KINDRED CRITICAL ANALYSIS PAPER

Guidelines

BASICS

Please choose from the following essay topics. You will write a five-paragraph essay

(two pages typed) where you will critically analyze a character or theme in Kindred. Your essay must have a clear thesis, with solid reasoning backed by support from the

novel. Your final draft will include quotations that are properly cited.

ESSAY TOPIC 1

Select a character who appears throughout the novel (ie: Rufus, Dana,

Kevin, Tom, Margaret, Alice, Nigel, Carrie, Sarah). How does their environment (the antebellum South) affect/change them? Is it positive or negative? Refer to the novel and your S.T.E.A.L. charts to cite

evidence from the text.

ESSAY TOPIC 2

Locate a theme in the novel (ie: the innocence of childhood, the horrors of slavery, interracial relationships, the

power of education, etc.). What does this theme say about the novel and its

environment (the antebellum South)? How does it affect two characters? Refer to the novel and your S.T.E.A.L. charts to

cite evidence from the text.

DUE DATES

Your rough draft will be due on: Wednesday, April 9. <peer editing day>Your revised draft will be due on: Thursday, April 10. <conference with Ms. Cross>Your final typed paper will be due on Friday, Friday, April 11. <typing in the library>

REQUIREMENTS

typed double-spaced contain five paragraphs at least two pages in length each paragraph must have one quote clear and precise thesis

PAPER TOTAL

100 POINTS

RUBRIC

MYP-IB CRITERION

1. CRITERION A- ORGANIZATION2. CRITERION B- CONTENT3. CRITERION C-

MECHANICS/STYLE4. TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

ORGANIZATION

CONTENT

MECHANICS/STYLE

TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

THESIS

THESIS STATEMENT

The thesis statement expresses the MAIN IDEA of your essay, the

central point that your essay develops/supports in ONE

SENTENCE.

GENERAL TIPS:1. A statement that contains the essay’s topic and

point(s)

2. Gives reader a sense of what the essay will be about

3. Usually comes at the end of the introduction

4. Most thesis statements are only one sentence

5. Must be a complete sentence

6. Everything in the essay must support the thesis.

ROLES OF A THESIS

1.It can assert an argument, explain a topic, and/or analyze an issue.

2.It is specific in presenting the writer's position.

3.It limits both scope and topic of the paper.

4.It captures the reader's interest and focuses that interest on the topic.

ANALYTICAL THESIS STATEMENTS

An analytical paper breaks the topic down into parts, examines each part,

and determines how each part relates to the whole topic.

ANALYTICAL THESIS EXAMPLE An analysis of the character, Rufus, reveals a pattern of negative effects on an individual, from childhood to

adulthood, as a result of their environment.

Followed by supporting details!

THESIS DON’TS

1.Announce your thesis: “In this essay, I am going to tell you about Chicago and why you should go there.”

2.Cannot be a fact: Doesn’t allow you to prove anything because it’s already factual.

3.Don’t be vague: Words like “good,” “bad,” “right,” and “wrong,” don’t convey specific meaning.

THE WRITING PROCESS

A Review

STAGES OF THE WRITING PROCESS

1. Brainstorming/Prewriting2. Drafting/Writing3. Revising 4. Editing 5. Publishing

MAKING A PLAN

Review, evaluate, and organize ideas written in your pre-writing: Thesis statement Support Order Structure

INTRODUCTION

A.STARTLING STATEMENT, QUOTE, RHETORICAL QUESTION, OR A STATEMENT ABOUT THE WORK

B.AUTHOR, NAME OF NOVELC.THESIS

STARTLING STATEMENT

• Imagine being strapped to a tree for a public whipping…• No reading allowed; punishable by death!• Dogs are barking in the distance and danger is nearing.

QUOTE

• “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass

• “It’s nineteen seventy-six shielding and cushioning eighteen nineteen for me” (101). – Dana from Kindred

• “He had ordered all of us to watch the beating – all the slaves” (92). – Dana from Kindred, referring to Tom Weylin.

RHETORICAL QUESTION

• What would one do in this day and age if they were forbidden to read and write?• Have you ever considered how the white population of the antebellum South was able to live in luxury?• What does it mean when laws decide who can and can’t get married?

STATEMENT ABOUT THE WORK• Time travel is an interesting way to bring the modern reader into the environment of antebellum slavery.• The antebellum South is not as picturesque as some would believe.• It is a paradox when one travels back in time to protect the life of their ancestor.

THREE BODY PARAGRAPHS

A.TOPIC SENTENCE COMING DIRECTLY FROM THE THESIS

B.QUOTE SUPPORTING EXAMPLE WITH IN-TEXT CITATION

C.EXPLANATION OF IMPORTANCE OF QUOTE

D.SUPPORTING DETAILS

E. TRANSITION SENTENCE

A WORD ABOUT TRANSITION SENTENCES• Time• Place• Order of Importance• Comparisons and Contrasts• Conclusions and Summations• Cause and Effect

CONCLUSION

A.SUMMARIZE YOUR MAIN POINTSB.TAKE YOUR ARGUMENT

FURTHER BY STATING THE IMPLICATIONS OF YOUR ARGUMENT

EXPECTATIONS

Standard Written English Correct grammar and spelling Accurate information Logical presentation of ideas Followed directions of the assignment!!!