The writing prompt is this, exactly:

Response Papers:  Students are required to write six 3 page response papers, one for each novel we read.  The response papers are exercises in close reading and will focus on a short passage chosen by the student.  Each response paper should do the following three things: 

1. Literal level: Describe what is literally happening in the chosen passage. 
2. Literary level: Analyze the passage for the literary meaning. This means paying close attention to language and imagery. What words were chosen and why? What images? What figures of speech? Can you identify a pattern or mood created by word choice and/or imagery? 
3. Connect part to whole: How does your passage relate to a thematic at work in the book as a whole? Why is your piece important to our understanding of the larger work? MLA format