Today we worked on writing our responses to the ten quotes you picked out over the weekend.
Tomorrow: Bring the quote log to class (printed out) and we will colour code the quotes into categories and write the introduction.
Don't worry yet about how to write the essay.
At this point, your job is to do add inferences and connections to each quotation. The quote log is DUE tomorrow as we need to use it to write the essay but you will submit the quote log next Monday when the essay is due.
Tonight: Finish the quote log. It doesn't have to be typed. This is the place where you think, infer, make discoveries etc
Quotation Log Sample and Criteria (Follow the sample below and you'll easily achieve 100 marks on you quote log)
Sample Quotation Log Entry for The Catcher in the Rye
Topic: Alienation
“’Life is a game, boy. Life is a
game that one plays according to the rules’
‘Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it.’
‘Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it.’
Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where
all the hot-shots are, then it's a game, all right—I'll admit that.
But if you get on the other side, where there aren't any hot-shots,
then what's a game about it? Nothing. No game” (8).
This quotation is from Holden's conversation with Spencer in
Chapter 2. His former teacher is needling him about his failures at
Pencey; at this point, he lectures Holden about the importance of
playing by the rules. Holden rejects these rules because they do not
treat people fairly. Consequently, we understand his silent contempt
for adults, which is evidenced by the silent ridiculing and cursing
of Spencer that Holden hides beneath his nodding, compliant veneer.
We also see how alienated he
feels. He clearly identifies with those on the "other
side" of the game, and he feels alone and victimized, as though
the world is against him, revealed in the first chapter with his
stance on top of Thompsen Hill. At this point in the novel, Holden's
sense of disadvantage and corresponding bitterness seem somewhat
strange, given his circumstances: he's clearly a bright boy from a
privileged New York family. As the book progresses, however, we learn
that Holden has built a cynical psychological armor around himself to
protect himself from the complexities of the world, in particulary
hypocrisy, phoniness and sexuality.
181 words
Quote Log Criteria:
- 12 to 15 quotations, cited correctly and numbered 1-15.
- insightful responses which discuss the tone, imagery, ideas, diction in the quote
- at least one connection is made to another scene in the novel
- it is clear that this quote contributes to your understanding of the topic
- 125-200 words per entry
- The quotation log replaces a test. DO NOT use ideas from the web or you will receive a 0 on your log for plagiarism.
- You know how to discuss text. Do so on your own. Show what you have learned.
