“The man who has forgotten to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.”
–Robert Louis Stevenson
It is week ten, which means of course that we have just one week to completion of the quarter. Thus far you have been assigned a total of 6 essays due by today; the in-class final (8) and your short research project of 750 words remain (7). The in-class final is to be done in class (duh!) next week, not at home. So bring the short story copy I gave and see the film, but if you don't see the film no matter, for you can do the final on the basis of the story text alone.
I can look at drafts today of work in progress, time permitting, and review the documentation requirements and formatting of the Works Cited page. Rewrites and any outstanding assignments must be submitted by next week, too, our last class.
Again, next week a "final" of 500 words will assess key composition skills–grammatical sentences, unified and well-developed paragraphs, support for your thesis, and sound use of references, wth some direct quotation. This final, discussed more below, must be done by the end of class next week, and be done in class.
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Essay 8 Assignment: This last assignment builds on the skill practices and assignment goals of the past semester. The topic itself is story, and you will make use of the handout and film versions of the Van Doren Sterne piece "The Greatest Gift" ( iand It's a Wonderful Life). You are first to read the story and watch the film. We will discuss the piece after the reading and the various ways you might organize an essay that reports on what its author, Philip Van Doren Sterne, strove to express.
You do not have to summarize the entire contents of the story. You do not have to include the Work Cited element at page bottom. You are asked to give a brief overview and pull together what you consider the most interesting points for discussion and personal comment in the course of developing this essay. You must have a thesis point, your own considered opinion, on the story told, including theme, plot, character, setting, imagery, and so on. So the reading selection should serve as a springboard to an essay about the story's elements and/or central theme. The themes of a story are aways contained within or given life by the working parts (plot, character, setting, imagery, etcetera). You are to introduce the text (and film, if referencing it) appropriately (title, author, date) and quote from it on several occasions in developing your thesis idea.
Title your essay.
Any questions, call me over.
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