The Devil’s Arithmetic Essay Response

Near the end of the novel, Aunt Eva says “Remembering was too painful. But to forget was impossible.” Why is it important to remember? How does Hannah come to realize why it’s important to remember? In one or two paragraphs answer the questions being sure to include specific details from the story to support your response. (14 points) What questions must be answered in this prompt? How many paragraphs should probably be written for this prompt? Why?

Rubric ___/1Completed essay This was a freebie! If you wrote an essay response, give yourself a point.

Rubric ___/1Correctly written topic sentence(s) What makes a good topic sentence? The topic sentence should include the title of the text and the answer to the question. What is the title of this text? It is important to remember so that history does not repeat itself. What is the answer to the question? The Devil’s Arithmetic

___/1Correctly written topic sentence(s) It is important to remember so that history does not repeat itself. The Devil’s Arithmetic The story The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen shows us why it is important to remember the Holocaust. In the novel The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, the protagonist of the story, Hannah, struggles with understanding the importance of remembering. In the story The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen Hannah, the main character, realizes why it is important to remember what happened in the Holocaust when certain events occur.

Rubric ___/1Correctly written topic sentence(s) If you included the title of the novel, give yourself a half point (.5) If you wrote that this novel discussed the importance of remembering, give yourself a half point. (.5) If you did not identify the novel or the importance of remembering, give yourself a 0.

Rubric ___/1 Correctly written concluding sentence(s) What makes a good concluding sentence? The concluding sentence should summarize the main idea and bring the writing to logical and satisfying end.

___/1 Correctly written concluding sentence(s) Bring writing to logical and satisfying end. Summarize main ideas In conclusion, Hannah’s experience in the past allowed her to understand and realize the importance of remembering. Hannah eventually realized why it is important to remember because she had to face the awful truth. Hannah’s words can only mean that remembering is a way of preparing for the future, yet the knowledge can only be passed down if they remember the most terrible things of the past.

Rubric ___/1 Correctly written concluding sentence(s) If you included the a summary of the main ideas, give yourself a half point (.5) If your concluding sentence is logical and satisfying, give yourself a half point. (.5) If you did not summarize or satisfy, give yourself a 0.

Rubric ___/2 Answered all parts of the question Which questions must be answered? Why is it important to remember? It is important to remember, so we don’t repeat history. How does Hannah come to realize why it’s important to remember? By living through the horrors of the Holocaust, Hannah understands the importance of remembering.

Rubric ___/2 Answered all parts of the question If you explained that it is important to remember, so the past is not repeated, give yourself a point (1) If you explained that Hannah learned the importance of remembering by experiencing the Holocaust, give yourself a point. (1) If you did not answer either question, give yourself a 0.

Rubric ___/3 Included specific details to support the answer What are specific details? Specific details are exact examples and references to the text that help to explain the answer. Gitl sacrificed her food for the children so they had better chances of living. She is forced to live in harsh conditions. This includes her living in the barracks and having to sleep on a shelf, eating watered potato soup and dark bread, and using the same bowl to eat, bathe, drink, and “relieve” herself.

Rubric ___/3 Included specific details to support the answer Give yourself one point for each specific reference or detail you included. (1-3) If you did not include any specific details that help explain the reasons for your answer, give yourself a 0.

Rubric ___/3 Clearly explained how details relate to the answer What does it mean to explain how details relate? Specific details that are not explained mean nothing. It is the responsibility of the writer to explain how the specific details relate to the answer. All of this helps Hannah realize the importance of remembering which is the fact that if nobody remembers what happened during the dark ages of the Holocaust, the events that occurred could happen again. When Hannah saw Aunt Eva’s tattoo number, she made a connection and realized it was the same number as Rivka’s.

Rubric ___/3 Clearly explained how details relate to the answer Give yourself one point for each time you followed a specific detail with an explanation of how it relates to the answer. (1-3) If you did not include any explanation of details, give yourself a 0.

Rubric ___/3 Used correct capitalization, punctuation, grammar No errors (3 points) 1-2 errors (2 points) 3 or more errors (1 point) What should I look for? Is the title of the book correctly capitalized? Is the title of the book underlined? Are all character names capitalized? Do all sentences have appropriate end marks? Is the pronoun I capitalized? Are all sentences complete?

Rubric ___/3 Used correct capitalization, punctuation, grammar No errors (3 points) 1-2 errors (2 points) 3 or more errors (1 point) Count each error and use the scale to assign the appropriate points. (1-3)

Before you turn your graded essay in… What did you learn from this exercise? Was it helpful or not helpful? On a sheet of paper write your name. In a few sentences answer the following questions. Be specific!!!! *what did you learned from doing this exercise? *what was helpful or not helpful about this exercise? *do you have a better understanding of how to write a better essay? Once you are finished, turn in your essay and your sheet of paper.