Microtheme #3
20 pts.
Description: Minimum of two pages; typed, double-spaced.
See your syllabus for the due date.
Assignment:
After reading Bambara’s “The Lesson” draw a conclusion on what the “lesson” is. Analyze how
the story presents a coming-of-age “journey” using details from the text to support your claim.
This means you will have to quote the actual text as well as paraphrase and summarize. Put
page numbers in parenthesis after the text – MLA style.
BE CAREFUL TO AVOID SIMPLE PLOT SUMMARY. A ONE-TWO SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY IS
SUFFICIENT.
Please be clear when you define the journey.
OTHER PARAMETERS:
1. Give your essay a title which hints at your claim.
2. Short story titles should be in quotation marks.
3. Avoid first person statements such as “I think” and “I feel.”
4. Do not forget about finding patterns, noting diction, figures of speech.
5. Do not try to write about everything in the story. Do ten on one on 2-3 representative
examples (parts of the text).
Criteria for evaluation:
20: Main claim is early, very clear, to the point and well-supported. The essay is mostly your
idea, developed with details from the story. You are very clear in your definition of “journey”
and how the story presents a coming-of-age theme. You are specific about the coming-of-age
issue. Organization of the essay is good, and you stay with the assigned focus. No errors in
grammar, spelling, syntax. Your writing is very clear.
18: Main claim is pretty clear. The essay is mostly your ideas, but perhaps is not as well
supported as it could be. Possibly your definition of what kind of “journey” the character is on
could be clearer. Maybe you did not focus enough on analysis and had a bit too much plot
summary. Structure is fairly good, sticking with the assigned focus. Grammar, spelling, syntax,
spelling is mostly correct.
16: Main claim is pretty clear but could be less obvious, show more thought, and/or be better
supported. Perhaps there is insufficient use of potentially relevant details. Maybe the essay
relies too much on plot summary. Perhaps your definition of “journey” is too vague. Structure
could be improved – possibly a little disorganized. Paper might stray from the focus. Syntax and
mechanical errors might harm clarity.
14: Significant straying from the assignment. The paper is mostly plot summary. Perhaps your
claim is just too obvious. Maybe the paper uses details from the story but there isn’t a focus for
the details. Poor organization and possibly poor syntax and mechanics which makes the paper
hard to understand. Perhaps the writer did not write 2 full pages.