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Expository Essay Assignment Instructions
Topic – An archetypal analysis of Amir’s character transformation through the hero’s journey.
Essay Question – How does Amir’s character change from the beginning of The Kite Runner, when he is at status quo, to the resolution, when he completes his journey with a renewed status quo? In addition to the status quo and the resolution, refer to three of the other stop points from the hero’s journey that reveal transformational moments in the story for Amir’s character.
Essay Structure Outline
Introductory Paragraph
Lead
Plan of Development
Thesis
Body Paragraphs (THREE body paragraphs are recommended; for EACH body paragraph repeat the structure below. That means you will have a total of NINE Point-Proof-Comment (PPC) structures total.
Topic Sentence
Point 1
Proof 1(direct quotation, cited using MLA format)
Comment 1
Use a transition word or phrase to connect PPC 1 to PPC 2
Point 2
Proof 2 (direct quotation, cited using MLA format)
Comment 2 
Use a transition word or phrase to connect PPC 2 to PPC 3
Point 3 
Proof 3 (direct quotation, cited using MLA format)
Comment 3
Concluding sentence for this paragraph, which uses a transition to connect to the next body paragraph.
Concluding Paragraph
Restate the thesis in a new way
Briefly summarize the points from each body paragraph
End with a concluding sentence or two that draws a meaningful conclusion. In this case, how has Amir’s character changed on his journey?
Length – 3-4 pages double-spaced, or about 750-1000 words
Format – MLA (check title page and page numbering format)
Works Cited – You will have only one entry for your Works Cited. This will be The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. If you use AI as a tool to generate ideas and help with outlining, this should also be documented on the Works Cited.
On the next content page, some essay writing resources are provided if you would like to review how to write an essay, essay structure, and MLA formatting guidelines.
Academic Integrity
You must include properly cited quotations from The Kite Runner as your proof or evidence.
You have learned about the psychological and the socio-economic approaches in Units 1 and 2. Now, you will write an essay about Amir’s journey in The Kite Runner, using the archetypal approach.
Recall reading about Carl Jung’s archetypes in Unit 1, Activity 1, where they were grouped with Sigmund Freud’s work as a part of the psychological lens. Some literary theorists argue that archetypes while having origins in psychology, can also stand alone as an analytical lens. For this essay, you will be working with the archetypes of The Hero’s Journey, as theorized by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Watch the Ted ED video below for a helpful overview of the hero’s journey. Watch the video once for an overview of the hero’s journey, and then watch it again a second time, thinking about how some of the stop points on the hero’s journey apply to Amir in The Kite Runner. What is Amir’s status quo? Does he get assistance? What is his departure? What is his renewed status quo at the end of the novel? For your essay, you will work with 4-6 of the steps you choose from the hero’s journey to apply to Amir’s psychological and physical journeys.
TED ED – What Makes a Hero? Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhk4N9A0oCA
You can use the handout in the link below to take notes on each of the 12 steps of the hero’s journey.
The Hero’s Journey TED ED Video Guided Notes: https://hcdsborg-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/babica2_staff_hcdsb_org/EX-5YrSnDPJApSb31xaqKCsB4KQxBVfyQkdXDfa2WXOYLA
Always keep in mind that the hero’s journey is both physical and psychological.
An important point to remember is that while a hero’s journey may be PHYSICAL (traveling to new places), at the same time, and even more importantly, the hero’s journey is PSYCHOLOGICAL. By the end of the hero’s journey, the hero has undergone a transformation or fundamental change in their personality or way of thinking about the world. They are NOT the same person they were at the start of their journey or story.
The link below is another resource handout that explains each of the twelve steps in detail:
The Hero’s Journey Handout and Chart: https://hcdsborg-my.sharepoint.com/personal/babica2_staff_hcdsb_org/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fbabica2%5Fstaff%5Fhcdsb%5Forg%2FDocuments%2FENG4U%2FTheHerosJourneyHandoutandChart%2D1%2Epdf&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fbabica2%5Fstaff%5Fhcdsb%5Forg%2FDocuments%2FENG4U&ga=1
After you have read about the hero’s journey and thought about how we, as readers, can apply it to Amir’s journey in The Kite Runner, please go to the next page for your essay instructions.

write an essay in which you argue that the way the word(PTSD) is being used in this context is actually code for something else more menacing. In other words, you need to explain why the word or phrase could be misconstrued due to the connotative and historical connection(s) to the word or phrase. 
o write an essay like this, you will need to research and then present the following:
The dictionary definition of the word
The historical use of the word
How the word is used in the context I presented and why that is problematic.
Why some people may disagree with your argument and why.
A thesis statement for this type of essay should contain the word you are going to define and what the focus of your argument will be. For example, below is a thesis statement for my “slave” example above.
The fact that the word “slave” was used to equate having to work hard while still getting paid versus the historical context of the word is inappropriate because the two meanings are not equivalent, and it does a disservice to those who endured slavery.
Note how I put the word that I am arguing about in quotes. You should do the same. Also, note how I gave a brief description of my reasoning which will, of course, be expanded on in the essay.
The essay should be structured as follows:
Introduction: The hook should be the sentence you are writing about from my list above in quotes followed by the dictionary definition. Then, you need to explain a little about the general idea of the topic.  The thesis statement should be at or near the bottom of the introduction.
Body Paragraphs: There should be four or more body paragraphs.
One to two body paragraphs should explore the historical context of the word and compare/contrast that to the dictionary definition.
One to two body paragraphs should look at how and why it is being used in the context I provided and why that is a problem.
There should be opposition as well. You can do this in a separate body paragraph that only focuses on the opposition position, or you can weave opposition arguments throughout your body paragraphs. Either way, you want to make sure to acknowledge and then refute the opposition’s position.
Conclusion: Finally, you will need to present a conclusion paragraph that wraps up your argument for why the word is inappropriate in the context (and possibly any context) in which it is being used in the statement you are writing about.
Essay Requirements:
Your final draft must be 1500-2000 words. Put your final word count at the end of the essay.
The essay must be in MLA format.
You need to highlight parts of your essay as follows:
Highlight the thesis and all of the topic sentences in light yellow.  That way I can see what you think is the thesis and which sentences you feel are the topic sentences, and then I can verify that.
Highlight all quotes, including citations, in light green. Direct quotes are often necessary and can provide a real impact; however, they should be used sparingly. An essay with too many direct quotes lacks development and will be marked as such. So, again, having that information highlighted gives a visual cue if you are using too many quotes.
Highlight all summaries, including citations,  in light blue.  I have you do this because one of the issues you need to be careful that you do not provide too much summary of a source.  You will need to summarize your secondary sources, and that is fine, but you do not want too much summary or it takes away from your ideas. Either way, highlighting in blue gives you an easy visual to see if you are offering too much summary.
You must use three to five legitimate secondary sources for your essay.
If you get your sources from the library database, they will be legitimate, but sometimes you will need to look beyond the database. When doing so, be careful that the source is reputable.
You cannot use Wikipedia, or any wiki, as a source. Also, general-subject encyclopedias are not allowed, but single-subject encyclopedias will be a great source for this essay.
Using any kind of essay writing website or Cliffs Notes-type source is not allowed.
Using any kind of AI or essay-generating software is not allowed.
Whether you summarize, paraphrase, or directly quote from a source, you have to cite where you got the information in the essay and provide a full citation of that source on the Works Cited page.
Make sure to properly cite your sources using MLA 9th edition
Actions
(this will open as a PDF) within your essay and include a Works Cited page. The Works Cited page starts on a new page and does not count toward the word count; however, it should be part of the document you create. In other words, if the actual essay ends halfway through page 5, you need to do the Works Cited on page 6.
Special notes:
Direct quotes are fine but should be kept to a minimum. Any essay that relies too heavily on direct quotes will be considered to lack development and will not meet the required word count.
In your essay, you can use 1st person (I, me) or 3rd person POV (he, she, they). However, you don’t want to use 2nd person POV (you, your) unless you are quoting someone who uses it.
Whether you summarize, paraphrase, or directly quote, you have to cite where you got the information in the essay and with a full citation on the Works Cited page. Failure to do this is plagiarism, so it is important that you carefully review your essay before submitting it to make sure you have cited everything that is required.