Essay Instructions: For this portfolio, you are to write a character analysis essay about the character Buck in the novel Call of the Wild. Use these 3 adjectives in the essay to describe Buck; strong, powerful, intelligent.
Whenever you use a quote that really shows how the adjectives you selected really suit the character you want to write about in your essay, be sure to include the page number in the story.
Portfolio Guidelines:
Your essay should include an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion (see below).
You must use at least one quotation (can be either dialogue or narration) in each body paragraph. Include the page number for each quotation and introduce the quotation properly. For example:
Early in the novel, we learn that Buck is a strong and healthy dog. ?One hundred and forty pounds, to which was added the dignity that comes of good living and universal respect, enabled him to carry himself in right royal fashion? (London 8).
Note the use of the lead-in phrase to introduce the quotation, the punctuation marks used (this includes quotation marks), and that the page number where the quote can be found in the text has been included in parenthesis at the end of the quote itself. In your actual essay, this sentence would also need to be surrounded with a bit of context to explain what was happening at this point in the story, as well as your personal commentary. Lastly, please limit your direct quotations to no more than three lines long.
The paper should be at least two pages in length, and should be formatted in MLA style (including in-text citations and a short ?Works Cited? list).
DRAFTING YOUR ESSAY
Introduction & Thesis Statement: In this first paragraph, introduce your character. Use a ?hook? to make your introduction more interesting. Clearly state the title of the novel (in italics) as well as the author?s full name in your introduction. (HINT: After giving the author?s full name in the intro, you can refer to the author by last name only throughout the duration of your essay.)
A strong introduction ends with a clear thesis statement which informs the reader what he or she will read in your essay. You must include a thesis statement in your essay?s introduction, being sure to include the character?s name and the three adjectives you have chosen to describe this character.
Body Paragraphs: Each body paragraph should focus on explaining ONE of the three adjectives that you have chosen to describe your character; strong, powerful, intelligent. (be sure to indicate in your topic sentences which adjective will be the focus of each paragraph). Each paragraph should be 5-8 sentences in length, so you will want to support your ideas with plenty of specific details from the text, including some quotations that clearly show character details. See Appendix A (below), which reviews the five most common characterization strategies used by authors, for some suggested starting points on where to look for good quotes.
Conclusion: Restate your thesis, but make sure you reword it. Provide some final thoughts about the character. This is the last paragraph your reader reads, so make it count!
EVALUATE & REVISE
Evaluate your essay and make revisions as necessary before submitting to U3, L9 Drop Box:
? IDEAS: Use specific, vivid, and detailed incidents and examples to support your thesis.
? ORGANIZATION: Use paragraph breaks to group like ideas together. Also, use transition words and phrases to show how ideas are connected.
? WORD CHOICE: Don?t use slang, common words (thing, stuff, etc.), or contractions (can?t, won?t, etc.) unless in a quotation. Word choice matters!
? VOICE: Write only in third person; don?t use ?you? or ?I.? Also, writing about literature should be done in the present tense.
? SENTENCE FLUENCY: Use sentence variety (simple, compound, complex), and watch internal punctuation to avoid run-ons and fragments in the body of your essay.
? CONVENTIONS: Run spell check, but remember that it won?t catch the usage errors (there/their).
? MLA FORMAT: TNR, 12-pt font, double-spaced, header, running header, and title, etc. Quotes include a citation and references are cited at the end of the essay.
