5.2: RESEARCHING A NOVEL Select a novel written by an American author and begin to prepare a research book report. PORTFOLIO 5.2: BOOK REPORT Along with writing a journal in this lesson, you will also complete a research book report that will be turned in with your journals in portfolio 3. You will select a novel written by an American author. There is a suggested reading list in Appendix G, but you are not required to select a book from that list. However, the author must be considered an American author. Once you have chosen and read the book, you will begin to write your book report. Keep the following guidelines in mind as you choose your book and start reading. You will want to write the first draft of your report before lesson 10 where you will be reminded of the requirements for the book report to submit in portfolio 3. The report itself will have four separate parts, and each part will be labeled. The four parts are as follows:     Part 1: A summary of the novel, including the main characters, setting, plot, and major conflicts (1 page) Part 2: A brief biography of the author (1 page) Part 3: An explanation of how the author and his or her novel have impacted American culture (1 page) Part 4: A discussion of the question: Can this novel be considered a timeless American classic? Why or why not? (1 page) Let’s look at each of the four parts individually. Part 1: A summary of the novel, including the main characters, setting, plot, and major conflicts. A novel summary must include an explanation of who the main characters are in the novel, what the setting is (remember that setting includes time and place), what the major conflicts are in the book, and a description of the plot. Of course, you don’t have to explain every specific detail of the book, but you do need to discuss the main events. This part needs to be one page minimum. Part 2: A brief biography of the author. The biography should be brief. While you don’t need to go into as much detail as you would if you were writing a research essay on the author, you do need to cover some basic information, such as life events (birth, death, marriages, schooling), interesting facts, the author’s writing career, and any information that provides insights about the author as a person. You will need to properly cite all the information you use from sources of information on the author found on the Internet, in books, magazines, or other resources and include a works cited page. For more information on MLA citation, see Appendix F. Remember that plagiarism is using seven or more words from a source without citing where the information came from. This part of the assignment should be a one page minimum. Part 3: An explanation of how the author and his or her novel have impacted American culture. This part will require you to do a couple of things. First, you have to determine for yourself what American culture consists of. Then, you have to decide how the author has impacted it, if at all. You might want to consider thinking about what was happening in America during your author’s writing career. For example, if a novel came out in the nineteenth century, then the novel might have had more of a cultural impact than if it had come out in the twenty-first century. Again, remember the page minimum. Part 4: A discussion of the question: Can this novel be considered a timeless American classic? Why or why not? First, in order to answer this question, you will first need to define what a timeless American classic is. Then, based on your definition, you will need to determine if your novel fits your personal criteria. Putting Your Book Report Together This is what you will be assessed on for this part of your book report.      This essay should be typed using Times New Roman font, size 12, double spaced, and regular 8.5 x 11 size. Your book report needs to be one .PDF file. You need to have a title page that includes the title of the book, the author’s name, and your name. The four parts of your essay must be labeled. Your rubric needs to be included at the end of your book report. You will find the rubric in the portfolio 3 instruction page. EMMETT TILL One of the most famous civil rights cases, the death of Emmett Till, has become a part of the nation’s consciousness. This case happened later than the others we’ve discussed, but still has strong ties to To Kill a Mockingbird. It also has a greater discourse than some of the other cases. It inspired a novel, a few non-fictional books, and at least two documentaries. In other words, there is a lot of research for you to do on this event. And that is what you are going to do. The first task you will need to accomplish is to watch one of two videos about the case. They are both excellent documentaries with very different flavors. You have the option of choosing between the two because the first one has some reenactments and images which are pretty rough. It would be a good idea to have your guardian watch it first or with you if you want to watch it. And, unfortunately, I have to ask you to ignore the comments, which include some rough language. Anonymity can bring out the worst in people, and these comments definitely show that principle at work. As you watch either one, think about these two questions. “What is the purpose of this video?” “What does the maker of this documentary want me to come away feeling?” “Documentary on Civil Rights” Video 1.1 Video1.2 “Emmett Till: The Untold Story” Video 2.1 Now that you’ve finished watching the documentary you chose, write down an answer to the two questions, making sure you can give two pieces of evidence for your answers right out of the video. Save that paper to add more answers to. The next genre for your research is articles. Read these two articles and answer the same questions you did when watching the documentary. Pay careful attention to how the authors handle the event. What is the author’s real purpose?   “The Ghost of Emmett Till” from the New York Times “The Lynching of Emmett Till” by Chris Crowe The final genre we are going to turn to is music. An extremely famous American song writer named Bob Dylan wrote a ballad about this event in 1962. Don’t focus so much on the images in the video as much as on the words of the song. Keep in mind the same questions, and watch for the evidence you will need to support your answer. “The Death of Emmett Till” by Bob Dylan ore in grThe discourse on racism and civil rights is too extensive to expleat depth here. There are also so many connections that could be made to To Kill a Mockingbird that we could spend a whole class on it. This was an attempt to give you a feel for the society in which the book was created out of. Be aware that you will be tested on the historic events we’ve discussed. PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT 10.2: CENTRAL IDEA AND PURPOSE The central idea of a text and its purpose are interrelated. You can’t really separate one without the other. But two texts about the same idea can have very different purposes even if they have the same Central idea. Write a one-page paper which discusses the central idea and purposes of all three genres. How are they similar, how are they different? Please format and submit your assignment according to the instructions in the syllabus. Be sure to save your assignment as a .doc or .PDF file.