ELA 20 AP: A New Twist on To Kill Mockingbird Literary Essay

/40 Name: ______

Before you begin, you should skim through and read the “Easy A Essay” booklet.

Great. Now you can write an essay. Write an essay on To Kill a Mockingbird. It is due Monday. Have fun.

Just kidding! Why as students should you reinvent the wheel? If I asked you to write an essay on this book, you would Google it and pull pieces from random websites and create your own. There is nothing wrong with that, but it has been done.

Instead, spend some time on the internet finding an essay on TKAM. Seriously. Do not make one. Find one. It can be written about ANY aspect of the book, just as long as it is on TKAM. Using the knowledge you obtained from the “Easy A Essay” booklet, go through the following steps and answer the questions as you go. BTW, it is fine if some people use the same essay they find online. Their interpretations will be different. Also, do not pay money for one either. Find a free one. Free stuff rocks.

  1. Print off the essay (Your class time is NOT wasted because you don’t have access to a printer. Print it off for class on Friday, and move on to the other steps. Also, do not tell me you didn’t print it off because you do not have a printer. There is one in the library.)
  2. Highlight the thesis statement and the topic sentences (4)
  3. What is the thesis statement? Write it down please. (2)
  1. In your opinion, does this paper have a strong thesis statement? Why or why not? (2)
  1. How many topic sentences are there? (1)
  1. What is the purpose of a topic sentence? (2) (Look at the booklet if you are unsure what topic sentence is supposed to do or Google it).
  1. Are the topic sentences strong? In other words, do they do their job correctly? Why or why not? (4)
  1. Are there any quotations taken from the book or any other related articles that help prove this author’s point? (1)
  1. Do you think it would be wise to have quotations to prove a point within an essay? Why or why not? (2)
  1. Are there any noticeable mistakes in this essay? If so, list a few. It not, tell me it is perfect. (2)
  1. Using the rubric I have given you, mark this essay accordingly. (10)
  2. In your opinion, is this a good essay or not? Be specific. It is out of ten, which means you should at least tell me ten different things. (10)
  3. Hand in your assignment into the grey basket at the back. Have these questions first, then the rubric, and then the essay you printed off. Staple them together please.