Entry Task 4/3 Look at your chosen passage, and the significant literary element; write 2-3 thematic statements that one can learn from that particular passage. Today you’ll need your journal, novel, and writing utensil.

To Kill a Mockingbird Final assignment The lens paper requires that you find a strong passage from the novel and use it to analyze the entire novel.

Critical Lens—Your Guidelines Provide a valid interpretation of literary element(s) within a passage. Clearly establish a connection between the passage and a theme for the novel. AVOID PLOT SUMMARY Use specific and appropriate evidence for analysis- Organize your ideas clearly. Provide commentary of all evidence.

A Passage Analysis Lens Intro Example… Difficult choices exist everywhere, and sometimes, making the easy choice leads to regret, and making the difficult choice is heroic. The regret, due to making the easy choice, is evident in a significant passage in Of Mice and Men when Candy says, “I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t of ought to let no stranger shoot my dog” (61). Here Candy is facing the regret of taking the easy route and letting another euthanize his dog. He regrets not being the last person his dog saw, and not being there in his time of need. The situation itself was tough on Candy, but the loss of his best friend was nothing compared to the regret for making the easy and selfish choice. This conflict Candy is faced with directly parallels a major conflict within the novel, and through this parallelism the reader is given insight into the overall message that a true hero is one who makes the difficult choice in an impossible situation.

Example thesis statements Scout’s growth in this particular passage is the beginning of her maturation and through her eyes the reader comes to a clear understanding that… The juxtaposition of this section of the subplot to the primary plot allows the reader to see that true understanding comes from… The symbolism of the mockingbird in this passage connects to the overarching theme: … The reflective, first person narration, particularly in this passage, gives the reader the opportunity to understand that it is through looking back that… The conflict between Atticus and Bob Ewell in this particular passage provides insight into the deeper message contained throughout the entire novel: …

Body Paragraphs Include a topic sentence to introduce the first main point Transition and include your literary element (may be multiple sentences). Provide specific evidence. Some of your evidence will be from the passage, others can be from other places. Connect back to the lens and theme through commentary (may be multiple sentences) Concluding sentence.

Conclusion Wrap up Tie main ideas back to the lens and your thesis Conclusion strategy

Conclusion (example) Heroes truly come from accidental situations where characters have been able to rise above an unfortunate occasion. In unpredictable times, George, from Of Mice and Men, was able to do what was right despite a devastating circumstance. By doing the right thing for Lennie, even though it was difficult, he was able to avoid the same regret Candy had, and become a hero. This proves that sometimes a true hero is the one who can make difficult choices and rise up even when it requires a great personal sacrifice. It is through this lesson that readers should be able to understand that it’s not a cape and superpowers that make someone heroic; it’s doing the hard thing, at the right time without looking for recognition, that makes one a true hero.

Essay Pre-Write Using the passage, and identified literary element, write a thesis statement that makes a claim that connects the significant literary element to a theme.  Make sure your theme is written out. No clichés No “you” statements. No should statements. Not specific to just the novel: “Scout learned…” “Jem understood…”

Pre Write Evidence Chart Create an evidence chart like you did for the MLK/JFK paragraphs.  Divide your thesis into 2-3 supporting claims.  For each claim, create a separate evidence chart. Determine what needs to be proven to support your supporting claim. Use as column headings Find evidence, and list under the correct column heading- be sure to include page numbers of your quote/paraphrase. Complete outline A complete outline has the thesis at the top, supporting claims written out, with transition, and complete evidence (with page numbers) for each supporting claim. I also recommend jotting down notes next to the evidence about what to cover in the commentary (what part of the claim does it connect to/support, etc.

Claim: “In order to connect with and persuade his audience, Dr. King and President Kennedy each relied on the use of ethos by referring to the children of America.” MLK used ethos: children JFK used ethos: children MLK’s use of ethos connects/persuad es audience JFK’s use of ethos connects/persuades audience “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” “As I have said before, not every child has an equal talent or an equal ability or an equal motivation, but they should have the equal right to develop their talent and their ability and their motivation, to make something of themselves.” MLK wraps his dream tightly with his children. He is motivating his audience to continue the fight because it is for their children: “little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” JFK’s audience had a mix of beliefs and position on equality. The desire to protect the innocent unifies so he focused on statistics related to children: “ The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the Nation in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing a high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day […] a life expectancy which is 7 years shorter.”