MODULE 7

LECTURE: “Fantasy and Science Fiction”

READINGS:
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Read Introductions in The Riverside Anthology of Children’s Literature:
“Thresholds and Frontiers: Fantasy and Science Fiction pp. 807-813
The Velveteen Rabbit by Williams p. 824
The Little Prince by Saint-Exupery p. 826
Just So Stories: “How the Camel Got His Hump” by Kipling
The Borrowers by Norton p. 853
Charlotte’s Web by White p.880
A Wizard of Earthsea by Le Guin p. 900
The Hobbit by Tolkien p. 911
A Wrinkle in Time by L’Engle p. 935

PAPER #1 DUE: Critical Analysis of Tuck Everlasting or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.**

ASSIGNMENT #7:
Generate a test question using a quote from Tolkien or Le Guin. Do not use HOW in your question. Describe the ways that…..See me for some help on this

TEST #7: When you have completed reading the lecture notes and completed your readings from The Riverside Anthology of Children’s Literature, you may attempt the test. If you need clarification, please email me and ask questions. Using excerpts from the text, The Riverside Anthology of Children’s Literature, and the lecture notes, write a short essay in which you address the following questions. Be sure to set up a clear focus. Generate a strong, clear thesis using the prompts below. Use specific examples and excerpts from the text. Enjoy your writing!

1. In Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, there are a number of defining instances in which Harry realizes his powers. After a decade of abuse and mistreatment, he finally experiences self worth. Discuss several ways Harry Potter begins to understand himself as a powerful and valuable individual in the grand scheme of things and explain the significance of this new understanding to children readers. Use examples.

2. Winnie makes some difficult choices in the novel, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. Her decisions are important and relevant to her future. Babbitt demonstrates that children must ultimately be responsible for their own well being and that the choices they make determine a course. And we all must live with the choices we make. Describe the ways Winnie Foster leans to be responsible in making difficulty choices. (Ex: helping Mae, venturing outside her yard, making the choice to drink or not to drink in the eternal waters of the spring).

NOVELS: Get started reading Tuck Everlasting and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. When you are ready to begin your critical analysis papers, let me know and I will help you generate a clear direction, a strong thesis, and a plan for putting together a quality critical analysis essay.

PAPERS**: You will complete two critical analysis essays, each approximately 1500-2000 words (four to five double spaced pages, 12 point, one inch margins, MLA style). For each essay, you will turn in a well-developed thesis paragraph of approximately 250 words in which you treat a theme in the novel. You will complete one paper on Rowling’s novel, and one paper on Babbitt’s novel. Get started early in the semester to finish the reading. Begin by writing: ‘Rowling brings home the idea that…or the reader learns that’ or Babbitt, in Tuck Everlasting, relates the idea that….the reader learns from Winnie’s experience, that…’Let me know ways I can assist you in generating clear thesis paragraphs for these papers. See CRITICAL ANALYSIS on the website.

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