The Chocolate War Honors Extra Credit. All or nothing.18 points possible.

The student will need to check out the book by him or herself from the book room and be responsible for returning it.

The rubric must be stapled on the paper and the answers.

If the honors student chooses to do this assignment, it is an all or nothing assignment. If parts are missing, no credit will be given.

First, answer the following questions, then write the essay.

1.The first sentence of this book is "They murdered him." In what ways does this small sentence apply to the

book as a whole? Who is murdered, metaphorically, in the book? By whom?

2. There are no main female characters in this book, partly because Trinity is a boys' school. Yet the Trinity

boys often discuss girls. Jerry wishes he could talk to the girl near the bus stop. Janza watches girls as they

walk by, and Archie won't let anyone touch him except certain girls. What function(s) do you think girls play

in the novel?

3. Why do you think Archie is repulsed by human sweat? What do you think this says about Archie as a

person?

4. Archie's greatest strength is in exploiting other people's weaknesses. Why do you think Archie does this?

Why do you think he needs to manipulate every situation?

5. Discuss the significance of the title. Why is it a chocolate "war"?

6. Why do you think Jerry decides not to sell the chocolates even after his assignment is over? Have you

ever dared to "disturb the universe"? What happened?

7. How do you feel about how Brother Leon treated Bailey? At the end of the class Brother Leon says that

the students had allowed him to turn the class into Nazi Germany. Do you think this is a true statement?

Write a 5-paragraph essay on The Chocolate War. The following are some suggested topics for your paper. Choose ONE bullet or come see me.

1. Choose a character from The Chocolate War and describe how and why the character has or hasn’t changed in the novel and what this means to the story.

1How did Jerry change over the course of the novel? Were these changes for the better?

2Does Archie change from the beginning of the novel to the end? What does this say about him?

3What type of a person is Archie, Brother Leon, or Jerry? How does the reader know this, and how does it influence the story?

4Compare and contrast two of the characters.

2. Discuss the element of power in the novel and how it influences the characters.

1How does Brother Leon use his power and how does he react when this power is threatened?

2Who has the most power and how do they get and keep this power?

3How does power change Brother Leon, Archie, and Jerry?

3. Discuss the role of routine and change in the novel and the concept of “Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?”

1 How is Jerry in a routine, and what symbolic character seems to be point it out?

2 What happens when routine is broken by Jerry, in the school, by non-vigil members? What are the consequences?

3 What does Jerry learn by the end of the novel? Is he correct? Do you agree or disagree?

CATEGORY / 4-AboveStandards / 3-MeetsStandards / 2-Approaching Standards / 1-BelowStandards
Introduction -Attention Grabber / The introductory paragraph has a strong hook or attention grabber that is appropriate for the topic. (Strong statement, relevant quotation, statistic, or question addressed to the reader.) / The introductory paragraph has a hook or attention grabber, but it is weak, rambling or strays from the topic / The author has an interesting introductory paragraph but the connection to the topic is not clear. / The introductory paragraph is not interesting AND is not relevant to the topic.
Introduction -Thesis Statement / The thesis statement names the topic of the essay and outlines the main points to be discussed. / The thesis statement names the topic of the essay. / The thesis statement outlines some or all of the main points to be discussed but does not name the topic. / The thesis statement does not name the topic AND does not preview what will be discussed.
Body Paragraphs - Topic sentence / The topic sentence is clearly stated and is clearly proves your thesis statement. / The topic sentence is clearly stated and is related to proving the thesis statement. / The topic sentence is clearly stated but does not clearly connect to your thesis. / The topic sentence is unclear and does not connect to your thesis.
Body Paragraphs -Support for Position / Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, experiences) that support the topic sentence, all connecting back to your thesis. / Includes 3 or more pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, experiences) that support the topic sentence. / Includes 2 pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, experiences) that support the topic sentence. / Includes 1 or fewer pieces of evidence (facts, statistics, examples, experiences).
Body Paragraphs - Evidence and Examples / All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position. / Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position. / At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the author's position. / Evidence and examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained.
Body Paragraphs - Sources / All sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and cited correctly. / All sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and most are cited correctly. / Most sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and cited correctly. / Many sources are suspect (not credible) AND/OR are not cited correctly.
Body Paragraphs - Transitions / A variety of thoughtful transitions are used. They clearly show how ideas are connected / Transitions show how ideas are connected, but there is little variety / Some transitions work well, but some connections between ideas are fuzzy. / The transitions between ideas are unclear OR nonexistent.
Closing paragraph / The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader solidly understanding the writer's position. Restatement of the thesis statement begins the closing paragraph. / The conclusion is recognizable. The author's thesis is restated within the first two sentences of the closing paragraph. / The author's thesis is restated within the closing paragraph, but not near the beginning. / There is no conclusion - the paper just ends.
Sentence Structure / All sentences are well-constructed with varied structure. / Most sentences are well-constructed and there is some varied sentence structure in the essay. / Most sentences are well constructed, but there is no variation is structure. / Most sentences are not well-constructed or varied.
Grammar & Spelling / Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content. / Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. / Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. / Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distracts the reader from the content.
Capitalization & Punctuation / Author makes no errors in capitalization or punctuation, so the essay is exceptionally easy to read. / Author makes 1-2 errors in capitalization or punctuation, but the essay is still easy to read. / Author makes a few errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader's attention and interrupt the flow. / Author makes several errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader's attention and interrupt the flow.