English 9 (Hart)
Summer Reading Test 2010-2011
Summer Reading Test 2011-2012
Critical Lens Essay
Chooseone of the following quotations to prove true or false using facts and support from your summer reading book. You may plan your response ahead of time and may use your book and notes in class to help you write your essay. Do not just tell me about what happens—make sure you respond specifically to the quotation and explain in each paragraph how all the information you choose to include supports your response.
"Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad in human nature than what is good."
"Difficulties are things that show what men are."
"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."
“In literature, evil often triumphs but never conquers.”
“The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience.”
“All conflict in literature is, in its simplest form, a struggle between good and evil.”
“All literature shows us the power of emotion. It is emotion, not reason that motivates characters in literature.”
“Good people… are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure.”
How to organize your introduction paragraph:
1)HOOK----(1-2 sentences)
Here, you should attempt to capture your reader’s interest; be unique; avoid statements that are cliché and/or overly general.
2)DEFINE----
Explain, in your own words, what you understand the quotation to be saying.
3)AGREE/DISAGREE----
"This is true b/c…"
"This is proven false when…"
4)THESIS----
A clear statement of your argument; make sure to state directly what you intend to prove about the quotation through the support you will provide in the body of your essay. Here, you might also want to map out the points you will make by LISTING them—be careful not to explain them all; you’ll do that in the body of your essay.
How to organize each of your body paragraphs:
Each body paragraph should focus on one of the points you list in your thesis statement. These should also appear in your paper in the same order you list them in the thesis.
1)HOOK----
" The character ______in the book ______is …
2)PROOF----
Use specific examples that prove your thesis statement (this means something along the lines of “When Mary chooses to attend the school dance with Bobby instead of Joey, she displays that she is a poor judge of character” followed by an explanation of the reasons that Joey would have been a better choice of date for Mary rather than something along the lines of “Mary makes a lot of poor decisions in the book, for example her choice of date for the dance”
3) WRAP UP----
"This is why the character, ______, proves the quote true."
"This example proves the quote true b/c …"
It is absolutely crucial that you explain to me why each point you make helps to prove your argument!
How to organize your conclusion:
1)SUM UP IDEAS----
2)ADD REFLECTION or ENDING THOUGHT----