Honors Junior Literature and Composition

Midyear Assessment

Part One: Evidence Collection and Rationale

For each of the following skill areas, choose one writing assignment from this semester that
illustrates proficiency in the skill. For example, your thesis from your American Dream essay
could be applied to “Thesis.” Then, in 2-3 sentences, explain how your evidence shows
proficiency according to the rubric.

You must reference at least TWO writing assignments for this portion of the reflection.

List of writing assignments

Major:
American Dream Synthesis Essay
The Great Gatsby Symbolism Paragraph
The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis Essay

Minor:
The Great Gatsby - Anticipation Guide Reflection
American Dream Carousel Reflection

Provide direct examples from your writing over Semester 1 for each of the following skills:

Thesis: establishes a topic and a claim

Standard: W11-12.2.a: Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information
so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole

Example: The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis Essay

“The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott. Fitzgerald, portrays the 1920s in a pessimistic manner
because the character’s aspirations and use of wealth were dishonorable and never fulfilled
what they truly wanted.”

Explanation: My thesis from The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis Essay was very strong
because it highlighted the topic of the essay, (how it portrays the 1920s in a pessimistic light),
and provides complex ideas, such as the character’s aspirations for wealth and use of wealth
were not fulfilling or honorable. I purposely wrote the main ideas of the thesis in a broad way
to be able to connect the different topics of my body paragraphs back to my thesis. In past
essays, I’ve struggled to make my argument clear and consistent throughout the paper, due to
a poorly structured thesis that was too specific. In this essay, I feel as though I effectively
described my argument and theme of the essay.

Evidence: textual evidence and/or scholarly articles that clearly relate to the thesis

Standards:
W11-12.2.b: Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts,
extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples
appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
R11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text
leaves matters uncertain

Example: American Dream Synthesis Essay:

In a news report produced by ABC News, they interviewed Pennsylvania firefighter, Chris
Smith, about his work life. Chris notes, “three nights of February, I get to sleep in my own bed.
Every other night, I’m working somewhere overnight” (Godwin/ABC News).”

Explanation: In my revised American Dream Synthesis Essay, I worked hard to choose

specific and clear evidence that elaborated and illustrates my thesis and topic sentences. My
topic sentence argued that the American Dream has become less accessible because many
jobs do not provide sufficient wages. By referencing an exact example of an American with
regards to his hard work life, it adds an emotionally provoking element to my work, which I
believe can be more impactful that a statistic. The specific quote I chose effectively
highlighted the magnitude of the wage problem because he explains how he needs to have
multiple jobs in order to support his family. My textual evidence in this essay was very specific,
yet connected and helped me expand on the ideas in my thesis.

Analysis/Synthesis: explains how evidence supports the thesis and how texts relate

Standards:
W11-12.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.
R11-12.2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over
the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a
complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.

Example: The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis Essay:

Quote:
Her reciprocated unloyalty humbles him, but it also emphasizes the lack of love and respect in
their marriage. The dynamic of multiple affairs going on confirms that no amount of money or
success can buy true love and loyalty. Instead, it ignites an endless cycle of greed and mistrust.
In The Great Gatsby, relationships are used to elevate one’s social status which are highly
superficial. Fitzgerald uses Buchanan’s marriage to depict wealth and success as bribery for
relationships during the 1920s.

Explanation: In The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis Essay, I highlighted the irony of Daisy and
Tom’s relationship in that they are both unloyal to one another. This example was an effective
synthesis of the two pieces of evidence, (one was revealing Tom’s affair, the other was
revealing Daisy’s affair), because I connected both of them back to the thesis which argued
that the careless relationships in the novel portrays people of the 1920s to be superficial and
focused on social/financial status. I examined the dynamic between the two pieces of
evidence and further elaborated on how this proved my thesis of many characters being
superficial. I also connected the ideas from the evidence back to my thesis, that many of the
characters were never fulfilled in life despite the wealth and success they acquired through
marriage.

Fluency/MLA Style: quote integration, in-text citations, etc.

Standards:
 W11-12.2.c: Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of
the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
W11-12.2.e: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the
norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
W11-12.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Example: American Dream Synthesis Essay:

College has become extremely unaffordable over the years, leaving most students no choice
but to take out loans. According to an article from Forbes on the impact of student loans on the
American Dream, young Americans are unable to find financial independence, so their own
parents are “putting off retirement, opening back up their homes to their children way into
their twenties” (Girouard).

Explanation: In my revised American Dream Synthesis Essay, I worked to give context to my

sources and use different styles of integrating them into my writing. In this example, I
explained where my source was from and what it was going to show. I fluidly integrated my
quote by starting the sentence and finishing it with the evidence.

Part Two: Narrative Reflection

Requirements:
2+ pages
Reference at least TWO writing assignments
Double spaced, Times New Roman
Proofread for spelling, grammar, mechanics

In two pages (or more), reflect on the following:

● Strengths in your writing over Semester 1
○ Which skills have you developed?
○ Which skills have you improved upon?
○ Which piece of work exemplifies your skills?
● Areas for further development
○ Which skills do you still struggle with?
○ Which piece of work can you reflect on in order to show where you have room to
improve?
○ What are your goals for Semester 2? (consider your areas for improvement, or
other language skills you want to work on, such as vocabulary development or
sentence structure)
○ How can you achieve these goals over the course of the year?
○ In what ways will working on these skills strengthen your writing overall?

Please start your essay on a fresh page below.

Sabrina Butler

Mr. Pace

C Block

January 18th, 2023

Narrative Reflection

Over this semester, I have greatly improved my writing skills overall, specifically in the choice

of evidence and the analysis of that evidence. I’m still working to improve my synthesis of two

pieces of evidence, having a clear and consistent argument throughout my whole essay, having

smoother transitions between ideas, and less abrupt integration of evidence.

In regard to my strengths and improvements with the choice of strong, effective evidence and

analysis, I believe that The Great Gatsby Symbolism Paragraph and The Great Gatsby Literary

Analysis Essay highlight these skills. In The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis Essay, I chose

quotes that were open to interpretation but analyzed them from the perspective of my argument.

For example, I use a quote that describes how Gatsby acquired numerous medals from his

participation in WW1, “‘Orderi de Danilo,” ran the circular legend, “Montenegro, Nicolas Re.”...

“Major Jay Gatsby… “For Valour Extraordinary’” (Fitzgerald, 67). This quote can be open for

interpretation, one can spin it in a way that he was bragging, but I explained how his endless

hunger for success was driven from a place of emptiness and lack of identity. In my analysis, I

effectively explained the significance of his attainment of medals, and further explained the

symbolic element of the medals, as he “seeks fulfillment through external rewards, such as

medals, money, and then, of course, his love interest, Daisy”. By connecting it to a broader,

deeper idea, it shrinks his whole purpose down to a single problem: him being forever

unfulfilled, which was a main part of my thesis. Furthermore, in The Great Gatsby Symbolism

Paragraph, I also deeply analyzed my evidence and the symbolism behind it. For instance, I
referenced the end of the book where Nick reflects on Gatsby’s unique admiration and

attachment to the green light. In my analysis, I explain how the light metaphorically and literally

guides him to his ultimate goal of getting Daisy back. I made this analysis deeper by connecting

it to a broader concept of the American Dream. I explained how the light “served as a reminder

to keep searching and pursuing his dream of finding Daisy” and how this can apply to readers

and their individual pursuit of their goals and aspirations: “For other Americans, they might have

something else that serves as a guide or role model in achieving their dreams”.

In regard to my weaknesses and areas for improvement in the synthesis of two pieces of

evidence, having a strong argument throughout my essay, and being smoother with transitions

and integration of evidence, I think that my first American Dream Synthesis Essay highlights all

these flaws. I did not synthesize my evidence whatsoever, and my evidence was very abrupt. I

failed to introduce my sources or give context to the evidence. However, in my revised American

Dream Synthesis Essay, I worked on these weak points and this is where I made it a point to

introduce quotes and explain their significance to my topic sentences. I still have trouble

effectively connecting two pieces of evidence together and how they contribute to the

development of my body paragraph claims, so next semester I plan on improving this skill by

making a list of the main points from each piece of evidence and see where they overlap so that I

can explain this connection more clearly. For example, in The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis

Essay, I tried to synthesize two pieces of evidence, (one explained how Al Capone became very

rich from bootlegging, and the other was a quote from the Great Gatsby that referenced

Wolfsheim and his wealth that was also acquired through illegal activities), but it was very

ineffective as I just stated that both the sources “confirmed” how the illegal sales of alcohol was

a profitable business. This did not explain the significance of the evidence in regard to my topic

sentence, which stated that Gatsby’s wealth and success were not honorable and therefore

depicted the 1920s in a poor light. I failed to connect my evidence back to my thesis which

explained how many characters were unfulfilled even with the abundance of money and success.
I also plan on improving and expanding my vocabulary because with the help of my dad and

thesaurus, I was able to find better words to describe and elaborate on my ideas, but I would like

to be able to do this more effectively and independently. I think with a broader vocabulary, my

writing will be more fluent and concise.