English III Honors
Mr. Kadar
Summer Readings Essay
Name: _____________
Date: _____ Period: ______
Compare and contrast Hardy’s portrayal of Tess in Tess of the D’Urbervilles with Shaw’s portrayal of Eliza
in Pygmalion. Some brainstorming questions to think about as you begin composing your essay (note that
you do not have to address all of these questions in your paper): What are some of the traits and attitudes
prominently manifested by these characters, and in what ways are they analogous? In what ways do these
traits and attitudes differ? To what extent are these characters motivated by similar impulses? To what extent
do their motivations differ? How does each author’s method of portraying his character affect your
understanding of the character in question? In other words, how does the genre of each work (fiction versus
drama) affect your interpretation of the characters? How, by comparing and contrasting Hardy and Shaw’s
treatment of these two female characters, can you address questions of gender?
Your grade depends on the following:
 A clear and delimited thesis
 An effective opening and conclusion strategy
 Varied sentence structure
 Formal academic diction
 Effective use of primary source material
 No mistakes in grammar or usage
 A proper title page
 1” margins (MLA format)
 3 to 5 pages typed 12 pt. Times New Roman