ENGL 475: Spring 2018, Essay #2 - Professor Robert Nazar



ENGL 475: Spring 2018, Essay #2Evaluation of The Book of Unknown AmericansOverview: When giving your opinion about a book, you are making a claim about that book. You are arguing your point of view, usually in an effort to convince your audience [friend, neighbor, family member, classmate, etc.] to agree with your opinion; however, your claim DOES NOT become an evaluation unless you apply specific standards of judgment [called criteria] to your evaluation. Purpose of Essay: Using 3-4 selected criteria, you will compose a college-level essay based on the novel The Book of Unknown Americans to be [hypothetically] submitted to Chaffey College’s student newspaper The Breeze, evaluating the text in order to persuade Chaffey College students who have NOT read the novel to agree with your opinion. Possible criteria for evaluation may include [but is NOT limited to] the following: use of figurative language [similes, metaphors, symbolism, personification, etc.], use of dialogue, description of scenes/events, a prevalent theme[s], the plot/story, a character[s], allusions [politics, September 11th, popular culture, etc.], plot devices [foreshadowing, shifting perspectives/points of view, etc.], relevancy to today’s society, etc. **think about both the style and content of the novel when choosing criteria**Deadlines: Dates for proposal, prewriting charts, rough draft [**missing peer review workshop will result in a 10% reduction of your final draft grade], revised draft, and final draft are listed on the course scheduleRequired Format: Essays must be typed, at least 3 full pages in length [not to exceed 5 full pages], and follow strict MLA guidelines for formatting the paper and citing your source: heading, header, double-spaced [no extra spacing between paragraphs], 1” margins, Times New Roman 12 point font, in-text citations, and a Work Cited page Audience: Chaffey College students who have NOT read the novel The Book of Unknown AmericansEvaluation Criteria:includes a “scholarly” title that hooks the reader’s interestincludes an engaging introduction section that successfully guides the reader to the thesis includes a clear, concise thesis statement that could include the following: title & author of the novel + target audience + your opinion of the novel + specific criteria to support opinion [**in any order**]paper reflects intense audience analysis; need to be willing to critically re-read the novel includes appropriate criteria for a book review that supports your opinion and persuades target audienceincludes 1-2 pieces of supporting evidence for each criterion. Evidence includes examples, scenes, quotes, etc. from the novel [“shows” doesn’t tell by including descriptive language to re-create the details of the novel for the target audience]; avoid needless plot summaryincludes insightful analysis [“break it down”] of the evidence to prove the thesis essay contains a persuasive voice to convince the target audience of your claim; “visual stimulants”student shows expertise in regards to the novel’s contentpaper and paragraphs are logically organized to effectively present your claim to the target audienceincludes a strong, forceful conclusion that persuades your target audience to embrace your opinion; your conclusion will include a clear rating of the novel on a scale of 1-5 [5 being the best]essay reflects a mature and effective style [i.e., sentence pattern variety, college-level diction, etc.]development of ideas to 6+ paragraphs follows the conventions of written English [i.e., free of repetitive grammatical errors]NO outside research; paper is based on your personal evaluation of the noveluse of second person references is acceptable [NO 1st person references]Please feel free to stick around after class, meet with me in my office, or reach me by email [robert.nazar@chaffey.edu] if you have any questions or simply wish to talk about the writing process. This essay is worth 15% of your semester grade, so give it your best effort. ................
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