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Literary analysis rubric
The paper presents
The paper presents
The paper does
a strong and
a somewhat
unique, and
arguable claim that
unclear claim that
not Pfesent an
arguable o¡ clear
arguable claim.
lacks some
makes a weak
claim.
odginality or clarity
argument or lacks
The paper presents
a clear,
Claim
mostly
all originality.
Body paragraph
Body paragaph
Body paragraph
Body paragraph
beþs with
begins with
jumps too quickly
does not begin
with necessary
mosdy
Bacþtound
relevant and clea¡
somewh¿t relevant
into presenøtion
information
background
and cleat
of evidence; reader
background
infotmation.
background
loses argument.
information.
information.
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optimal, carefrrlly
Textual
Textual evidence is
Textual evidence is
Textud evidence
Textual evidence is
strong, mostly
adequate,
seems hastily
not used to
suppott claims,
chosen, perfectly
carefirlly chosen,
somewhat carefr:lly
chosen or
cited, and
correcdy cited, and
chosen, somewhat
irrelevant; ciøtions
to support all
correcdy cited, or
are
used somewhat
absent.
all claims.
used
claims.
incorect or
sparingly.
Commentary &
anâlysis
Aaalysis is
consistently
Analysis is basic
and obvious and
original,
convincing,
does little lo
connect evidence
extensive, and
to claim in
insightful,
masterfüly
creative way.
a
Analysis is
superficial and
consists mostly
plot summaq/.
Analysis is not
of
Commenarymay
Pfesent.
Commenøryis
entirely plot
summary,
be illogical at
times.
connecting
evidence to claim.
Sophistication of
writing
Essay establishes a
ørr^y rrr^blUäK
Some sentences
Sentences need
Meaning is
unique and
an ¿dvanced swle
lack claris¡ or are
signifìcant revision,
frequendy lost due
compelling style
ddven by mostly
rçd¡¡ld¿p.ill
and incorrect
ddven byvaried
complex sentences
stfucture: ouote
usage o1
usage and
sentence
stfuctufes. stfons
integration is
grammatical errors
inhibitive
sLrucû¡fes,
quote integration,
æ
ancl somewhat
-
simplistic; errors in
occasionaily
grammatical errors.
vocabulary and
i¡hibits
integration, and
aootooriate
grammar exist.
undersønding.
advanced
vocabulary.
exceptional quote
word
to incotrect word
vocabulary.
Comments:
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35
Winchell
1
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Grace Winchell
Knapp
Honors English
II
l,Ll'þ/.,t
22May 2018
Beauty in Danger
,
In William Faulkner's As I Lay
Aing,
he uses imagery of the river and the fire to
demonstrate that some of the most dangerous forces of nature have beauty within them.
The river is a harsh force that decides the fate of the Bundrens.¡ The majority of the river
scene is told from Darl Bundren's point of view, and with that comes his detailed explanations
of
his surroundings. ¿\¡r the Bundrens start to go on their journey, they encounter a violent river. The
river is a calamity to the Bundrens, since it severely injures Cash Bundren, kills their team of
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mules, and causes the family to nearly/ose the coffin.
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all the commotion occurs, Darl
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descqibes the nature around him. As he stands in the water, he describes the undergrowth as
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"plaintive" and "musin g" (142).With these descriptions of the undergrowth, the sad beauty of
the river is seen. Faulkner uses this description to show that in the chaos of the raging river, there
is beauty. As the three brothers try to cross the river, a log comes down the river. Darl describes
the log as " lstandingl upright upon the surging and heaving desolation like Christ" (148). Darl
-7
describes the log in the river as being similar to Christ himself, which is powerful irriagery. The
log being compared to Christ himself shows how the log decides the family's fate, as Christ
decides fate after death. Faulkner also uses Darl's description of the river to show the reader the
majesty and power of the river. The image of Christ is beautiful and benevolent, as he is known
to Christians as the epitome of everything people of Christianity strive to be. With the simile,
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Winchell2
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Faulkner shows nature in a different light, showing that it
shareSalitieì of Christ. Hence,
within the descriptions of the chaotic river, Faulkner demonstrates the beauty within it.
In the last chapters of the ndvel, Darl Bundren sets Gillespie's barn on fire, which again
causes the
family to nearly lose the coffin, and it injures Jewel Bundren. Many of the
descriptions are from Darl's perspective, as he again provides the vivid details of the events
around him. As the fire continues to burn most characters are panicking; however, Darl sees
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beauty in it and describes the noise of it to be "quite peaceful" and compares the feeling to how
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he felt around the river (221). Darl views the chaos of the fire eventually as being peaceful. Fire
is an element of nature, and so Faulkner once again describes it in a way that brings it into a light
that makes it beautiful. Jewel is burned in the fire, and Darl describes the burns as "widening
crimson-edged holes that bloom like flowers underneath his shirt" (222). Faulkner uses imagery
to describe how Jewel's burns looked, but he does not create the image of a horrible woun$l
ftnstead he compares the burns to flower{ Flowers are an image of beauty, while burns are
known to be gruesome and painful. Faulkner has the reader look at the burns through Darl's eyes
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elegance rather than horror. Therefore, Faulkner uses Darl's view of both the river and
the fire to show that nature, while seeming to be chaotic, is beautiful and powerful.
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