ENGLISH II
STEP ONE:
Read the novel referenced below:
- John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. This New York Times bestseller is readily available at nearly any bookstore or public library.
STEP TWO:
According to Margaret Talbot’s profile of author John Green entitled The Teen Whisperer (featured in the June 9, 2014 edition of The New Yorker), “like the best realistic Y.A. books…Green’s books were narrated in a clever, confiding voice…They displayed a youthfully insatiable appetite for big questions: What is an honorable life? How do we wrestle meaning from the unexpected death of someone close to us? What do we do when we realize that we’re not as special as we thought we were?”
Motivation for Writing the Essay:
1. Overall, look for examples in The Fault In Our Stars where Hazel Grace encounters these “big questions.” How does this character learn what it means to live an “honorable life?” Through which experiences does Hazel Grace “wrestle meaning from unexpected circumstances?”
Please make sure to take prolific notes on these ideas as you read the book. Compile a significant amount of specific evidence to make writing easier later.
STEP THREE:When you have finished reading and taking notes on the text, write a minimum three--page paper discussing the following:
- Write a thesis driven essay about John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Overall, attempt to offer this text as a “young adult” novel, exploring how Hazel Grace finds meaning and an overall place in sometimes a complicated and cruel world.
The paper must be written in MLA format, include in-text citations and a Works Cited page. This paper is due at the beginning of the school year. Come prepared with the completed essay on the first day of school. Turnitin.com information will be provided after school begins.
Refer to Purdue OWL or MLA handbook for MLA questions and example of format.