All That Glisters by Anne Donovan – Critical Essay Practice
In the Intermediate 2 and Higher exam you will be expected to
write two critical essays under timed conditions. (45min/ essay)
The questions are divided into 4 sections: PROSE, DRAMA,
POETRY and MEDIA. You will chooses which two genres you
want to write about.
The questions are not specific. You will need to choose which
texts to write about yourselves. This means you need to read
the questions carefully and decide which ones are best suited
to the texts you have studied.
You will not be allowed to take the texts into the exam. You
therefore need to know them extremely well.
All That Glisters by Anne Donovan – Critical Essay Practice
Example Question
Choose a novel or short story which deals with a powerful
human emotion: for example love, shame, hatred, fear,
embarrassment, despair, joy, or any other strong emotion.
Show how the emotion you have chosen affects one, or more
than one, of the characters, and go on to show how it affects
the course of the story.
In you essay you must refer closely to the text and to at least
two of: theme, structure, setting, symbolism, or any other
appropriate feature.
All That Glisters by Anne Donovan – Critical Essay Practice
You will not have time to produce a detailed plan in the exam.
However, we will plan what to include in this essay.
Religious
Symbolism
Symbolism
Christmas
Setting
Hope
Supportive
Working Class
Community
Glitter
Pens
Characterisation: Clare
Positive Outlook
Love for Father
All That Glisters by Anne Donovan – Critical Essay Practice
So, your essay will be structured as follows:
Paragraph 1 – Introduction
Paragraph 2 – Symbolism
Paragraph 3 – Setting
Paragraph 4 (and 5?) – Characterisation
Paragraph 5 (or 6) - Conclusion
All That Glisters by Anne Donovan – Critical Essay Practice
Introductions
Your introduction to any critical essay should contain five basic
elements.
- Title of text
- Name of author (or poet or playwright)
- Summary of text (2 or three sentences)
Top Tip: Remember,
throughout your
essay you need to
keep referring back
to the task!
- Reference to the task
- Excellent vocabulary to convey your personal response
All That Glisters by Anne Donovan – Critical Essay Practice
‘All That Glisters’ by Anne Donovan is a moving short story
which effectively deals with the powerful human emotion of
hope. The story written in the first person, through the eyes of
Clare, a young school girl living in a west of Scotland working
class environment. Clare has to endure the tragic loss of her
father and the difficulties of living in relative poverty. However,
Clare manages to maintain a positive outlook on life and she
remains hopeful despite her difficult circumstances. All That
Glisters is a touching and poignant and Donovan effectively
conveys the idea of hope through her use of symbolism, setting
and characterisation.
All That Glisters by Anne Donovan – Critical Essay Practice
The paragraphs which make up the main body of your essay
should follow the PEE pattern.
Point: In your point you should aim to answer the task in some
way, introduce what your paragraph will be about, and put your
quotation in context.
Example: A well chosen quotation
Explanation: Explain your point in much more detail and
answer the task. Here is where your detailed analysis should be.
You should use technical vocabulary such as symbolism, theme,
character, word choice, structure, language, imagery etc. You
should also give a personal response here.
All That Glisters by Anne Donovan – Critical Essay Practice
The symbolism of the glitter pens helps to emphasise the theme of hope in “All That
Glisters.” The pens offer Claire an escape from her dad’s illness and the poverty that
surrounds her. When Claire first uses the pens she is instantly excited by them and says:
“It wis pure brilliant so it wis. There wis four colours, rid, green, gold and silver….And
when ah’d finished something amazing happened. Ah canny explain whit it wis but the
glitter jist brought everythin tae life, gleamin and glisterin agin the flat cardboard.”
The colours of the pens represent hope in different ways. The word “rid” has
connotations of love – the love that Claire has for her father. Claire’s unwavering love
for her dad and desire to please him provides the reader with hope throughout the
story as it makes us realise that love can survive in even the bleakest of situations. The
silver and gold pens represent riches, luxury and money and these pens help Claire, in a
way, to be rich herself. She is rich in her imagination and creativity and these are fuelled
by the pens. Through the pens, Claire escapes the reality in which she does not possess
money or riches. The green pen symbolises nature and life. This also provides hope in
the story as Claire’s dad is losing life. Claire acknowledges the hope the pens provide
her when she says “The glitter jist brought everything to life.” The pens offer Claire
things she does not have in reality. The “flat cardboard” that Clare refers to could
represent her life. Her life is “flat”; it is filled with poverty and death. The effect the
pens have on the cardboard really represents the effect the pens have on Clare’s life.
They give it sparkle and provide hope. I found this an interesting way to help convey the
theme of hope and I was pleased that the pens offered Clare an enthusiasm for life.