English 210—Literature and World History Name:

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Final Essay for The Catcher in the Rye

ASSIGNEMENT: Choosing one of the following possibilities, write an essay of between 900 and 1200 (3-4 pages) words in which you explore an interest that you have about the novel. Be sure to begin with a clear thesis and support your argument about the novel with evidence from the text. Effective use of quotations is central to making a convincing argument in a literary essay.

OPTIONS

1. Analyzing a Digression. On the first page of the novel, Holden promises to tell the story “about this madman stuff” that happened to him. Yet throughout his account he regularly veers off on digressions that do not appear at first to be relevant to his original promise. Dick Slagle’s suitcase is one example; a description of any one of a number of movie plots is another. Choose any singular digression from the novel and show its relevance to the larger story of the novel. You may use topics that have been discussed in class but are encouraged to look for ones that skipped classroom attention.

2. Connection to History: India, Middle Ages, Islam, Africa. Compare or contrast any area of your studies in history with your study of Holden Caulfield and The Catcher in the Rye. You may look, for instance, at the development of the Church and compare that with Holden’s comments on Christianity, or compare Holden with Siddhartha Gotama.

3. Free Choice: Developing a Thesis. Most literary essays begin with the writer’s own particular interest about the novel. Begin with a question about the novel that you want to explore, research the text, and develop a thesis that is proven through evidence from the text.

TOPIC DEVELOPMENT

Content

1. appropriate to the topic—the essay explores a meaningful element of the novel

2. sophistication—the discussion reveals a fresh, unique look, subtle organization and expression

3. fullness—fully and thoughtfully explained, not rushed or skimpy

4. details—clearly support the thesis

5. quotations—appropriately and effectively used for support

6. title--interesting and/or descriptive; provocative; includes the novel’s title in addition to an indication of the thesis

PARAGRAPH ORGANIZATION

Introductory and Concluding Paragraphs

1. hook/lead—interesting, provocative, stylish phrasing

2. thesis—a clear thesis is presented

3. roadmap—contains clear references (a roadmap) to the points covered in order to defend the thesis

Body Paragraphs

1. topic sentence—the topic sentence clearly identifies the important point or points to be made

2. supportive details—clear and relevant support is presented

3. transition words--the writer guides the reader with transition words (first, next, then, also, etc...); the paragraph progresses logically

4. concluding sentence ("clincher")--wraps up the paragraph in a satisfying way; may serve as a transition to the following paragraph

5. UNITY--maintains a singular focus throughout. Every supporting sentence serves (advances) the topic sentence.

Style

1. vocabulary--clear, exact, rich; three vocab words

2. sentence variety--a rich, sophisticated balance of sentence types (simple, compound, complex) and sentence lengths; include one of each of the following, clearly labeled in the margin:

· appositive phrase—opener

· participial phrase—closer

· absolute phrase—subject-verb split

· adjective clause--anywhere

· adverb clause—subject-verb split

WRITING CONVENTIONS

Mechanics

1. quotations—correctly cited

2. spelling--words are properly spelled

3. capitalization--words in need of capitalization are capitalized

4. punctuation--sentences are properly punctuated

5. usage--words are used properly, e.g., subject/verb agreement, pronoun reference

6. sentence completeness--sentences are complete--no run-ons or fragments

Format

course guidelines are followed--double spacing; readable, 12-pt. font; 1 in. margins; proper heading; contains all writing process components (pre-writing, first draft, final draft)