Literary analysis: to kill a mockingbird

things to do:

choose a prompt
draft your claim sentences
choose your quotations (evidence)
create an outline
write one body paragraph (feedback)
draft body paragraphs
write introduction and conclusion (yes, last! )
submit rough draft (4-5 paragraphs)

step 1: choose a prompt
to kill a mockingbird essay prompts

1) consider the following quote: “you never understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” to the book. when and with whom does this motif (a recurring idea that unifies a novel)prove to be true? what do we learn from those unique points of view? use specific evidence from the novel.

thesis starter: harper lee’s to kill a mockingbird has the reader consider things from another’s point of view and this motif proves to be especially true for the characters… or…the reader learns through the experience of….

2) discuss one of the following themes from the novel in your essay and how it affects the events in the novel by analyzing at least 3 significant moments in the text or three characters dealing with that theme. use specific references from the book. what does the book tell us about:
a. prejudice
c. courage
e. justice/injustice
f. racism

thesis starter: in in the novel to kill a mockingbird, harper lee presents the idea that courage is demonstrated by standing up for what is right, even though others may condemn one for it as seen in the scenes/

3) a recurring symbol in the novel to kill a mockingbird is the story atticus tells his children, “…it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” explain this metaphor and analyze the ways in which atticus finch, tom robinson, and boo radley are all metaphorically portrayed as mockingbirds.

thesis starter: in the novel to kill a mockingbird, atticus finch, tom robinson and boo radley are all metaphorically portrayed as mockingbirds because…

copy and paste your prompt choice here:

mockingbirds symbolize innocent beings that do not harm anybody and bring joy to those around them. they are also defenseless creatures that rely on the generosity of others to protect them. the characters of atticus finch, tom robinson, and boo radley could be considered symbolic mockingbirds because they display similar characteristics and meet the criteria of innocent beings.

step 2: thesis statement & claim sentences

part 1: thesis
now that you have a prompt and some ideas, it’s time to write your thesis statement--the building blocks of your entire essay (in other words, it’s very this statement should directly answer the essay question, stating a clear stance on the argument. you will both type your thesis below and submit it to a google form for grading/feedback.
resources for writing a thesis:
what is a thesis statement?
verbs to use

type your completed thesis statement here:

done
copy and paste your thesis into this form.
check out everyone else’s thesis sentence here.
part 2: claim sentences
we’ve discussed claim sentences before, but not in the context of an entire essay. remember, a claim is like the “mini argument” for your paragraph. it should be related to your thesis, but specific to the individual paragraph you are writing. for this essay, we already know the novel title, so do not put it in the claim, but we do need to know what you are proving in the paragraph.
resources for claim sentences
what is a claim?
first we need to gather our thoughts.
go back to step 2 (your freewrite) and brainstorm some specific examples from the novel that support your ideas. (you could do this as a list or a web or an outline.)

upload a picture of your brain storming.

now look over your brainstorming, what patterns do you notice? can you organize your ideas into two or three groups? (these will be your paragraphs).
how many body paragraphs will you have (at least two)?
what will each paragraph be about? : this doesn’t have to be written in a complete sentence!
body paragraph #1

body paragraph #2

body paragraph #3

body paragraph #4 (optional)
body paragraph #5 (optional

now it’s time to write your claim sentences.
the “r”

type your claim sentences here:
body paragraph #1

body paragraph #2

body paragraph #3

step 3: choose quotations

part 1: choose quotations to support each claim
for this essay, you must have a minimum of three (3) quotations from to kill a mockingbird to prove your argument. be sure each quote has a citation.
example: “quotation” (lee 89).

resources:
choosing & integrating quotations

use this chart to collect your quotations.
paste a link to your quote collection here: