Lit Analysis Paper Topics - Great Exp and Huck Finn

[April in CA]

Hello Christy and Literary moms everywhere!
I am not leading the discussions for these novels for our co-op, so I haven't been reading the novels with my sons. However, I do need to assign some lit analysis papers during this semester (we haven't done any papers yet this year for literature) and I need some help coming up with ideas? Any thoughts? Are there keys points such as characterization or other types of artistry that seem particularly suited to these works? My guys are 9th and 11th grades, and they will both be writing papers, so I would like to have different topics for them to address. Since I am asking, how about poetry? (grin)
Thanks for your help!
Blessings,
April

[cjsomerville]

Hi April! I think there are a number of suggestions for literary analysis paper topics at the beginning of either the Week 23 or Week 24 class plan. :-) If those don't work, let me know and I'm sure I can suggest a few more!

Christy

[April in CA]

Thanks Christy,
I found the topic suggestions at the beginning of the teachers notes for week 23. Good suggestions! Do you think it would be a good idea to assign a compare/contrast paper for Great Exp and Huck Finn? (I think I will need to assign something like that - I am getting some heat from our umbrella school regarding not enough papers for honors english...although when my sons are supposed to get them all done is another matter - maybe if they give up sleep entirely!?) Any ideas for me - please, please, please...

Do you know what other lit papers are going to be assigned/suggested in unit 4? This is going to sound so lame, but can you tell me what papers I missed in units 1 and 2? I know there was a poetry paper suggested somewhere, but I can't remember when it was. Thank you for helping out a stressed mom.
Blessings,
April

PS, I'm looking forward to discussing poetry with you in a few weeks!

[cjsomerville]

Aw, April, you don't sound lame. You sound like you have a job that makes my job look easy. ;-) If I were you, I'd start with a literary analysis paper because that's just on one literary element in one book. In Unit 4 we assign a Literary Comparison Paper (Weeks 30-34) which would give you a chance to knock out that requirement. Other than that, there's pretty much nothing else suggested... except there was a literary analysis paper on poetry in Weeks 10-12 that you could apply forward to Week 27 if you wanted to... but that's the only thing I can think of. :-)

Does that help?
Christy