Archer 1

Dylan Archer

Mrs. Scharf

ERWC Period 6

25 January 2022

Scholarship Essay

Rubric

After completing your Scholarship Essay Assignment, highlight in yellow what you believe

you earned on your Scholarship essay on the rubric below.

6 5 4 3 2 1
W 11-12.4 A little Reflection is thoughtful and The student reflects on The student Attempt No
Produce clear and more reveals the author has his/her essay and how reflect on the to reflect evidence
coherent writing successful reflected on specific aspects he/she revised. The changes he/she
in which the than a 5 of the essay and how to student shares some of made but the
development, revise. The writer seems the specific techniques reflection might
organization, and genuinely engaged in the and changes he/she made be more
style are process of reflecting and but could go into more surface-level or
appropriate to revising by writing about detail. to just “get it
task, purpose, and the changes she/he has over with”
audience. made.

W 11-12.5 A little Develop and strengthen Develop and strengthen Develop writing Attempt No
Develop and more writing multiple times as writing as needed by by revision or to revise evidence
strengthen writing successful needed by planning, planning, revising, planning.
as needed by than a 5 revising, editing, rewriting, editing, rewriting, or
planning, or trying a trying a new approach,
revising, editing, new approach, focusing on focusing on addressing
rewriting, or addressing what is most what is most significant
trying a new significant for a for a specific purpose and
approach, specific purpose and audience.
focusing on audience.
addressing what
is most
significant for a
specific purpose
and audience.

Original Essay

Write the essay’s prompt (recreate to the best of your ability) here:

-Should To Kill a Mockingbird be taught to students in The United States

 Archer 2

To the best of your knowledge, what scores did you earn on this essay? If you can’t

remember the scores, what were some of the things you struggled with in this essay? What

needs to be improved?

The Debate of Legendary Literature

As many people say, times are changing. That said, there is still value in learning the ways of the
past; for example, the lessons that Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird teaches about gender roles, social
class, and racism in, the United States of America. In other words, To Kill A Mockingbird should not
banned in schools for making people “uncomfortable” or challenging the now developed roles of social
class, gender roles, and race in the modern world. Many people believe that this incredible and
informative piece of historical fiction should be banned in schools because of the use of n-word and the
awkward, tense feeling that it can give students, many of these people stating that students are too young
for this “adult fairy tale” (Source E).
Some state that To Kill A Mockingbird is overrated but, Harper Lee’s 59 year old best seller is an
inspiring narrative of courage and conscience in a time where that was, for the most part, missing. It is
such an incredible story because of important lessons that can be found in its texts, such as Atticus fabled
words “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” which is
well described by Garris Landon’s idea that one of the main goals of an educator is “to help students”
understand each other, Landon went on to state that the situations in the book “encourage readers to think
critically” about misjudgments (Source B). The subtle and possibly life changing pieces of advice and
wisdom found within every single page of the masterpiece continue to demonstrate the value that it can
have in the classroom today. Landon, being a teacher in the South, understands the effect that this book
can have on young adult readers in that particular region; this also means that he understands the most
common hardships faced there, whether it be racism or social injustice, in other words, he knows how to
use the book to help people. Furthermore, PBS stated that To Kill A Mockingbird “topped the list” in all
but two states when they voted for the greatest “American read,” they went onto describe it as “gripping,”
wholly remarkable tale” that views the “great beauties” as well has the “savage” injustices in a
“prejudice” South, while broadcasting the results of a nationwide survey (Source D). The mere idea that
the majority of a nation could ever come to a consensus greatest book of all time speaks to the caliber of
this story, as well as the legacy that it leaves on its populace after a lengthy 59 years of being published.
To continue, the descriptions of the south such as being filled with “great beauties” and “savage
inequalities” also help to paint the pastel colored illustration of what life was like in the time of the great
depression, demonstrating the deep blues of the sky, and the vibrant greens of the grass that the children
would have played in. Overall, To Kill A Mockingbird is an eloquently written, award winning
masterpiece that is recognized as such by the majority of the world and is without a doubt, an incredible
and informative piece of historical fiction..
Furthermore, To Kill A Mockingbird can often make children uncomfortable but, that is not
always a bad thing. Betsy Gomez explained it the best when she stated, “there were complaints”
concerning the language in To Kill A Mockingbird namely, the repeated use “of the N-word” throughout
the novel (Source A); to continue, Landon explained that “we need to embrace that discomfort” so that we
can learn lessons from it (Source B). By stating that “we need to embrace that discomfort,” Landon is
explaining that people typically need to feel discomfort in order to better learn and understand the thing
that is making them uncomfortable. To add on, the repeated use of “the n-word” in stories such as To Kill
A Mockingbird and the adventures of huckleberry finn, are simply included to help the reader understand
what the world was like in a particular time period. Furthermore, Sadye Saunders explained that these
stories are not endorsing racial slurs or offensive terms, rather they are “showing the ignorance” and
“bigotry” in these hateful words (Source B). This again emphasizes that To Kill A Mockingbird is not
 Archer 3

asking the common populace of the United States of America to condone these racially insensitive words,
rather it is shining a light on the evil hidden under these seemingly harmless words. While stating the
“ignorance” of these words, it is easier to understand the simple concept that words only have as much
power as you give them, this means that a student who is showed terms such as “the n-word” will
possibly take less offense or notice to the word, rendering it powerless and meaningless. Finally, To Kill A
Mockingbird is a controversial book for many reasons, including its partially crude language; however,
schools should seek to make children uncomfortable in order to help children better learn and prepare for
life after school.
Thirdly, many people believe that To Kill A Mockingbird is read to students who are way too
young and immature to understand the complex and mature narratives that run up and down the pages,
weaving a complicated web that is easy to get lost in; while this is sometimes the case, schools should
simply wait until the 9th grade to cover the book in class. This idea well developed by Alice Randall
when she stated that topics such as Mayella’s lies and the entire subject of rape are “too complicated for
the eighth grade” even when they have an “excellent teacher”(Source E). Randall is correct by stating that
children in the “eighth grade” are too you for some of the more adult subjects in the story but, as children
grow slightly older and transition from middle school to secondary school, there is a large leap in maturity
that comes with it. Randall’s further emphasis on an “excellent teacher” are also important as they are the
translators that help the children understand these vital lessons, especially while they are at a difficult age
entering high school. On another note, Landon clearly listed his opinion stating “that removing the book”
steals a “rich opportunity” from the students, stopping them from “thinking critically about” important
subjects such as “inequality” and “racism” in the modern day United States (Source B). This description
does well at explaining specific issues that are covered in this book such as “racism” and “inequality”
which are especially valuable to evaluate while transitioning into a young adult and deciding what kind of
person a child wants to be. Landon also does an excellent job at explaining the value of this novel, calling
it a “rich opportunity.” To conclude, To Kill A Mockingbird is an immensely valuable book for a young
American who is entering high school but it is important to not teach it earlier, as there are many mature
themes throughout the novel.
Lastly, To Kill A Mockingbird is a landmark story that needs to be shown to upcoming generations
as it demonstrates good life lessons, morals, and explains to children the difficulties of life during the
great depression. In conclusion, To Kill A Mockingbird should be kept in schools rather then hidden in
the back of a southern library, it should be taught and young adults should be aloud to prosper off of this
award winning historical fiction novel in order to learn important lessons, to understand maturity, and to
seek discomfort in order to better learn.
 Archer 4

Revised Essay
Type your revised essay in this section. Make sure to highlight in yellow the changes you made from the
original. These should be significant, meaningful changes, not just changes to grammar, punctuation, etc.
The Debate of Legendary Literature
In the wise words of American poet Bob Dylan, the times are changing. However, that doesn't
mean that there isn’t still value in learning the traditions of the past. For example, the lessons that Harper
Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird teaches about gender roles, social class, and racism in the United States are
still useful to children, even if they shouldn’t follow them. In other words, To Kill A Mockingbird should
not be banned in schools for making people “uncomfortable” or challenging the more recently developed
ideas of social class, gender, and race in the modern world. Many people believe that this informative
piece of historical fiction should be banned in schools because of such things as the use of the n-word and
the tension that it can bring to classrooms, many of these people stating that students are too young for
this “adult fairy tale” (Source E).
Some readers even state that To Kill A Mockingbird is overrated, insulting the quality of the
author's work, rather than addressing the true debate surrounding the novel. However, others argue that
Harper Lee’s 59 year old best seller is an inspiring narrative of courage and conscience in a time where
that was, by and large, missing in our society today. It is such an incredible story because of the important
lessons that can be found in its texts, such as Atticus fabled words “You never really understand a person
until you consider things from his point of view” which is well described by Garris Landon’s idea that one
of the main goals of an educator is “to help students” understand each other, Landon went on to state that
the situations in the book “encourage readers to think critically” about misjudgments (Source B). The
subtle and possibly life changing pieces of advice and wisdom found within every single page of this
masterpiece continue to demonstrate the value that it still holds today, both in the classroom and the
outside world. Landon, being a teacher in the South, understands the effect that this book can have on
young adult readers in that particular region; this also means that he understands the most common
hardships faced there, whether it be racism or social injustice. In other words, he knows how to use this
book to help people. Furthermore, PBS stated that To Kill A Mockingbird “topped the list” in all but two
states when they voted for the greatest “American read,” they went onto describe it as a “gripping,”
wholly remarkable tale” that views the “great beauties” as well has the “savage” injustices in a
“prejudiced” South, while broadcasting the results of a nationwide survey (Source D). The mere idea that
the majority of a nation of three hundred and thirty million people could ever come to a consensus about
the “greatest American book” of all time is, speaks to the caliber of this story, as well as the legacy that it
leaves on the populace after a lengthy 59 year lifetime on shelves and in homes. The book’s descriptions
of the south being filled with “great beauties” and “savage inequalities” also help to paint the pastel
colored illustration of what life was like in the time of the great depression. It demonstrates the deep blues
of the sky, and the vibrant greens of the grass that the children would have played in. Overall, To Kill A
Mockingbird is an eloquently written, award winning masterpiece that is recognized as such by the
majority of the world and is without a doubt a prime example of what an informative piece of historical
fiction should try to be.
To be fair, To Kill A Mockingbird can often make children uncomfortable, but it is easy to argue
that being uncomfortable isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Betsy Gomez explains the first part of this
argument, stating that “there were complaints” concerning the language in To Kill A Mockingbird namely,
the repeated use “of the N-word” throughout the novel (Source A); Whilst Landon explains the other side,
stating that “we need to embrace that discomfort” so that we can learn lessons from it (Source B). By
stating that “we need to embrace that discomfort,” Landon is explaining that people often need to feel a
certain level of discomfort in order to understand and learn about what is making them uncomfortable,
and more importantly, why. To add on, the repeated use of “the n-word” in stories such as To Kill A
Mockingbird and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, are simply included to help the reader understand
what the world was like in a particular time period, or to show historical accuracy. Furthermore, Sadye
Saunders, a student from Missouri, explained that these stories are not endorsing racial slurs or offensive
terms, rather they are “showing the ignorance” and “bigotry” in these hateful words (Source B). This
 Archer 5

again emphasizes that To Kill A Mockingbird is not asking the common populace of the United States to
condone these racially insensitive slurs, rather it is shining a light on the evil hidden under these
seemingly harmless words. While stating the “ignorance” of these words, it is easier to understand the
simple concept that words only have as much power as you give them, this means that a student who is
showed terms such as “the n-word” will possibly take less offense or notice to the word, rendering it
powerless and meaningless. Finally, To Kill A Mockingbird is a controversial book for many reasons,
including its sometimes crude language; however, schools should seek to make children uncomfortable in
order to help children better learn and prepare for life after school.
Thirdly, many people believe that To Kill A Mockingbird is read to students who are way too
young and immature to understand the complex and mature narratives that run up and down it’s pages,
weaving a complicated web that is easy to get lost in; while this is a fair argument, schools can easily
avoid this pitfall by waiting until Freshman year of highschool or later, before covering the book in class.
This idea was further developed by Alice Randall when she stated that topics such as Mayella’s lies and
the entire subject of rape are “too complicated for the eighth grade” even when they have an “excellent
teacher”(Source E). Randall is correct by stating that children in the “eighth grade” are too you for some
of the more adult material in the story; however, as children grow slightly older and start transitioning into
young adults, there is a large leap in maturity that comes with it. Randall’s further emphasis on an
“excellent teacher” are also important as they are the translators that help the children understand these
vital lessons, especially while they are at a difficult age entering high school. On another note, Landon
clearly listed his opinion, stating “that removing the book” steals a “rich opportunity” from the students,
stopping them from “thinking critically about” important subjects such as “inequality” and “racism” in the
modern United States (Source B). This description does a good job at explaining specific issues that are
covered in this book such as the aforementioned “racism” and “inequality” which are especially valuable
to evaluate while transitioning into a young adult and deciding what kind of person you want to be, and
what you believe in. Landon also does an excellent job at explaining the value of this novel, calling it a
“rich opportunity.” To conclude, To Kill A Mockingbird is an immensely valuable book for any young
American entering high school. But it is also important to keep in mind the age and maturity of the
students, so as to not teach it before they are ready.
Lastly, To Kill A Mockingbird is a landmark story that needs to be shown to upcoming generations
as it demonstrates good life lessons, morals, and explains to children the difficulties of life during the
great depression and in a post-reconstruction South. In conclusion, To Kill A Mockingbird should be kept
in schools rather then hidden in the back of libraries across the U.S. This is a novel that should be taught
and young adults should be allowed to prosper off of this award winning piece of historical fiction in
order to learn important lessons, to understand maturity, and to seek discomfort in order to better
themselves as people.
 Archer 6

Reflection

1st Paragraph: Write a paragraph explaining specifically what you revised in your essay and

why. Go into thoughtful details! How did these choices improve your essay? What skills do you

now have that you were able to use to help enhance your essay?

-When re-reading my old essay, I made a couple of really quick observations. First of all,

the main argument is sound. Second of all, the quote integration is pretty good. But most

importantly, my punctuation and word choice just wasn't very good. So that is where I focused

the majority of my efforts, in the word diction and punctuation. I didn’t highlight all of the

changes, as most of them were small, but I did a lot of things like changing a comma to a period,

or changing the tense of a sentence. I also did my best to add credentials to my quotes, and to just

make my essay easier to read. Though, I still kept a lot of things that I would have done

differently today. But I did not want to completely rewrite the essay, and one of its biggest

problems was the structure of it. I think that the paragraphs are not in a good order. The only real

skill that I have now is a better active vocabulary, I don't even know that many more words, I just

use a wider variety in my day to day life. As most of my changes were small, quality of life

things, it didn’t improve the argument of the essay much at all, but it did make the essay much

nicer and better overall.

2nd Paragraph: Write a paragraph explaining how you’ve improved as a writer since your

freshman year: What did you struggle with before? What are you proud that you can do now?

-The biggest difference in my writing from freshman year is the speed at which I do it; in

my freshman year, I could only ever get around 400 words on a timed essay, while I got over

1000 earlier this school year. I think faster. That is the ability that I am most proud of. Other than
 Archer 7

that, my writing hasn’t improved all that much. I have a lot more knowledge in a variety of

subjects, which helps me add context and structure to my arguments. Which I suppose is another

problem that I had in my freshman year, my overall structure, the order of my paragraphs, was

never really that good. I don't believe that I still have that problem.