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In-Class Essays

Seniors
Your essay on Monday will be a synthesis using four of the "This I Believe" essays - three from your book and one from the website (http://thisibelieve.org/). Your essay should be centered around a clear, arguable thesis, and each paragraph should connect to that central purpose. You must cite all four essays according to MLA guidelines - found here - and the essay will be written in class. In other words, come prepared on Monday to write by outlining your paper and marking your book for content.

Sophomores
Your essay on Monday is a literary analysis of Hound of the Baskervilles. I have given you five general topics to choose from, and we talked about turning one of those topics into a thesis question and statement. Your thesis should be included in the first paragraph, as well as the title of the novel and the author. Your support should come in the form of direct reference to the novel. This is NOT merely a summary of the plot; rather, it is a detailed look at some aspect of the book as related to its development.

Topics include the following:
  • The setting and how it relates to the atmosphere, mood and/or plot
  • Holmes's (and therefore Watson's) method of deductive reasoning
  • Characterization of either Holmes or Watson, focusing on both physical and non-physical details
  • Analysis of the relationship between Holmes and Watson
  • Analysis of the structure of the narrative as it applies to the plot, pacing or suspense
  • Watson's role as the narrator of the novel, focusing on his POV as it relates to the characters and plot
You will be tempted to look up information online. Don't do it. This invariably leads to plagiarism, even if unintentional. In other words, use your own brain!

Reminder: to use the "find" function within a web page (like this one, for example), press CTRL-F.

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