ENG3U ISP 1 of 3

ENG3U – INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT

The focus of your ISP is to read and analyze two (2) novels that are of appropriate breadth and
language for a for a University-bound student. To demonstrate your analysis, you will complete four (4)
separate novel-based tasks. Each task builds upon your previous literary experience. This project is
ongoing throughout the semester and will be completed prior to the end of May.

Focus Task Due Date Weight

TEXT #1 1. Book talk, with supporting Oct. 31 6%
Published before 1970 notes, connecting to a literary
lens

TEXT #1 2. Short essay on theme (2 SEEEC due 6%

Published before 1970 pages, 500 words in length) Oct. 24
connecting to a current event Final due Oct.
or issue 31

TEXT #1 and #2 3. Making connections work SEEEC due 5% of ISP

#2 - Published after 1970 and at package (thesis and three Nov. 21 Final
least 20 years distant from text points) Final due Nov.
#1 28

TEXTS #1 and #2 4. Final formal comparative SEEEC due 10% of ISP

literary essay on one of theme, Dec. 12 Final
character, style, genre Final due
development, or use of a lens Dec.19

For suitable novels, consult the ISP 3U Reading List on permanent file in library. Non-listed texts may
also be read with the prior approval of your teacher. NOTE: Two or more works by the same author,
serialised works, or previously read works are not eligible.

All ISP materials, other than rough-work, must be typed and submitted to Google Classroom on, or
before, due dates. In addition, print copies must be provided to the Mrs. Stewart on, or before, due dates.

The final essay must be submitted to Google Classroom AND Turn-it-in (through E-Learning; use your
usual log in and password) AND a print copy must be given to Mrs. Stewart along with any rough work
on or before the beginning of class on Dec.19.

All tasks must be completed PRIOR to the submission of the final essay for the final essay to be
considered, evaluated, and form part of your grade. No exceptions. NO EXCEPTIONS!
 ENG3U ISP 2 of 3

TEXT #1 (PRE-1970) NOVEL TASKS

The response to your first novel is divided into 2 tasks. Their purpose is to allow you to think through
the novel, apply critical analysis, and prepare the groundwork for your formal comparative essay.

TASK 1: BOOK TALK (5-7 minutes in length)

 Analyze your text through one (1) of the Literary Lenses covered in class. NOTE: You cannot use
Reader Response Theory for this.

 Choose one (1) of the quotations provided below and use it as either a springboard for your analysis or
to support your ideas. Your task is to illustrate how the lens and the quotation tie together in your text.

 Include an additional two (2) quotations from your novel as support for your analysis. Be sure to
properly cite page numbers.

 During your oral presentation, it is important that you focus on deconstruction of the text and critical
analysis and avoid simple plot summary. Remember, you are looking at the text through a specific lens;
maintain your focus.

 You must type and hand in your notes one day before presentation.

Quotations for Oral Component

➢ “You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with
courage and with the best that you have to give” – Eleanor Roosevelt

➢ “Temper is a weapon we hold by the blade.” – James Matthew Barrie

➢ “For what does it mean to be a hero? It requires you to be prepared to deal with forces larger than
yourself.” – Norman Mailer

➢ “Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right of using strength…” – Henry Ward Beecher

➢ “To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.” – Bernadette
Delvin

➢ The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience,
but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

➢ “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.” - Edmund Burke

➢ “Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad in human nature
than what is good.” – (Anonymous)
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➢ “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.” - Christian Lous Lange

➢ “The measure of a man is what he does with power.” -Plato

➢ “I believe the root of all evil is abuse of power.” - Patricia Cornwell

➢ “You must take life the way it comes at you and make the best of it.” – Yann Martel

➢ “In a dark time, the eye begins to see…” – Theodore Roethke

➢ “No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.” – Guinean Proverb

➢ “Conformity is that jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” – John F. Kennedy

TASK 2: WRITTEN COMPONENT (2 pages, 500 words in length)

 Once you have finished reading your first novel, identify a theme you wish to explore. Make sure that
your theme does NOT overlap with the lens you chose for the oral component.

 Find two (2) print sources that have a clear connection to your novel and theme. The articles must be
of a length and academic depth appropriate for use in a 3U course (see teacher for approval if you are
unsure).

Appropriate print media includes: The Globe and Mail, The Post, The Toronto Star, Maclean’s, The
Walrus and The Montreal Gazette. If you wish to use another source, please get approval from the teacher
to ensure academic appropriateness. Blogs, Twitter, Wikipedia, etc. are not appropriate.

 Using your 2 articles, your task is to demonstrate how the articles inform, underscore, extend, or
clarify your understanding of your novel and theme.

The connections you make should be analytical in nature; they should not be based on plot. You must
clearly explain how the two articles connect to the novel and how the information in the articles adds to
your understanding of the novel.

To do this, find a minimum of three (3) quotations, one from each article and one from your novel, up
to a maximum of six (6) quotations, two from each source. These should be different from the
quotations used in the oral component.

 You must properly cite all quotations (MLA 8th edition format) and include a Works Cited page for
the articles and the text. You must submit printed copies of your two articles as part of your written
component. Highlight the sections of the articles which connect to your novel.