Final Essay Assignment & Outline

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J A Y G A T S B Y : J U S T A M A N A N D H I S D R E A M S

The Great Gatsby

Skeleton Essay: Due Tuesday, April 8

th

at 11:59 PM

essay question:

How can we see F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel

The Great Gatsby

as a commentary on the American

Dream? In other words, how is Jay Gatsby’s quest to win the heart of Daisy a metaphor for the

ultimate downfall of one’s dreams of success?

background & context:

alcolm Gladwell and Russell H. Conwell, separated by nearly 100 years, offer up an interesting commentary on the plausibility of achieving the American Dream. Gladwell, in chapter one of his book Outliers, argues that one’s success is practically pre-determined by their up-bringing. Conwell, meanwhile, discusses in his speech “Acres of Diamonds” the causes and effects of becoming obsessed with a single dream.

Use these sources to examine how Gatsby’s dream is truly a metaphor for the demise of the American Dream.

prompt vocabulary:

commentary: an expression of opinions or offering of explanations about an event or situation.

quest: a long or difficult search for something.

ultimate downfall: a final loss of power, success, or status.

plausibility: the possibility of something

demise: the end or failure of something

objectives:

 Create a complex argument (thesis) that will guide your body paragraphs.

 Develop a claim for each body paragraph that connects to your thesis and advances your argument.

 Select and synthesize (combine) evidence from appropriate sources to meaningfully support your ideas.

 Blend all quotations into your own writing and use proper MLA parenthetical citations.

 Explain your reasoning for each piece of evidence in such a way that you provide strong analysis/commentary that examines and elaborates on the ideas stated in your proof.

structure:

 Introduction

o No formal introduction is necessary; all you need is a thesis statement.

o Your thesis should answer the question posed above. You should not mention Gladwell or Conwell in your thesis. You should mention F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby.

 Body Paragraphs (3 of them)

o Each paragraph needs AT LEAST 2 quotes; however, it may not be a bad idea to have up to 3-4 quotes per paragraph.

o Your body paragraphs should address the following themes/ideas:

 Who is able to achieve success?

 What kind of expectations do we set for ourselves?

 What happens when we devote ourselves to a single dream?

 No conclusion is necessary.

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essay schedule:

 Week 1: 3/17-3/21

o Tuesday, March 18th_{– Review of Gladwell, Conwell & Fitzgerald}

o Wednesday, March 19th_{– Introduce Essay Assignment}

o Friday, March 20th_{– Checkpoint #1: Thesis & Topic Sentences Due}  Week 2: 3/24-3/28 (SPRING BREAK!)

o E-mail me with questions

o Share GoogleDocs for feedback

 Week 3: 3/31-4/4 (WRITER’S WEEK!)

o Monday, March 31st_{– Work time (Chromebooks available)}

o Tuesday, April 1st_{– Afternoon Workshop in Rm. 2240 (3:15-5:15)}

o Wednesday, April 2nd_{– Morning Workshop in Rm. 2240 (6:45-7:15)}

o Thursday, April 3rd_{– Afternoon Workshop in Rm. 2240 (3:15-5:15)}

o Friday, April 4th_{– Morning Workshop in Rm. 2240 (6:45-7:15)}  Week 4: 4/7-4/11

o Monday, April 7th_{– Available by appointment}

o Tuesday, April 8th_{– Afternoon Workshop in Rm. 2240 (3:00-5:00)}

o Tuesday, April 8th_{– Final Essay due to Turnitin.com by 11:59 PM}

Keep in mind the helpful services of The Write Room (room 2195). A teacher is in the room during every period of the day and is able to help you plan, write, or revise your essay. Once again, extra credit is available for students who visit The Write Room and work with a teacher on the assignment. Please note: you must actually work with the teacher to get extra credit. While you are allowed to use the room to type your essay, simply using a computer will not get you extra credit.

extra credit – essay planning: 5 Points

 Bring this assignment sheet, outline, Gatsby book, Gladwell packet and Conwell packet to TWR.

 Work with the teacher on planning out your essay on the attached outline.

 Have the teacher stamp, date and initial your outline.

 Turn in your completed & stamped outline in class on Wednesday, April 9th_.

extra credit – editing/revising: 5 Points

 Print out a draft of your essay and bring it to TWR, along with the attached TWR Revision Form.

 Circle 2-3 areas of your writing you’d like the teachers help with.

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Skeleton Essay Outline

Thesis Statement: (Be sure to accurately answer the question and clearly articulate your argument.)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraph #:1 ____________________________________________

Topic Sentence:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Evidence #1: (Don’t forget to blend and cite!)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Analysis: (MULTIPLE Sentences)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Transition + Evidence #2: (Don’t forget to blend and cite!)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ OPTIONAL Transition + Evidence #3: (Don’t forget to blend and cite!)

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Body Paragraph #2: ____________________________________________

Paragraph Transition:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Topic Sentence:

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Body Paragraph #3: ____________________________________________

Paragraph Transition:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Topic Sentence:

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T H E W R I T E R O O M R E V I S I O N F O R M

Student Name: _______________________________

To help us (you and The Write Room teacher) work together, please let The Write Room teacher

know how to best help you. Try to choose two or three issues that you think are especially

important or need special attention in your piece of writing. The ideas below are merely

suggestions; feel free to develop specific issues with your classroom teacher or The Write Room

teacher.

Circle any topics of help that you want to address specifically:

Introduction:

I

would like help

making sure that

my introduction

develops logically.

Thesis:

I would like

help making sure

my thesis

addresses the

essay prompt.

Topic Sentences:

I

would like help

making sure my

topic sentences

properly focus

body paragraphs.

Blending

Quotations:

I

would like help

making sure my

quotations are

properly blended

into my writing.

Analysis:

I would

like help making

sure that my

analysis properly

explains the

importance of my

evidence /

quotation.

Transitions:

I

would like help

making sure I use

transitions to make

connections

between

paragraphs.

In-paragraph

transitions:

I

would like help

making sure that I

use transitions to

move between

points in my

paragraphs.

Conclusion:

I

would like help

making sure that

my conclusion

develops logically.

MLA format:

I

would like help

making sure that

I’m formatting and

citing according to

MLA conventions.

Grammar and

language

conventions:

I

would like help

making sure that

most of my writing

is free of grammar

and usage errors.

Other concerns:

Teacher Comments: