English/Schwartz

Lord of the Flies Essay Assignment

We have explored Lord of the Flies, its symbolism, themes, characters, and language.  We’ve been looking into questions of psychology, moral development, and the very nature of human beings; are we civilized or savage?

Now it’s time to demonstrate your understanding of the novel as well as your writing skills.  You will write a well-developed and well-organized essay on the essay’s symbolism and theme(s); the precise topic/thesis will be your choice.  Options will be discussed in class.  See the outline guide (and take notes in class) for what elements to include in your essay, and see the rubric for goals for your essay (how your essay will be graded), including formatting guidelines.  In answer to the inevitable question (How long should it be?): long enough to do an excellent job!  Typically, 3-5 (MLA) pages is a good guideline to have in mind.  I would imagine that anything less would be insufficient to do an excellent job.

Writing is a process that must be learned and practiced; therefore, participation in the process is worth credit.  No final draft essay will be accepted without all process work completed.  However, because we will be working on and learning the process together in class, no points will be given for any process work not completed by the due date for each step (to be given in class); late work passes may not be used for process work.

 Assignment Components:

·         Complete, detailed outline (20 pts.)  _____

·         Rough draft (20 pts.) ______

·         Revision (peer/parent feedback and actual revision made between drafts) (10 pts.)

·         Final draft (100 pts.)  _____

Additional work will be done in class to review and develop writing skills.

Turnitin.com Requirement:

In addition to submitting a hard copy of your final draft and all process work, you must also submit your final draft electronically to turnitin.com, a Web site that screens for plagiarism (see your syllabus for a reminder of what plagiarism is, if necessary).  We all want to feel good about the hard work we’re doing on our essays, and this helps us to know our effort is being fairly rewarded!  There is a link to turnitin.com on Mrs. S.’s Web site, enrollment information is in your syllabus, and instructions will be given in class.  Essays that are not submitted to turnitin.com will not be given any points (as will any essays determined to be plagiarized).