Close+Reading+Essay

// “Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.” – John Locke // // “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” – Richard Steele // // “The more you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss // ** Date Assigned : February 9, 2012 **
 * Date Due : Sunday, February 19 by 9:00 pm **
 * Point Value : 100 points **








 * [|How to Integrate Quotations Effectively]**

As evidenced in some of the quotations above, close reading is not just a thing thought up by English teachers to torture unsuspecting students or a way for English teachers to make up things that an author might have intended. It is a process to exercise the mind and to learn to appreciate and understand all the intricacies of our language. There are so many ways to say so many things; the more we read and understand, the more we can communicate and express.

As a final assessment for this unit on love, we will be working more closely on these skills of close reading and literary analysis. Your task will be to write an essay of **600 to 800 words in length** that thoughtfully addresses the topic below.

// Consider the three passages from the novel listed below carefully : // // By looking closely at the language Hurston employs, discuss the evolution of Janie’s character through each passage. How has love and experience shaped her into the woman she is at the end of the novel? //
 * // Passage 1 : Pear Tree Passage – p. 10-11 //
 * // Passage 2 : Rut in the Road Passage – p. 76-77 //
 * // Passage 3 : Sea and Horizon Passage – p. 191-193 //

We will spend some class time next week on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday doing some Writing Workshop for this essay. **By the time you come to class on Wednesday – you should have made some progress on your essay. I would like to see some combination of outline, notes on passages, and/ or first paragraphs written.**
 * OTHER NOTES : **

During Writing Workshop – we will focus on reviewing : > Visiting **the Writing Center or meeting one on one with me** outside of class during the course of your essay will result in 2 extra credit points being added to your essay score.
 * o Creating a strong central argument (thesis!) to focus your essay
 * o Creating clear claims for each body paragraph
 * o Choosing the best evidence to support your claims
 * o Crafting commentary that closely analyzes the language used in each passage