Slaughterhouse 5 High School Essay

Literary Analysis Essay

Due Date: End of class Monday, April 9

Note: You will have Thursday, Friday, and Monday to work on your essay and get help (and no homework on those days). Use your time well. 20 points will be deducted from essays turned in after the due date (see rubric).

Minimum Length: 3 full pages (TNRoman, 12pt font, double spaced, no extra white space)

Minimum # of quotes from Slaughterhouse Five : 5

Topic Choices

1. What is the theme of Slaughterhouse Five? Remember that a theme MUST BE a complete, persuasive sentence that states the lesson/point/philosophy of the novel.

2. What is Kurt Vonnegut’s point in writing this novel? What is his purpose?

3. How does symbolism develop the theme of Slaughterhouse Five? (Note: You must state the theme then explain ow symbols are used to develop it.)

4. Why is Slaughterhouse Five a controversial novel that has been banned in many schools? Why do so many high schools and colleges continue to teach it? This topic will require research.

Guidelines: Like all literary analysis essays, your paper should be persuasive and should follow standard essay format: Introduction, Body, Conclusion. Your essay must be organized point-by-point; this is not a book report. You should begin your essay with a creative lead-in of at least three

sentences. You should end your essay in a thoughtful and reflective way, not just by restating your thesis. (However, it is not necessary for your lead-in and lead-out to “match.”) Your thesis statement comes after the lead-in and must include the title and author of the book in addition to a persuasive statement about the novel. You should write an organizational statement and corresponding topic

sentences. However, including the organizational statement in your final draft is optional. Your tone throughout the essay should be professional, formal, and appropriate. At the same time, you should try to develop a unique voice in your writing—your own sense of style—by focusing on your use of vocabulary, description, imagery, and literary and stylistic device. Most importantly, don’t be boring. Long summaries are always boring, so avoid those, but support your interesting ideas with many

specific details from the novel.

REFER TO THE GRADING RUBRIC FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION

ABOUT HOW YOUR ESSAY WILL BE SCORED!

Reminder: If you use, or adapt, another student's essay and present it as your own OR if you use or adapt an on-line essay and present it as your own OR if you plagiarize literary criticism and present the ideas as your own, I will know and you will face disciplinary action.

Grading Rubric

Basic Requirements Length (50)

_____ Paper is 3 full pages (assumes uniform type format and page set-up) (30)

_____ Paper is turned in on time (20)

Documentation (60)

_____ Paper includes at least 5 quotations from Slaughterhouse Five (20)

_____ All 5 quotes are meaningful and well-chosen (15)

_____ Quotations are appropriate in length and smoothly blended with the ideas of the paper—do not say “This quote shows…”) (15)

_____ All quotations are punctuated, formatted, and cited according to MLA guidlines (10)

Organization (75)

_____ Paper begins with an original and effective title that is formatted correctly (5)

_____ Paper begins with an interesting and meaningful lead-in of at least 3 sentences not about the book (15)

_____ Thesis statement is clear, persuasive, and debatable and includes the title and author (10)

_____ Body sections are used to logically and effectively organize 3 main points (15)

_____ Transitions are used effectively to connect the ideas of the paper (10)

_____ The conclusion begins with a summary of the three main points followed by the thesis, which includes the title and author of the book (10)

_____ The paper ends in a meaningful and thought-provoking way (10)

Mechanics (30)

_____ Spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes throughout the paper are minimal and do not affect the clarity of the content (10)

_____ Paper is written in 3rd person only (10)

_____ Paper is written in present tense (10)

Content (85)

_____ The ideas of the paper are well-developed with sufficient detail from the novel (30)

_____ No long summaries (10)

_____ The ideas of the paper reflect the student’s own interpretation of the novel (10)

_____ The ideas of the paper are intelligent, insightful, and reflect careful, critical analysis (15)

_____ The paper is written with the student’s best vocabulary and tone and sense of style that is

engaging, intelligent, and appropriate (20)

Total Points: ____________________ out of 300 Possible