“Masque of the Red Death” Theme Paragraph
Read / Annotate the literary criticism article on “Masque of the Red Death.” Write a summary of the author’s main
claim and supporting ideas. Using one to two quotes from the article, and one to two quotes from the story, write a
theme paragraph for “Masque of the Red Death” using your comprehension questions, class discussion, notes,
today’s activity, etc. You should choose ONE literary device Poe uses to illustrate a main theme in the story:
symbol, personification, allusion, metaphor, imagery, diction, etc.
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8-10 sentences TYPED 12 Point Times New Roman, Double Spaced
Follow example and rubric below.
Create a Works Cited on a SEPARATE page.
Use a running header.
Ima Student
Mrs. Cooper
English 10 G/H
10 October 2013
Analysis of Theme in “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The central theme of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown" is that without
faith, life becomes meaningless. First of all, Hawthorne describes the protagonist, Goodman Brown,
leaving his wife, whose name is Faith. His leaving symbolizes Goodman Brown leaving his faith in
religion behind him as he continues down the road. Also, Hawthorne writes, "He had taken a dreary
road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees in the forest" (2). The road represents Goodman Brown's
path through life; it shows that once he's left his faith behind, he's in store for darkness and
gloom. Finally, the narrator asserts, "A stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a
desperate man did he become from the night of that fearful dream" (11). The narrator’s description
shows that Goodman Brown has changed forever because of his loss of faith and journey with the
devil. In his article, “The Problem of Faith in 'Young Goodman Brown,” Leo Levy argues that “the
basic thrust of the story is that faith is deficient” (Levy 6). Levy seems to believe that “Faith” the
wife is not deficient or lacking, but it is the allegorical equivalent that is simply not enough for
Goodman. Ultimately, Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown" is about the
dangers of leaving faith behind.
Literary Analysis Paragraph Rubric
name____________________ period_____
Mastery (5)
 comprehensively
1) Topic sentence

introduces main point of
paragraph
may use multiple
sentences
 provides comprehensive
information, including
specific details from the
text, to set the context
for the ensuing quote
2) Background
Information
 effective lead-in
3) Textual Evidence



contributes to overall
fluency of sentence
best possible quote
chosen to support main
point
may use more than one
quote from text and may
use more than one quote
from secondary source
and includes background
for and analysis of each
quote
parenthetical citation(s)
positioned and formatted
perfectly
 writer provides a
comprehensive analysis
of how quote proves
main point with an indepth explanation
4) Analyze / Explain
 draws insightful
5) Concluding
sentence

conclusion that ties the
content of the paragraph
together to prove main
point
connects main point of
paragraph to overall
thesis
 paragraph offers a
Overall

comprehensive, accurate,
& insightful answer to
the prompt
Students use a wide
variety of word choice,
sentence types, and
punctuation with
minimal to no errors
Proficient (4)
 addresses prompt directly
 introduces main point of
Partially
Proficient (3)
 main point vague or
Unsatisfactory
(2-1)
 no clear topic
incomplete
sentence
paragraph
 may transition from last
point to new point
 provides context for
ensuing quote
 includes specific details
from the text
 sentence begins with
writers own words—the
lead-in
 chosen quotes (from text
and secondary source)
clearly support main
point
 parenthetical citation
positioned at end of
sentence, before the
period
 parenthetical citation(s)
formatted consistently,
perhaps with a minor
error
 writer analyzes how
quote proves main point
with adequate
explanation
 attempts to provide context
 no background
for quote, but information is
vague or incomplete
 lead-in does not flow
information
provided
 lead-in is missing
grammatically
 chosen quotes (from text and
 no evidence from the
secondary source) not
appropriate for main point
 parenthetical citation in
middle of sentence
 parenthetical citation
text provided
 parenthetical citation
missing
formatted incorrectly
 explanation vague or
 Explanation missing
incomplete
 may use a version of the
phrase “this quote shows…”
 conclusion clearly drawn
 conclusion drawn about
about main point based
on content of paragraph
 makes basic connection
between main point of
paragraph and overall
thesis
main point unclear
 does not clearly connect
back to topic sentence
 paragraph offers an
 paragraph offers an
accurate answer to the
prompt
 Students use a variety of
word choice, sentence
types, and punctuation
with few errors that do
not distract the reader
incomplete or off-target
answer to prompt
 Students use basic or
repetitive word choice,
similar types of sentences,
basic punctuation and errors
interfere with meaning
 no clear concluding
sentence
 answer offered is

wrong or does not
address prompt
word choice is
inaccurate, sentences
do not flow,
punctuation is
incorrect, and/or
errors change
meaning
Italics indicate a bullet that applies to a paragraph within a larger essay.
Overall Proficiency Score: ______ / 25