HowdoesSalingersuseof
humorcontributetothebooksoverallmeaningandeffect?Considerhowthebooks
overallmeaningwouldbedifferentifSalingerdidnotusesomuchhumor.

3.CriticDavidD.Gallowaysaid,WhereverHoldenturns,hiscravingfortruth
seemstobefrustratedbythephoninessoftheworld.AnalyzeHoldensuseofthe
wordphony.Whatdoesthewordmeaninthecontextofthebook,anddoesHolden
offeranyalternativetophoniness?IsHoldenhimselfguiltyofbeingaphony?How
doesSalingerwantreaderstojudgeideasaboutphoniness?

4.Discussthemeaningorimpactofthetitleofthebookasacentral,controlling
symbolofthestory.HowdoesHoldenswishtobethecatcherintheryehelp
readersunderstandbothhischaracterandthenatureofhisdeeptroublesand
concernsaboutlife?BesuretoaddressthesignificanceofHoldensmisreadingof
theRobertBurnspoem.

5.CriticMaxwellGeismarwrites,TheCatcherintheRyeprotests,tobesure,against
boththeacademicandsocialconformityofitsperiod.Butwhatdoesitarguefor?
Writeanessaytoexplainwhatthebookarguesfor.WhatmightSalingerhave
beentryingtocommunicatetohisreadersthroughthisnovel,andhowdoeshedo
so?

6.Holden,likeeachofus,faceslivinginaworldhedidnotcreate.Nobody,noteven
Holden,canliveinaculturewithouthavingsomeofitruboffonhim.Whatfaultsof
hissocietydoesHoldenexhibit?HowdoesSalingerrevealthesefaultstoreaders?

Macbeth
YouareafriendofMacbethsandyouhavejustheardabouthisevilplantokillKing
Duncan.WriteapersuasivelettertoMacbethconvincinghimthatheshouldnotcommit
thiscorruptdeed.
Makesureyourthesisstatementisclearandstateswhatyouaretryingtoprove.
Remembertoincludeexamplesandsupportingdetailsfromthetextandlifeto
supportyourargument.
Useproperletterformat.(Greeting,Closing,Signature)
FollowtheconventionsofStandardEnglish.

JuliusCaesar
InclasswehavebeenreadingJuliusCaesarbyWilliamShakespeare.Essentially,this
playishistoricalfiction.Althoughwestudiedtheplayasliterature,analyzingthe
devicestheauthorused,weknowthecharactersintheplaywererealpeoplewho
affectedhistory.
Yourassignment(asalways)beginswithsomereadingandthinking!Chooseatime,
person,placeoreventinhistorythathasinterestedyou.Dosomeresearch.Thenwritea
piecesimilartotheonebelow.Besuretoacknowledgeyoursources.Yourgoalisto
interestandeducateyourclassmatesandteacher.
SoBeginbyreadingthispiece.
Thenbrainstormalistofpossiblewritingtopics.
Chooseone.
Research
Write.
TaleofTwoCities
InawellorganizedessayexplainCharlesDickensuseofdoublingtocreatethe
settings,memorablecharactersanduniversalthemesinaTaleofTwoCities.For
example:CharlesDarnayandSydneyCarton:Darnayisunjustlytriedasanenemyofthe
stateinbothEnglandandFrance.LucieManetteisthechildofanEnglishmotheranda
Frenchfather,etc.WhatdoesDickensaccomplishwiththisdoublingtechnique?
DorianGray
ThelegendofFaustisthestoryofamanwhomakesadealwiththedevilinexchangefor
somethinghewants.AswereadThePictureofDorianGray,wewilldiscussthis
conceptinrelationtothecharactersDorianandLordHenry.
Overthenextweek,youaretoresearchtheFaustianTaleandonedevilishliterary
exampleofyourownchoosing.Yourexamplemaycomefromhistory,literature(novels,
drama,poetry,etc.),cinema,television,music,oranywhereelserelevant.
Youareresponsibleforwritingacompare/contrastpaperthatdiscussesbothThePicture
ofDorianGrayandoneotherexampleoftheFaustiantale.
Besuretoinclude:

Athesisstatementregardingtherelationshipbetweenthetwotexts.
AnexplanationoftheFaustiantaleanditsoriginsinliterature.
Specificquotations(ordetails)fromBOTHtexts.
o Ifyoursecondtextisnotinwrittenform,youcanprovidedetailsinany
effectiveform.Justbesuretodoaclosereadingofbothtexts.
AnanalysisofhowthetwotextsconnectandwhatisrevealedaboutDorianand
LordHenrysrelationship.

**Youshouldalsobringinanexampleofyoursecondtexttosharewiththeclass.
Considerphotocopyingapassagefromthetextorevenbringinginavisualoraudio
clip.
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11thGradeEssayPrompts
TheGreatGatsby
InTheGreatGatsby,Nickmakestheobservationthat,Noamountoffireorfreshness
canchallengewhatamanwillstoreupinhisghostlyheart.Inotherwords,realitycan
nevermeasureuptothedreamswecreateforourselves.
Planandwriteanessayinwhichyoudevelopyourpointofviewonthisissue.Support
yourpositionwithreasoningandexamplestakenfromyourreading,studies,experience,
orobservations.
Persuasive Writing Task

Writing Situation:

In the novel The Great Gatsby the lifestyle of the 1920s is showcased.
Those that have money live a decadent life, but when F. Scott
Fitzgerald set out to write Gatsby his intent was not just to show his
readers what the Roaring 20s looked like.

Nick makes a comment at the end of the novel as he reflects on the

events of his summer. It was all very careless and confused.
They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up
things and creatures and then retreated back into their money
or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them
together, and let other people clean up the mess they had
made.

As a reader of Gatsby explain what Nick means in this statement and if

you agree or disagree with Nicks evaluation of the characters. Are
there any characters in Gatsby that are redeemable?

Directions for Writing:

Write a persuasive 4-5 paragraph essay where you explain how you
agree or disagree with Nicks statement and explain if there are any
characters in Gatsby that are redeemable. Be sure to use specific
examples from the novel, and have those examples support your

argument. Your job is to convince your reader that your opinion is valid
and correct.
OfMiceandMen
Directions:Respondtooneofthefollowingpromptsinawellwritten,cohesiveessay.
Beforeyoubegintowrite,youshouldplanwhatyouaregoingtowriteaboutandhow
youaregoingtoproveyourthesis.Besuretofullyanswerthequestionandtouse
specificexamplesfromthetext.Circlethequestiontowhichyouwillrespondand
underlineorboldfaceyourthesisstatement.
1) WhenGeorgeshootsLennie,isthisasignofthestrengthofhisloveorthe
weaknessorhisloveforLennie?Hashefinallyfollowedthroughonthethreatto
abandonLennie?WhydoesheshootLennieinthemiddleoftheirimaginingthe
farmonelasttime?
2) ThenovelOfMiceandMeniswrittenusingthesamestructureasadrama,and
meetsmanyofthecriteriaforatragedy.Examinethenovelasaplay.What
conventionsofdramadoesitalreadyhave?Doesitfitthedefinitionofatragedy?
(Hint:ConsiderourdiscussionsoftheTragicHeroandtheTragicFlaw.)
3) LonelinessisadominantthemeinOfMiceandMen.Mostofthecharactersare
lonelyandsearchingforsomeonewhocanserveasacompanionorjustasan
audience.Discusstheexamplesofcharacterloneliness,theeffortsofthe
charactersinsearchofcompanionship,andtheirvaryingdegreesofsuccess.
*****
Hopes and dreams help people to survive, even if they can never
become real.
Explain how this statement is true for characters in Of Mice and Men.

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12thGradeEssayPrompts

DichotomyEssayPlanner
Chooseadichotomy,suchaslight/darkorgood/evil.Trytobeoriginal.
List56examplesofyourdichotomyhere.Someexamplesshouldbesimple,andsome
shouldbemorecomplex.
Usethefollowingquestionstohelpyoudevelopawellthoughtoutessayonyour
dichotomy.
Whatisthesignificanceofyourdichotomytothestoryasawhole?Doesitcharacterize
theEpicHero?Doeitshowwhichsideisgoodandwhichisevil?Doesithelpthe
readerunderstandtheplotorcharactersinanewway?DoesitreinforceChristianityor
Animism*throughoutthepoem?

*Animism

byAlanG.HefnerandVirgilioGuimaraes

ThetermanimismisderivedfromtheLatinwordanimameaningbreathorsoul.The
beliefofanimismisprobablyoneofman'soldestbeliefs,withitsoriginmostlikely
datingtothePaleolithicage.Fromitsearliestbeginningsitwasabeliefthatasoulor
spiritexistedineveryobject,evenifitwasinanimate.Inafuturestatethissoulorspirit
wouldexistaspartofanimmaterialsoul.Thespirit,therefore,wasthoughttobe
universal.
OedipusRex
Chooseoneofthefollowingpromptsandwriteawellthoughtoutessay.Rememberto
useevidencefromthetexttosupportyourargument.
1. Characterizethechorus(includeSenatorasapartofthechorus).Whathave
beenitstasks?HowdoesSophoclesusethechorus?
2. TheGreeksbelievedinmoderationnothinginexcess.EdithHamilton
expandsthis:nothingthatisvastentersintothelifeofmortalswithoutacurse.
WhatoccursinexcessinOedipusRex?Whathappensasaresult?
3. DiscusstheroleofironyinOedipusRex.Somethingsyoumaywanttoconsider:
Tracethelight/dark,sight/blindnessmotif.HowdoesSophocles
usethisimagerytorevealdramaticirony?
Thevarioustypesofironyusedintheplay.(verbal,situational,
dramatic)
Thereasonsanauthorusesirony.
Rememberto:
*stateyourthesisclearly.
*supportyourthesiswithevidencefromthetext.
*usetheconventionsofStandardEnglish.