Tonight, write out your basic thesis statement and supporting ideas.  We will give one another advice on arrangement and flow of ideas tomorrow in class.

Quick reminders:

If you have chosen to re-write the essay from last Friday, the last day to turn it in is Monday, Sept 8th.

If you have not finished About a Boy, try to knock it out this weekend.  We will be writing over themes from John Donne’s "Meditation #17" and Simon and Garfunkel’s "I am a Rock" on Wednesday, specifically as applied to About a Boy.  We discussed these in class, but it would be a good idea to go over them once again (find Donne’s work here, Google "I am a Rock lyrics" for the song) before you finish the novel.  As you read and journal on About a Boy, it might be helpful to keep these questions in mind:

• Is "Meditation #17" reflected in the creation of the extended family at the end?
• Donne says "No man is an island," while S&G state "I am an island."  Do you see any characters in About a Boy thinking either way?  Does the character change his or her mind?
• In your reading of Donne’s writing, do you think he believes we have a choice to disconnect ourselves from everyone (like Will and Fiona do in the beginning), or are we able to create our own "island" like S&G try to do?  What does this mean for the characters?

Remember, these are just possible interpretations.  If you have other ideas or feel like you can support other interpretations, please do so.  Your essay will take the form of an answer to one of these questions.  Convince your reader that your interpretation is a solid one by using support (quotations) from all texts you choose to include.

If you have any questions about either last week’s or next week’s essay, please post a comment below or send me an email.

Enjoy your weekend.  Read outside!

I really enjoyed reviewing your drafts today.  This gives me a chance to see where you are as writers, and an opportunity for me to give you specific feedback.  As you finish your essays this weekend, keep these things in mind:

• Go over the handouts I gave you in class.  If you have any questions, or if an example is unclear, please post a comment and I’ll get back to you quickly.
• Turn in anything you write on.  I’ll only grade what you ask me to, but it helps me if I can see your thought process.
• Avoid summarization.  Each sentence should show your reader what you got out of the text, not how you would re-tell the story.
• Papers are never perfect, but work on it at least once more after you get everything down, even if only for 10 minutes.  Make sure your idea is clear and you’ve supported each major point with (cited) quotations from the text.
• Don’t worry about typing them unless you:
• Are unsure about punctuation, citations, etc.  (I will grade all on this, but my explanations are clearer when the paper’s clean.)
• Have really terrible handwriting.
• Feel that you are a poor speller.  (Please give me a copy of your handwritten draft as well if this is the case.  I do not specifically count off for spelling errors at this stage, but I would like to see where I can help.)

You can pick up your copy at Barnes and Noble on 41st (by AMC).  Begin reading as soon as possible.  We will be discussing the novel on Monday.

As always, if you have trouble getting a copy, please let me know.  We can work something out through the school or you can have one of my personal copies.  No worries.

As a reminder: We will be having a quiz over the first four chapters of About a Boy at the beginning of class tomorrow. The reading journals will be checked at this time, as well.