Name
As part of our final assessment for The Things They Carried, you will be writing an organized three paragraph essay
modeled after Part Three of the Regents exam.
u r Task: Using at least two chapters from The Things They Carried, write a well-developed, text-based response
of three paragraphs. In your response, identify a central idea in the text and analyze how the author's use of one
writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) develops this central idea. Use three
quotations from the text to demonstrate how the author's use of a writing strategy communicates a central idea.
Guidelines:
Be sure to:
• Identify a central idea in the text
• Analyze how the author's use of one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device)
develops this central idea. Examples include: characterization, conflict, denotation/connotation, metaphor, simile,
irony, language use, point-of-view, setting, structure, symbolism, theme, tone, etc.
• Use strong and thorough evidence from the text to support your analysis
• Organize your ideas in a cohesive and coherent manner
• Maintain a formal style of writing
• Follow the conventions of standard written English
Brainstorming Central Ideas:
What are some things this book seems to be about? These can be lessons the book communicates to the reader, big
ideas about life we learn from the experiences of the characters, questions the book makes us ask about the world
around us...
Choose one or two of those ideas that seem the clearest to you. In the chart below, think of where in the book these
ideas show up. You may refer to any of your notes and any work we have done in this unit.
Idea What chapters we see that idea in
Example: Guilt follows soldiers even after "Speaking of Courage" and "The Man I Killed."
war
Brainstorming Writing Strategies:
Once you have some chapters to look at, start to focus on quotations from the text that support your centr
idea. Remember, you need three examples from at least TWO chapters. At this stage, gather more examples tha
you'll need in the end, and feel free to have examples that are of more than one writing strategy. You can narrow
down later, and choose your strongest examples.
Chapter Quote from the text Writing strategy
O
Outlining: Claim
Your claim should state the central idea AND the writing strategy you've identified. It could follow a format like,
"Tim O'Brien uses the writing strategy characterization to establish the central idea that friends get us through
tough times."
Outlining: Body Paragraph
You'll follow the format of ICE when writing your body paragraph. For each quotation from the text you've
by setting up the context, as always. You should mention the writing strategy, too. For example,
identified, start
"O'Brien communicates Norman's desperation in his depiction of the setting of this chapter as Norman drives
around and around the lake." You should refer back to your central idea in each "E"- "Norman's isolation in the car
shows that without his friends, he's not able to get through the tough time he's facing."
Choose the three quotes you'll be including in your essay, and practice ICE below.
Cite quote from the text Explain connection to central idea
Introduce with writing strategy
(O'Brien, p#).
