Thought Response #5

Mark Twain uses Tom Sawyer as a touchstone character in Huck Finn.  A touchstone character is one whose presence is meant to illustrate a change within the novel , generally to show some change within another character.  Take a look at those scenes at the beginning and the end of the novel where Tom Sawyer appears—is there a change in Huck Finn?  If so, use evidence from the novel to show this.  If not, argue why not, explaining your viewpoint using evidence from the novel.

Remember that your response must include quotations from the novel in order to be eligible for a grade better than C.  Start with a brief introduction stating your viewpoint on the question (this will be your thesis).  Then make sure that your body paragraphs have topic sentences that give support your thesis and frame your argument.   A lack of topic sentences will again make the highest possible grade a C.

Due date:  Thursday, November 19, 5:30 pm

Accepted late for credit until Thursday, December 3, 5:30 pm

Accepted for course eligibility requirements until Thursday, December 10, 5:30 pm

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Rules for Thought Responses

  1. Your paper should be at least one (1) page long, double-spaced, one-inch margins, using a font no smaller than 12 point Times New Roman.  Papers not formatted to this specificity will be considered late.
  2. Papers may be sent to my e-mail address if sent via attachment in an “rtf” or “doc” format.  Papers sent by attachment that cannot be opened are considered late.  Please note that I much prefer hard copy.
  3. Papers submitted in class should be stapled. 
  4. A name should be handwritten or typed on the paper—this can be within the top margin.  Please put your name on your paper even if you submit it electronically.
  5. The paper should be proofread for errors of standard edited American English.  Errors may be corrected neatly on the submission if you find them as you are sitting in the classroom.
  6. Please follow the quotation rules at the following site while writing:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_quote.html

Papers that deal with texts (not movies) must include quotations in order to earn a grade higher than C.

  1. Plagiarism—A paper using this assignment that is plagiarized has to be in the form of intentional plagiarism (either having someone writing it for you or getting it off the Internet or from a paper mill).  This type of plagiarism will result in class failure and a report to the Student Conduct Officer.  Use of sources is discouraged on this paper; if you feel compelled to use sources, please use MLA documentation.  For quotations from our text, please refer to page number (if you are using a different edition than what is available at the bookstore, then include a bib entry for the edition).