To prepare you for the final in-class essay, you will write a book review about 1984. You will write a variety of non-stop writings that will help you complete the task. Use the information below to put the review together.
After you have finished reading the novel, you will be asked to write four separate non-stop writings (ten minutes each) about the it to prepare you for the book review. These are
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a summary (10 points) -- revise this to meet academic standards -- | |
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what worked well (10 points) | |
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what could have been better (10 points) | |
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your recommendation (10 points) |
There is no late work on these --on their respective due dates, either they are completed the day they are due, or they receive no points. Sorry, it's too late in the quarter to play "catch up."
All of these together will create a book review that adheres to the following format.
Audience Awareness: Elements of the Book Review
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A thesis is a must in a successful book review. As you know the thesis expresses
the main idea; it contains a fact and your opinion about that fact. The thesis is very
specific. In the case of the book review, the thesis tells the book's moral or theme.
Thus, for 1984, we could use this thesis: "Being part of community often means putting aside one's own desires." | |||||||||||||
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An introduction to contain the thesis is also needed; also remember to include the author and title in the introduction. See introduction help if you are unclear about introductions. The thesis should be the last sentence in your introduction. | |||||||||||||
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Once the thesis is established, it's time to add development and support. In the case of
the book review, you will have at least four body paragraphs:
You will now take the ten minute non-stop writings and turn them into body paragraphs. You should then go back and add at least one specific quotation from 1984 in each body paragraph to support your ideas. | |||||||||||||
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A successful report ends well. Look to the handout on conclusions if you are unsure about how to end your essay. |
If you learn this basic format, you will have an excellent model form for any book review you have to do in college, whether you are in Ecology 101 or History 560. Also, by breaking down such a large project into smaller tasks, you save much time and energy.
Read book reviews by other students.