FOR LADY HAWKINS ONLY!!!!!
Essay Test: Why do you think Mr. Juster used so many puns and play on words in his writing of this tale? Use your literary terms discussed in Assignment 3, along with textual evidence, to explain your answer. Please use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. An essay is at least one paragraph in length, and each paragraph needs to be constructed properly.
Here is a reminder of how each paragraph should be constructed.
What follows in an anchor essay that you can review before writing yours on another essay topic for this novel. Read it carefully as many times as you see fit in order for you to get an idea of what yours should sound like. Take notes!
In Norton Juster's thought-provoking novel, The Phantom Tollbooth, we encounter Milo, a school-aged boy who is terribly bored with life and finds no purpose in learning until he meets some interesting teachers along the way. Mr. Juster establishes the theme of lifelong learning early in his novel when he states "he regarded the process of seeking knowledge as the greatest waste of time of all." (Juster 9) Early in Milo's journey, he meets the Lethargarians-curious creatures who blend into their environments and loiter all of their lives. They even have rules against laughter and thinking. He learns that he must think in order to escape the Doldrums. Late in the novel, Milo encounters the Terrible Trivium, a demon who specializes in wasting time with insignificant tasks that do not matter. This demon sets Milo onto the task of using a pair of tweezers to move a pile of sand that Milo cunningly figures out will take him over eight hundred years to complete. Juster continues the lesson of the importance of education with the introduction of the characters of Princess Rhyme and Princess Reason. "You must never feel badly about making mistakes as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons. . . it's not just learning things that's important. It's learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things at all that matters. . .whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way." (Juster 233) We all have to learn information that initially seems insignificant. We take steps one at a time to master complicated arithmetic problems or to comprehend the structure of a sophisticated college-level word. With the help of valuable insights as these and helpful travel companions, Milo used the gifts of words and his magic staff to help restore Rhyme and Reason to the Kingdom of Wisdom. The journey of life is meant to be paved with lessons and teachers who make our trip worthwhile and our path more enjoyable.
Rubric:
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Objective
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Exceeds
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+Meets -
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Approaches
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FFB
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Topic Sentences:
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TS is clearly stated at the beginning of the paragraph. TS previews main ideas.
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TS is at the beginning of the paragraph. Main ideas are not previewed.
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TS is attempted, but unclear.
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TS does not fit the rest of the paragraph or not written.
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Supporting Sentences:
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All statements are backed by strong evidence including quotes and support from the text.
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Most statements are backed by evidence.
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Evidence was attempted, but the correlation to the point being made was not expressed clearly.
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Hardly any support given or support contradicted what was stated in the paragraph or none given.
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Concluding Sentences:
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Final sentence draws all information together and leaves the reader with a firm grasp of your main idea. Key words used to create a title.
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Final sentence recaps information. Key words used to create title.
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Final sentence attempts to draw ideas together, but falls short. Key words used to create title.
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Final sentence is unclear or awkward. Key words are not used to create title. Concluding sentence is missing. Key words were not used for title.
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Writing Devices and Mechanics/ COPS
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A variety of writing devices add value to the content. No noticeable grammar or punctuation errors.
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Some writing devices were included. 1-2 grammar or punctuation errors.
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Writing devices are awkward. 3+grammar or punctuation errors.
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Writing devices used incorrectly. 3+ grammar or punctuation errors.Paragraph is poorly written and confusing. Grammar and punctuation errors are rampant throughout.
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