Name:______________________________________________ Per: ______ Date: _____________
Beginning to Write on the Prompt for “Marigolds.”
1. Scaffolded Thesis
You are welcome to use this partially structured (scaffolded) thesis and make it your own. You may want
to copy the bolded phrases onto your own sheet of notebook paper, and fill in the gaps with your own
observations, in your own words.
The narrator of "Marigolds" tells the story from the point of view (perspective) of:
(A child? An adult? Something in between?)
looking back at an experience that…
(link this experience to the “idea” of coming of age without actually using those words)
The narrator’s voice is
(describe this voice, using a phrase, rather than a single word)
and is revealed throughout the story by the author’s skillful use of diction and imagery.
2. Embedded Quotes and Specific, Connected, and Complete Inference/Analysis
Take a look at these sentence pairs, and refer to them frequently, if you want to have a strong model for
your own quote/analysis pairs.
As the story opens, Lizabeth says that "poverty was the cage in which we all were trapped" (4).
The imagery of being trapped in a cage suggests that she and her entire community felt powerless and
confined, unable to take any action that could improve their depressed lives.
The narrator uses strong diction to describe how she "vividly remembers...a devastating moment when
[she] was more woman than child" (2). The word choice, “devastating," emphasizes how years later, the
narrator still feels haunted about destroying the ”warm and passionate” flowers (22). "More woman
than child" marks this event as an important (and painful) turning point in her life.
Writing Prompt for “Marigolds.”
Targets:
I can demonstrate my understanding of the way Collier’s use of diction and imagery to create the
narrative voice in “Marigolds.”
This is a short piece of writing. The emphasis is on quality: well-chosen quotes and persuasive analysis
that connects the evidence clearly to the claim. You can create a small gem of near-perfection, simply by
following the requirements below!
Requirements:
______ a specific, arguable, narrow, defendable claim (see thesis structure provided)
______ at least two quotations showcasing diction, to support your claim
______ skillfully embedded in a your own sentences
______ and analyzed with insight, clearly connecting the evidence to the claim
______ at least two quotations showcasing imagery, to support your claim
______ skillfully embedded in a your own sentence
______ and analyzed with insight, clearly connecting the evidence to the claim
______ a concluding sentence that echoes the thesis and leaves the reader with a gift of insight
_______ convention: 0-2 errors (two points), 3-5 errors (one point), more than 5 errors (0 points)
______ attach a rough draft (two points)
(Each component is worth 2 points each for a total of 20 points )
Total: ____________/20 points
*To analyze a quote for this writing prompt, describe HOW and WHY the quote reveals something about
the narrative voice
*You may organize your evidence (examples of diction and imagery) in any way you choose; not
necessarily in the order I have listed above.