Paper Due Date – Shared with me in Google drive and all
revisions completed by: Friday, December 21 at 3:00 pm.
English 211H
Scarlet Letter
Literary Criticism Response Paper
Part of becoming a critical thinker of literature is being able to listen to and evaluate what others
say about the novel. You have already accomplished this aspect in one way: listening to each
other in class and responding to your peers (although some of you were not as active!). To
further develop your critical thinking skills, your Scarlet Letter paper will involve your analysis
of a published critical article pertaining to one specific aspect of the novel (topic choice is all
you!).
This paper must include all of the following elements:
1. An introduction with an appropriate hook, bridge, and thesis
2. Section(s) that discusses what you agree with in the critical essay
3. Section(s) that discusses what you disagree with in the critical essay
4. Section(s) that discusses a new vision you had about the novel/topic through
reading the critical essay (an epiphany of sorts)
5. A concluding paragraph with a clincher statement at the end
Even though there are five “sections,” this is not a five-paragraph essay. In fact, for a paper of
this length (1250-1750 words), you should have at least 6-7 paragraphs total. Keep in mind that
sections 2, 3, and 4 can be more than one paragraph/idea…it all depends on the way you develop
your ideas. Remember that a well structured paragraph should never be more than a page long
(Hint: Divide a long paragraph into two separate paragraphs with narrower topic sentences!).
Steps to a Successful Paper:
1. Choose a literary criticism essay to be the focal point of your paper.
2. Read and annotate the essay (10 points for annotations…remember, what you write about
what you underlined is much more valuable than just the underlined words).
3. Begin brainstorming and outlining #1-#5 (from above)
4. Type it up! (We have 3 computer lab days to type, a peer edit day, and another computer lab
revision day.)
Paper Requirements (Automatic ZERO POINTS if you fail to meet all six):
1.
2.
3.
4.
1250-1750 words (word count at end of document)
12 pt. Times New Roman plain text font (be sure to change font on school computers)
Paper is double spaced.
Minimum 8 direct quotes with proper documentation (4 from novel; 4 from literary criticism)

A solid paragraph will reference one quote from each document. In other words, cite
something the critic says, and then use evidence from Hawthorne to support or to
refute the critic’s claim – or to support your epiphany moment. What did the critic
say that led to your epiphany? How did you push that idea further to make it your
own?
5. No use of personal pronouns
6. A Works Cited page at the end using correct MLA citations for both sources
 Hawthorne’s novel
 Critic’s article
Literary Criticism Annotations
Annotations are more than just underlining. They make your invisible thinking
visible by:









Asking and answering questions
Summarizing information
Formulating opinions
Agreeing or disagreeing with the critic
Writing reflections, reactions, and comments
Making connections to the text and the real world
Labeling examples of themes
Analyzing the author’s craft
Looking for patterns & repetition
_____sophisticated
14-15 points
_____effective
12-13 points
_____adequate
11 points
_____weak
9-10 points
_____poor
8 points or fewer
Due Thursday,
December 13th
for 15 points.
While we have had students complete a separate summary of their articles in the past to
increase their comprehension, we are not asking you to do that this year; rather, we made
the annotations worth more points – with the assumption that you will add extra summary
in the margins as you annotate and put more effort into your annotations. This will be
challenging text, so the first step on the path to deeper understanding is to comprehend
the critic’s argument by summarizing what he/she is trying to prove. If you have
questions, please ask!
You will have the chance to meet with other students who have chosen the same article as
you during class on Thursday, December 13. You can talk about questions you have or
confusing sections and work through these issues together.
The Scarlet Letter Literary Criticism Paper Organizer
What I Agree With
New Ideas / Epiphany /
“Ah-ha!” Moment
What I Disagree With
Other
The Scarlet Letter
Literary Criticism Response Paper
So…What should my introduction look like??
 Hook: Broad, general attention getter or opening
statement
 Narrowing: Introduces text of SL; introduces
theme/issue you will be focusing on in terms of your own
ideas and the critic’s; introduces critical article & onesentence paraphrase of critic’s position
 Very specific thesis stating YOUR ORIGINAL
POSITION on this theme/issue; this is the focus of your
paper
Sample Introduction:
Fahima is a 17-year-old girl in modern-day Afghanistan whose father put her in
chains and beat her because he believed Fahima to be his property. When she runs away,
the police return her to her father’s home, where she is beaten again. Even today, only 30
percent of girls in her country have access to education, and schools are repeatedly
burned down or girls are murdered for trying to attend schools, causing the illiteracy rate
for women to be an astounding 87 percent. One out of every three Afghani women are
the victims of abuse – often by fathers, brothers, and husbands – and those who speak out
simply become greater targets (Qazi). Clearly, much more change needs to occur for
women to gain the basic human rights they deserve in Afghanistan. Although a much
less extreme example, women in American did not always have the freedom they now
enjoy today. In fact, the earliest colonists who settled in America in Puritan colonies
awarded governmental power only to males, and the narrow scope of Puritan values left
little room for women, thus marginalizing and silencing them. America cannot overlook
or forget this travesty in her history, and nor can her American authors. In one exemplary
example, Nathanial Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter criticizes this sexist mentality. Through
his portrayal of the flawed Puritan community, Hawthorne clearly advocates for an equal
place for women. While many critics have argued that Dimmesdale steals the spotlight in
the novel, critic Nina Baym’s essay, “Plot in The Scarlet Letter,” accurately identifies
Hester as the main character and focus of the novel. Hawthorne’s protagonist in the
novel must be Hester, as she allows the author to validate a woman’s place in
society; however, Hester’s return to the Puritan society after her absence does not
signify weakness in her female character, as incorrectly Baym suggests, but instead
conveys her unbreakable ties with the past.
Agree
Disagree
Own
Epiphany
My thesis previews everything I will do in the paper in one focused, original argument: I will agree with the
critic; I will disagree with the critic; and I will discover my own “new meaning” in an original epiphany.
The Works Cited Page
Hint: Ctl+T will format
your hanging indent for
you!
Bibliographic entry for The Scarlet Letter:
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Signet Classics Edition. New York: New American
Library, 2009.
Remember, sources are listed in alphabetical order by author last name, and sources are not numbered.
All of your critical articles were taken from an anthology (either A, B, C, D, or E below). Using
the formula below, you can simply “plug in” the components from your anthology.
FORMAT:
Last name, First name of author selection. “Title of selection.” Title of anthology.
Editor of anthology. City of publication: publisher, date published. Pages of selection.
ATitle: Modern Critical Interpretations: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter
Editor: Ed. Harold Bloom
City: New York
Publisher: Chelsea House Publishers
Date: 1986
BTitle: The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to American Literature: Readings on The Scarlet Letter
Editor: Ed. Bruno Leone et al.
City: San Diego
Publisher: Greenhaven Press, Inc.
Date: 1998
CTitle: The Greenhaven Press Literary Companion to American Literature: Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne
Editor: Ed. Bruno Leone et al.
City: San Diego
Publisher: Greenhaven Press, Inc.
Date: 1996
DTitle: Major Literary Characters: Hester Prynne
Editor: Ed. Harold Bloom
City: New York
Publisher: Chelsea House Publishers
Date: 1990
ETitle: The Scarlet Letter: A Norton Critical Edition
Editor: Ed. Seymour Gross et al.
City: New York
Publisher: W.W. Norton and Company
Date: 1988
SL Paper Checklist
Think you’re done? Check and double check!
Is/does your paper…
 …1250-1750 words (with a word count at end of document)?
 …12 pt. Time New Roman plain text font?
 …double spaced?
 …have a minimum 8 direct quotes with proper documentation (4 from novel;
4 from literary criticism)
 …avoid personal pronouns?
 …have a Works Cited page with correct citations for both sources (critical article as an
anthology and SL as a book)? (You may have a third source if you used one for your
hook.)
 …have the correct MLA heading?
 …structured with an introduction, at least three body paragraphs in TEA format, and a
conclusion? (Hint: You’ll probably have at least four body paragraphs.)
 …address your topics of agreement and disagreement, as well as your own epiphany?
 …divide paragraphs that are longer than ¾ of a page into two separate paragraphs with
narrower topic sentences?
 ...avoid contractions, the word “you”, weak diction, incomplete sentences, and other
informal elements of writing?
 …prove a strong, opinionated claim?
 …good?
Literary Criticism Paper – Assessment Rubric
The Scarlet Letter Literary Analysis Rubric
*DO NOT USE 1ST OR 2ND PERSON.
**AUTOMATIC LETTER GRADE DEDUCTION: For each missing quotation (8 needed)
Total Points:
/100 points
(x 1.5 weighting)
Organization & Ideas:
=
/150 points
/15 points
(Introduction)
Hook – grabs attention using a specific attention getter
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Narrowing – smooth transition between hook and thesis; includes title and author of novel and critical
article with one sentence summary of each; information is adequate, not too much or too little
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Thesis – establishes a clear subject and claim (opinion)…what will the paper prove? Includes three
separate parts (agree, disagree, & epiphany)
Beginning
Developing
Organization & Ideas:
Strong
/50 points
(Body Paragraphs)
(T) Topic Sentences – develop main ideas that connect to the thesis statement; make a claim; transitions
from the previous paragraph
Beginning
Developing
Strong
(E) Examples – evidence is relevant, ample, true, & supports the thesis and topic sentences
Beginning
Developing
Strong
(A) Analysis – presented for each example (EAEAEA); shows depth and critical thinking; goes beyond
literal interpretation; avoids plot summary
Beginning
Developing
Strong
(T) Transitions – ample use provides unity within and between paragraphs (one in topic sentence; at
least 2 within paragraph)
Beginning
Developing
Strong
(T) Concluding Sentences – mirror the ideas of the topic sentences
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Quotation Usage and Integration:
/10 points
(Minimum two per body paragraph; at least 4 body paragraphs total)
Selection – quotations are appropriate and relevant; quotations are brief (fewer than two lines); writer
has carefully chosen the most significant lines to quote
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Documentation – quote is properly documented using MLA requirements
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Incorporation - quotes are smoothly integrated into the writer’s own sentences; quotes go beyond just
using a verb to incorporate
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Organization & Ideas:
/10 points
(Conclusion)
Thesis Statement – readdressed first, not recopied, but a creative restatement
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Final Commentary – is thought-provoking, shows application or evaluation, not a summary
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Clincher – leaves reader with a “Wow!” impression; connects back to hook
Beginning
Developing
Grammar/Style:
Strong
/15 points
Conventions – avoids errors with punctuation (commas, etc.), pronoun agreement, subject-verb agreement, verb
tense shift (present to past, etc.), misused words, capitalization, run-ons, fragments, etc.
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Voice – writer’s voice speaks through the page; unique, original, and personal; catchy and interesting,
not robotic; sounds like writer is speaking directly to reader
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Sentence Fluency – avoids redundancy, choppiness, and awkwardness; smooth transitions guide reader from
one idea to the next; variety of sentence structures smoothens flow.
Beginning
Developing
Strong
Word Choice – strong and appropriate diction; (avoids “a lot, very, got, bad, good, nowadays”), avoids being
informal, avoids personal pronouns (“I” “you”, etc.)
Beginning
Developing
Strong