For our final blog, please write a personal analysis of one of the four books from this concluding section of the semester: Into The Wild; Wild; Parable of the Sower; Song For a New Day.
This last blog should be driven by a thesis or main idea that promotes your central interpretive theme regarding the America you discover in one of these texts; you should be especially sensitive to what these texts teach you about yourself. This main idea should be supported by short, direct quotes from the book you choose to write about. And all this should be connected to the young adult citizen of America or the world that you are becoming.
Keys to success:
1. Does the blog make a point, have a thesis, or at least a main idea?
2. Does the blog support its point with direct evidence (quotes or anecdotes) from the texts?
3. Does the blog show the reader’s genuine response to the text/topic by interacting with an American issue the text raises?
4. Does the blog show the writer’s personal investment by relating the reader-response to the student’s real life, with concrete personal stories or examples?
5. Does the blog comment on or fulfill course objectives related to looking for America, to American diversity and values as these are expressed through literature?
6. Does the blog meet the deadline as well as minimum word-length requirement (1200 words) and not go too far past the suggested maximum (1500)?
7. Does the blog avoid restating or summarizing book or course content by responding to the specific ideas or themes for that specific blog?
8. Does the blog avoid plagiarizing?
9. Does the blog have an original title that reflects the student’s creativity?
10. Does the blog freely express at least one personal opinion the student has about the content of the text?
