Name:______Period:______Date:______

The Catcher in the Rye – Final Revision Guide

Set-Up

_____ Name, Teachers’ Names, Class Title and Period, and the dateappear in the upper left hand

corner of the first page- no cover page

_____ Interesting and specific title is centered and bolded on top of the first line of text

_____ Upper right hand corner of all subsequent pages has student’s last name and

consecutive page numbers

_____ All lines of text are size 12, Times New Roman font, double-spaced

Introductions

  1. Underline and label your thesis

Thesis: Your thesis statement should be a two part statement that

  1. Identifies what Holden is doing- lying, criticizing, interacting poorly, or idealizing
  2. Focuses on what the results are of Holden’s behavior.
  1. Place a bracket around your two point overview and label it.

Overview: A preview of the main ideas (usually between two and four) that will be used as support of your thesis in each of your paper’s three body paragraphs.

Body Paragraphs

  1. Transition: Does your topic sentence contain a transition? See attachment for sample ideas. If your sentence does not contain a transition, write “Transition?” next to your topic sentence.
  1. Two Way Topic Sentences: Each paragraph should begin with a two-way topic sentence that reinforces #1 your paper’s thesis #2 the content of the paragraph

Underline the topic sentence in each of your paragraphs. Circle the part that reinforces the thesis and underline the part that previews the content of the paragraph.

Transition

Example: One of the most obvious examples of Holden’s criticizing others in order to avoid acknowledging his own faults occurs when he talks about Ackley.

  1. Content: The content of each section should contain at least three sentences of analysis, an integrated quotation (see attached for samples).
  1. Concluding Sentence: Each paragraph should end with a sentence that reinforces the importance of the ideas to your essay’s argument.

Conclusion

  1. Emphasize thesis and supporting points: In one more sentence, reinforce the specifics of your argument.
  1. Big Picture Closing - Underlying message or lesson to be learned from that person’s involvement. What can all people take away from Holden’s experience to be happier, healthier, more resilient, more proactive and/or more realistic?

Example: Ultimately, Holden’s criticisms of others make it clear that…

Style and Mechanics

After checking all of the following items, read your essay aloud to ensure that it flows logically and clearly.

Sentence Structure

  • Check to be sure that your paper does not contain any comma splices, fragment, or run-ons and revise.

Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

  • Do all pronouns agree with their antecedent in number? Review the singular indefinite pronouns to ensure you master this skill.

Easily Confused Words

  • Have you reread your writing to ensure that all simple word confusions have been eliminated? Review your grammar warm-up sheets for reminders of commonly confused words.

Apostrophes

Go through your essay and double check all possessives from proper apostrophe use.

Tone

All paragraphs should be written in an expository format, usingthethird-person, no pronoun I.

  • Go through your body paragraphs and circle any “I’s”
  • Go through your essay and circle any “You’s” Change them to “people” “anyone who…” “some”

Contractions and Abbreviations

  • Go through your essay and circle any contractions like “don’t” and “won’t”
  • Go through your essay and circle any abbreviations like “TV” or “u”

addition / again, also, and, and then, besides, equally important, finally, first,
further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last, moreover, next,
second, still, too
comparison / also, in the same way, likewise, similarly
concession / granted, naturally, of course
contrast / although, and yet, at the same time, but at the same time, despite that, even so, even though, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, regardless, still, though, yet
emphasis / certainly, indeed, in fact, of course
example or
illustration / after all, as an illustration, even, for example, for instance, in conclusion, indeed, in fact, in other words, in short, it is true, of course, namely, specifically, that is, to illustrate, thus, truly
summary / all in all, altogether, as has been said, finally, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to put it differently, to summarize
time sequence / after a while, afterward, again, also, and then, as long as, at last, at length, at that time, before, besides, earlier, eventually, finally, formerly, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, in the past, last, lately, meanwhile, moreover, next, now, presently, second, shortly, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, still, subsequently, then, thereafter, too, until, until now, when

Quotation Integration - a quotation should always be paired with analysis.

Directions: Use two of the following methods to improve the integration of quotations from the play and combine it with analysis; then, be sure to carry this stylistic method into your own writing.

Use “says” followed by a comma:

When Holden says, “I’m one of these very yellow guys. I try not to show it, but I am,” it shows that he has very little self-awareness (Salinger88). Later when he stands up to Maurice…

Use a colon:

Salinger makes it clear that Holden has very little self-awareness:“I’m one of these very yellow guys. I try not to show it, but I am”; consequently, Holden ignores the fact that he stands up to Stradlater and Maurice two people who are far bigger than he is (Salinger88).

Integration with your own words:

When Holden says that he is “one of these very yellow guys,” it shows his lack of self-awareness because he does not acknowledge times when he stands up for what he believes in (Salinger 88). When he punches Stradlater…