Bless Me, Ultima Summative Essay
Full (Typed) Rough Draft Due: ______
Full Final Draft Due: ______
Assignment: Your final summative assessment for Bless Me, Ultima will be a (APstyle) Free Response literature essay—scored on a traditional AP rubric and
scale—ranging from 0-9 (scoring/grade breakdown to follow). Remember,
summative essay makes up a larger portion of your overall grade—so it’s time to
focus. Success will greatly increase your grade; however, little (or no) success will
undoubtedly lower your grade. Rubrics (with specific requirements) and written
student examples (ranging from excellent to poor) for each prompt will be
provided and examined.
Choose from one of the following:
Prompt A: Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding
cultures -- national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call
a character's sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play (Bless Me,
Ultima) in which a character responds to such a cultural collision. Then write a
well-organized essay in which you describe the character's response and explain
its relevance to the work as a whole.
Prompt B: Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country
may be a place of virtue and peace or one of primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play (Bless Me, Ultima) in which
such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the
work as a whole.
Basic Requirements:
 ______ 1500 words
 ______ MLA format (including original title, double spaced, 1” margins…etc)
Focused Learning Targets: In addition to the basics (grammar, usage, etc.) I can…











______... read and deconstruct an AP-esque free response prompt and determine
its essential question (EQ)
______ … create a claim statement (thesis) that answers the EQ as well as describe
how it “enhances the meaning of then text”—i.e., connect to topic/s or theme
______ …organize a clear and structured response to the EQ
______ …effectively cite (and embed) specific concrete details (textual support)
from the core text
______ …follow the “Golden Rules when Responding to Literature”
______ …effectively use wide variety of Quote Integration Strategies (must use at
least one of each strategy)
______ …effectively use a wide variety of sentence types and beginnings (Check Elements of Style – Syntax
Workshop)
______ …effectively use transitional words and/or phrases to create continuity
______ …effectively use academic diction (avoiding clichés, idiomatic language, colloquial language, etc.)
______ …effectively use active, strong verbs that describe and/or support my claim
______ …effectively use at least 4 Rhetorical Devices
Additional Dates TBD