Ms. Crandell
Name_______________
English 9
Period _____
Directions: Read the following excerpts from different essays. Using the rubric for
literary analysis essays, respond to the questions that follow.
1. Adapted from “The Poor Labyrinth: The Theme of Social Injustice in Dickens's Great Expectations”
John H. Hagan, Jr.
Nineteenth-Century Fiction
Vol. 9, No. 3 (Dec., 1954), pp. 169-178
Published by: University of California Press
Article Stable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/3044305
On the surface, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is simply another very
good example of that perennial genre, the education novel. It is the story of a
restless young boy from the lower classes who comes into possession of a fortune
he has done nothing to earn, develops aspirations at the cost of becoming a snob,
comes to be disappointed both romantically and socially, and finally develops a more
mature knowledge of himself and the world. However, when we look deeper, we find
that Dickens uses Pip to reveal complex truths about society and its organization.
A. Does this introductory paragraph contain all the necessary elements? If not, what
is it missing?
B. Rate this introduction by circling one of the following:
poor
Explain:
adequate
strong
compelling
2. Adapted from http://www.atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=31828.0
This Boy’s Life
The influence of parental figures in childhood is seen to be an important
contributing factor in Jack’s formation of identity. Like the “road that took the snaky
shape of the river” (288), Jack is not impervious to the influences that define him.
There is deceit in his relationship with his mother, as Jack deliberately takes
advantage of her vulnerable state after they witness a truck crash through the guard
rails on the highway. When he sees that “her guard [is] down” (4), Jack takes his
chance to ask for souvenirs even though his mother doesn’t have enough money for
them.
A. Does this body paragraph contain all the necessary elements? If not, what is it
missing?
B. Rate this paragraph by circling one of the following:
poor
adequate
strong
compelling
Explain:
3. Adapted from “Approaching Community in Carson McCullers's The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” J Murray, H
Bloom
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter gives us a day, a year, and a day in the lives of
five distinct characters: Singer, Mick, Brannon, Blount, and Dr. Copeland. Their lives
are shot through with frustration and discouragement and the intense privacy of their
inner lives gives the reader the impression that they are isolated, lonely beings.
However, the author uses several devices that go beyond the characters themselves
and leaves the reader with a sense of beauty and harmony.
A. Does this introductory paragraph contain all the necessary elements? If not, what
is it missing?
B. Rate this introduction by circling one of the following:
poor
Explain:
adequate
strong
compelling
4. Adapted from A Separate Peace
edited by Harold Bloom (p 21)
Knowles depicts Finny and Gene as opposites, highlighting their contrasts, as
he also does with the other pairs in the novel--the seasons, the rivers, the school
versus the outside. While Finny is the rule-breaker, the outgoing one, the stellar
athlete, Gene is more a follower, the studious one. Because their personalities
contrast, it is possible that they could find a harmonious balance, a yin and yang.
Yet, Finny’s personality is so much stronger than Gene’s that the relationship falls
out of balance.
A. Does this body paragraph contain all the necessary elements? If not, what is it
missing?
B. Rate this paragraph by circling one of the following:
poor
adequate
strong
compelling
Explain:
5. Adapted from A Separate Peace
edited by Harold Bloom (p.58) Ellis, James. “On Innocence and Envy”
The tragedy of the novel ultimately is that Gene is not capable of maintaining
the spiritual purity that distinguishes Phineas. Because of this, Gene must betray his
friend as he discovers his own weakness and savagery.
A. Does this concluding paragraph contain all the necessary elements? If not, what
is it missing?
B. Rate this conclusion by circling one of the following:
poor
Explain:
adequate
strong
compelling