3AP—Language
and Composition Final Exam Prep Sheet — Spring Semester 2015
The Things They Carried Essay—100
points
Approximately
three pages
Synthesize and analyze
textual evidence from at least two of
the stories from Tim O’Brien’s The Things
They Carried to support a claim you make related to a prominent theme
addressed in those two stories. You must
also weave in analysis of at least three details from supplemental sources provided to you during our “reading and
research time” both before and during the exam. You should make
reference to at least 3 supplemental
sources throughout your essay—you may do so in your intro paragraph, body
paragraph, and/or conclusion. Make sure you bring your copy of The Things They Carried on the day of
the exam.
While “War” is the broad issue
connecting all of the pieces you will synthesize, work on crafting a precise
and nuanced claim about war which can be supported by your reading of The Things They Cary as well as your
reading, observation, and analysis of the supplemental works.
Supplemental
Sources
Video prior to the exam
Prior to the exam, take notes on the
film clips we watch and use those notes during the exam. The sources are the
following, and you must use at least one of these in your synthesis essay.
Platoon
Dear
America: Letters from Vietnam
Interview
w Tim O’Brien from the news hour (8 to 10)
Print and images you will receive on
the day of the exam
During the exam, you will also be
given a portion of a war poem, a letter, some non-fiction, a photograph and a
work of art. You must use at least one of these sources in your synthesis
essay.
Some
good advice on making an original and interesting claim
How To Be Original
Michael Barsanti
Michael Barsanti
The best
papers you can write for this class are ones that bring something new to our
understanding of the works we are reading and watching. The best papers will
try to teach us something we didn't already know, or will try to point out
something we might have missed after only one or two readings. You may protest:
"But smart critics have been writing about [insert text here] since long
before I was born, and besides, we've been beating [insert text here] to death
in class discussion for a week. There's no way I can say anything new or
interesting about [insert text here]." These statements are wrong and
unacceptably lame for at least the following two reasons. First, you're writing
for a community that is, for the most part, new to these texts. There are lots
of things your classmates do not know about them. Second, you come at these
works with a unique set of experiences and interests--those interests will lead
you to notice things in the texts that no one else will. The trick is to
identify those things and to develop them into an essay. I've written down some
brief thoughts on how to recognize and put to work original thoughts. Practice
and prosper.
1. Listen to the Texts. Many
people make the mistake of thinking that disliking something means they don't
have to pay attention to it. You have to pay attention to a text in order to
say anything original about it. If a text or a film angers or bores you, become
a connoisseur of anger and boredom. Develop a skill for expressing your
hostility through an accurate and detailed critique, instead of a blunt and
crude one. It's easier to pay attention to works you like, but it can be harder
to keep at a good observing distance from them. In either case, keep in mind
that just about everything you notice in these works is the product of a choice
made by an artist and can be analyzed. 2. Pay Attention to Your Reactions. As I've said before, most good papers start with a hunch, not a fully realized thesis. Most good papers start with... "I'm not sure why this is important, but it seemed strange to me that [fill in the blank]." It is imperative that you track down this hunch and write about it. While you are in pursuit of this strange thing that interests you, you may start to feel that you are B.S.'ing. This is perfectly normal and nothing to be worried about. Original thinking and B.S. are much more alike than you'd believe.
3. Think Small and Specific. Focus on the details and let the big issues take care of themselves. Writing about trees in The Piano is more likely to generate something original than writing about true love in The Princess Bride.
4. Be Patient. Don't expect to have something brilliant to say the instant you sit down at a computer. You need to take time to think, to plan, and most importantly, to write. Nothing generates ideas better than writing. A related rule: don't wait for a brilliant idea to come before you start to write. The ideas won't come, or if they do, they won't work after the first few paragraphs. Your thesis will change as your paper develops-- let it, and let the paper change again along with it. Do not assume that you will start with a master vision that will execute itself perfectly on paper and emerge fully intact 750 words later.
5. Develop an Intolerance for the Uninteresting and Insincere. Learn to recognize the moments where you don't mean what you say, but are saying it anyway just to complete the structure of your argument. Remember that what bores you is even less interesting to your reader.
