Writing+the+Assessment

Assessment

The assessment is the heart of the Banned Book Project. You have researched the issues involved with your book. You have read it yourself to form your own opinion. In the assessment, you share your expertise.

In the assessment you judge both the worth of the book and the validity of the arguments against it. You will offer your educated and reasoned opinion of the book’s worth. You should speak to what the book has to offer – or does not have to offer. Use your knowledge of literary analysis as well as your understanding of the value – or lack of – to the book. Tell your audience, which will be the readers of a fictional blog or website, whether or not the book deserves its reputation, be that reputation good or bad.

You will also want to support your assessment with outside material. Remember, you are the expert arguing for or against the book. You should have outside opinions of the book that support your opinion, or against which you may argue. You may draw upon outside sources such as literary criticism, published book reviews, court cases (or other rulings – a school board, for example), and/or other “expert” viewpoints. (See, for example, “The United States vs One Book Called //Ulysses//” in which the judge depended on the opinion of two “normal” readers.) Use what materials you can to convince the reader.

The use of outside sources means the assessment **must have** documentation. Use MLA in-text documentation and include a “Works Cited” page at the end that meets MLA standards. Give the assessment an original title and use the MLA heading.

The synopsis of the book is a separate piece, so you need not recount the plot of the book in your assessment. Focus on your argument.

The assessment should be approximately two pages.

The assessment will 1. be in MLA format throughout. 2. include some outside sources. 3. argue for the validity or invalidity of the arguments against the book. 4. present the reader with enough information to decide to read the book or not.