Sophomore English/2015-2016
Character and Fate
Berger-White
The Palace Thief: Essay Test
For this part of the test you will be writing an essay in which you focus on one character.
Please choose either Mr. Hundert or Sedgewick Bell.
You will write this essay in five paragraphs.
Paragraph #1
You must start with a brief introduction. Name the author and the story, and make a direct, bold
claim about how one character changes—or fails to change—during the course of the story.
Why does he change or why does he fail to change? What are the effects?
Paragraph #2
Your next paragraph should explain how the character is at first. What qualities does he show
most clearly? What are the most important or defining events? Support this with specifics,
including at least two direct quotes.
Paragraph #3
The following paragraph should explain how the character responds to moral challenges.
In what way is he challenged? How does he respond to these challenges? Again, support this
with specifics, including at least two direct quotes.
Paragraph #4
As the story unfolds, how does Ethan Canin shape the character’s character—his beliefs and
actions? Does he change? Grow? Worsen? Why? Again, support this with specifics, including at
least two direct quotes.
Paragraph #5
The final paragraph should be a brief conclusion in which you explain why this character’s
change or lack of change is important. What does this character teach us?
Quoting and Citing
Please put any direct quote in quotation marks and cite it.