Preparation for Waiting for Godot In-Class Writing
On Monday you will have your in-class writing on Waiting for Godot. Rather than writing a
complete essay, you may write a detailed outline; the outline should clearly indicate your
arguments and analysis in response to the prompt you choose, and should include specific
support in the form of quotations, paraphrases, and references to specific scenes, actions,
etc. Your goal should be to show your understanding and interpretation of the play and to
plan an essay that could serve as a first draft of your IB Written Assignment. You will need
to use your copy of the play during the test. You may not use another student’s marked
copy of the work, nor any other notes, handouts or electronic sources.
Since I am not asking you to write a complete essay, scoring will differ slightly from your
previous in-class writing:
______ /40 Knowledge and Understanding and Response to the Question: How effectively does
the outline show knowledge and understanding of the work? Do you show detailed and
accurate knowledge and understanding of, and perceptive insight into, the work? Do
you respond insightfully to one of the prompts assigned?
______ / 40 Appreciation of the Writer’s Choices: To what extent does the essay show
appreciation of how the writer’s choices of form, structure, technique and style shape
meaning?
______ / 20 Organization and Development: How effectively have the ideas been organized, and
how fully have they been developed and supported, given the format and the time
allowed? Does the outline include a clear thesis statement; clear summaries of
supporting arguments; and evidence and ideas to support those arguments? Is the
outline legible and comprehensible?
______ / 100% TOTAL
Below are some things it would be worth thinking about before Monday:
 effect/significance of similarities and differences between Act I & Act II
 effect of Beckett’s use of different types of comedy: physical comedy; gallows
humor; wordplay; etc.
 effect of questions/questioning in the play
 motifs of time and memory
 pairs of characters: Vladimir and Estragon, Pozzo and Lucky, the Boy and his
brother
 the structure of dialogue, language patterns, word choice, etc.
 effect/significance of props, sets, and/or costume elements
 characterization and development of specific characters
 effect of repetitive cycles/repetition
 the Pozzo/Lucky relationship
 the Vladimir/Estragon relationship
 the play as it relates to existentialism and the absurd