You began to engage with sources in WP2, and you’ll stretch this in WP3 as you write about a whole book! This essay asks you to write about our class novel, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. You’ll develop an interpretation of the novel–your unique reading of the novel. Interpretation is arguable, so you’ll further practice your argument skills by asserting a claim and supporting it with good reasons and strong evidence. Plus, you’ll get lots of practice at incorporating lots of quotes from one source, which will prepare you to write extensively about multiple sources in your next essay, WP4.
Develop an interpretation of A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers by responding to the question below:
In what ways would our world need to change in order to reach the more equitable world of the novel’s setting?
To be considered for full credit, a successful essay will do all of the following:
Develop an arguable response to one of the two questions above. (Do not respond to both!)
Your essay should demonstrate the following skills:
A clear, arguable thesis statement that introduces your claim and line of reasoning.
Overall essay focus and thoughtful organization for a sense of coherence at the essay level.
Thoughtful and engaging introductory and concluding paragraphs
Because your whole essay responds to one text (Chambers’s novel), provide a brief summary of the novel in the introduction. Assume you’re writing for a reader who has not read the novel, and provide a brief overview to prepare the reader for your discussion. (Your introduction may be too long if it’s longer than the first page.)
Remember that the title is the first line of your introduction! Give your essay an original title that reflects on the thesis.
Include effective body paragraphs that develop your reasons and contain evidence.
Paragraphs should start with strong topic (key) sentences that introduce the paragraph’s main idea and situate the paragraph within your overall argument.
All of the evidence should be in the form of quotes/paraphrases from the novel.
Do not include other sources. This is not a research paper. Rather, I want to see what you think of the novel, and this answer cannot be found in research.
Quotes should be formatted according to MLA guidelines for in-text citation/integrating quotes, including a “lead-in” and “follow-up.”
Links to an external site.
Demonstrate that you’ve edited by including concise sentences with precise word choices, few errors, and an appropriate level of formality. Sentences should demonstrate cohesion with appropriate transitions.
Demonstrate evidence of a revision process. This means that your final draft should be significantly different than the first draft, in both the “global” and “local” elements, though it should be recognizably the same essay.
Include an MLA Work Cited page that cites the novel.
It must be between 1,500 words and 2,000 words. (Both the first and final drafts should meet the length requirement.)
