Due Tuesday, February 13th - "Persuasion" Q3 Essay

Tomorrow in class you will compose a Q3 essay on Jane Austen's Persuasion.  You may use your computer and post it to Turnitin.com.  You may NOT use your books.  You will have 40 minutes to complete the essay.  Prepare carefully.  Review the text, and create a helpful study guide to look over in school before we begin.

During the second half of class, we will explore the work of Oscar Wilde.  You will begin reading The Importance of Being Earnest Acts I & II for a class seminar next week.  We will also view the film and read the ending together.

Also, keep working on your scripts.  Use what you are learning about satire and humor from Austen's Love & Friendship and Wilde's Earnest as a guide in your craft.

Due Monday, Frebruary 12th - Finish reading Persuasion by Jane Austen

1)  Finish reading Persuasion by Jane Austen.
2)  Please compose response questions and comments for class discussion.
3)  On Tuesday, February 13th you will compose a 40 minute essay.  Please plan carefully.  You will NOT be allowed computers or books for this experience.
4)  Work on your plays!!!!!!!!  We will be sharing drafts by the end of next week (Turnitin.com for a grade).

Due Friday, February 2nd - "Persuasion" by Jane Austen - Volume I (pages 1-87)

1)  Read Persuasion by Jane Austen - Volume I (pages 1-87).

2)  Please post brief comments, reactions, and/or questions for our class discussion.  Also, view and comment on the following Ted Talk on Jane Austen in your brief post.

Jane Austen’s Life

While the literary art of Jane Austen is remarkable, the facts of her biography, at first glance, are not. The contrast has long intrigued Austen readers and scholars, and interest in her life is today almost as keen as interest in her works. Dating back to her own time, when Austen's first four novels were published anonymously, sources of information about her life still exist — some of her letters (those her sister Cassandra did not destroy after her death), and A Memoir of Jane Austen, written by her nephew J.E. Austen-Leigh in 1869. These sources reveal that Austen did lead the quiet life of an unmarried clergyman's daughter. She found early encouragement for her art within her family circle, and a starting point for her novels in her personal and family history.

Born in 1775 to George and Cassandra Austen in the English village of Steventon, Jane Austen grew up in a highly literate family. Austen's father was an Oxford-educated clergyman and her mother was a humorous, aristocratic woman. Educated only briefly outside of her home, Austen read freely in her father's library of 500 books, which left her better educated than most young girls of the time. While her family never anticipated she would be a published writer (not considered an appropriate profession for a young lady of her background), within the walls of their household she was encouraged to write. In this lively intellectual household, the 15-year-old Austen began writing her own novels; and by age 23 she had completed the original versions of Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. Her own delight in reading and her ironic mocking of its impact on young girls comes alive in Northanger Abbey.

After Austen's father died in 1805, Jane, her mother, and sister Cassandra lived in a small house provided by her then-wealthy brother Edward in the village of Chawton. When Jane received a proposal from the wealthy brother of a close friend, for whom she felt no affection, she initially accepted him, only to turn him down the next day. This was a painful decision for her, as she understood deeply that marriage was the sole option women had for social mobility. She further understood the vulnerability of single women without family estates who depend on wealthy relatives for a home. This subject is at the heart of Sense and Sensibility.

Austen keenly observed the shifting of social class during her day. Two of her brothers were in the Royal British Navy, and she saw first-hand the rise of naval officers in class-conscious British society. Those who returned from the Napoleonic wars with both wealth and notoriety were able to break through class barriers that were previously impenetrable. She wrote elegantly about this sea change in her last novel, Persuasion.

Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817, at age 41. She never wrote a memoir, sat for an interview, or recorded whether she had herself felt the joys and disappointments of love. The biographical facts may never adequately explain the quick wit, the sharp insight, and the deep emotional intelligence she brought to her novels. Perhaps that is impossible; it is likely that the novels will continue to transcend our understanding of where they came from.

Jane Austen's Family Tree

Regency Era

The Regency era spans the reign of the Prince of Wales from 1811 to 1820. It occurred at the latter end of the Georgian period when King George III was declared unfit to rule for reasons of insanity and his son, George IV was appointed as Regent to govern the country. The Prince Regent was notable for his lack of restraint in most areas of life. He was a womanizer who over-ate, over-drank and over-spent. As such he lost the respect of many of his subjects, including Jane Austen herself. In fact, she mocks over-indulgence and vanity of all kinds, while restraint is depicted as a mark of character strength. Nevertheless, his extravagance characterized the period and his patronage of the arts resulted in marked expansion in the areas of:

1)  Architecture (typified by the elegant designs of architect John Nash)

2)  Literature (typified by work of Romantic writers Austen, Byron, Shelley and Keats)

3)  Music (typified by the works of Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt).

4)  The character of Sir Walter in Persuasion could be interpreted as a parody of the Prince Regent.

A widening gap between rich and poor

While the upper classes in the Regency era were enjoying an opulent lifestyle, the lower classes experienced a grinding poverty. The Prince Regent made little effort to relieve the situation and his lavish lifestyle caused a growing resentment. The gap between rich and poor was exacerbated by:

1)  A sudden increase in the population and increasing overcrowding in the cities, which led to squalid housing conditions. This gave rise to city slums (colloquially known as rookeries). They were associated with prostitution, drunkenness and crime in general

2)  Inflated food prices, due to Napoleon's blockade of exports to Britain, as well as high wheat prices resulting from the Corn Law of 1815

3)  Technological advances in the textile industry which eventually wiped out spinning as a cottage industry - hence the Luddite Riots (1811-1816) in which English craftsmen protested about the negative impact of technological advances on employment in the weaving industry.

Major Works

Lady Susan

Lady Susan was possibly written in 1794 but not published until 1871.  Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a dismal match. A magnificently crafted novel of Regency manners and mores that will delight Austen enthusiasts with its wit and elegant expression. The entire novel is composed of letters, offering different viewpoints, with an epilogue tying the events together.  The film adaptation is titled Love and Friendship (2016), not to be confused with her juvenilia novella of the same name.

Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen's first major novel was written in 1798-99, when she was in her early twenties. It is a comic love story set in Bath about a young reader who must learn how to separate fantasy from reality. Miss Austen sold the novel (then entitled Susan) to a publisher in 1803, and the work was advertised but never published. She bought it back many years later, and her brother Henry Austen published the novel as Northanger Abbey after her death in 1817.

Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be published. She began to write it sometime around 1797, and she worked on it for many years before its publication in 1811. The title page said that it was written "By a Lady", and only her immediate family knew that Jane Austen was the author. Impetuous Marianne Dashwood tumbles into a fairytale romance that goes sour, and her practical older sister Elinor copes with the family's financial problems while hiding her own frustrated romantic hopes. The book was a success, and it even earned a profit!

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice was first written in the late 1700's, then rewritten in 1811-1812 and finally published in early 1813. It is probably the most-read of all of Jane Austen's novels and is a popular favorite among many. Originally entitled First Impressions, the novel deals with the misjudgments that often occur at the beginning of an acquaintance and how those misjudgments can change as individuals learn more about each other.

Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park was written between February, 1811 and the summer of 1813. It was the third novel Jane Austen had published and it first appeared on May 4, 1814. During her lifetime, it was attributed only to "The author of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice", and the author's identity was unknown beyond her family and friends. It is Jane Austen's most complex novel and deals with many different themes, from the education of children, to the differences between appearances and reality.

Emma

Emma was written in 1814-1815, and while Jane Austen was writing it, it was suggested to her by a member of the Prince Regents' household that she dedicate it to His Royal Highness. Austen took the suggestion as it was intended--as a command--and Emma was thus dedicated, but the dedication itself is rather slyly worded. Emma deals with a young woman's maturation into adulthood and the trouble she gets herself into along the way.

Persuasion

Persuasion was written in 1815-1816, while Jane Austen was suffering from her fatal illness. She was still working on some revisions at the time of her death in 1817. The novel was published posthumously by her brother, Henry Austen. Persuasion is a novel of second chances, expectations of society, and the constancy of love. You can also read the preface which Henry wrote telling the world of his sister's authorship, life, and untimely death: A Biographical Notice of the Author.

Juvenilia & Letters

Jane Austen's works from her childhood are full of enthusiasm, humor, and very creative spelling. We also have some letters and correspondence, though Jane’s sister destroyed any that could have given us insight into her psyche and love life.

Due Monday, January 29th - Research Essays

Please post your research pieces, in this blog space.  Please proofread your essays, include citations and a works cited.  You will need to spread your post into 3-4 posts as your word count will exceed the limit.

We will discuss these as a class on Tuesday, January 30th.

Due Friday, January 26th 10 - 11:30 am - EXAM

Introduction/Thesis Statement Templates

Prose/Open Response Example #1: 

                  (Insert author’s name) presents readers with _________________________ as a means of __________________________.  Through the use of __________________________, ____________________________, and _________________________ he/she demonstrates the necessity for human beings to ________________________.  However, this becomes more complicated because___________________________.  Therefore, (Insert author’s name) uses ________________________ to make his/her point that in order to ____________________ one must ___________________________.

Prose/Open Response Example #2: 

                  In the art of fiction, an author may choose to utilize (insert literary device) as a means of ________________________________.  (Insert author’s name) takes this device to another level in _____________________________ by revealing  _____________________________ through the use of _________________________.  Through the course of the novel/play, ____________________________________.  However, by the end of the work ___________________ ________________. Therefore, (insert author’s name) utilizes (insert literary device) to make the point _________________________________________________.

Prose/Open Response Example #3: 

                  Often novelists/playwrights _________________________________.  However, (insert author’s name) chooses to ______________________________________ in his her novel/play ____________________________ in order to reveal _________________________________________ about (insert theme).  While on the surface it may appear _________________________, by the end of the work, (insert author’s name) proves __________________

______________________________.  Therefore, ______________________________________________________________________.

Tips for Tackling Literature Multiple-Choice Questions

Step One: Notice the title if there is one. Does it tell you anything initially about the topic of the work? Date?  Do you recognize the author?  Do you recognize a contemporary of the author or his/her work?  Take notes in the margin - basically, write a note to yourself regarding the significance of the title, or you can underline or highlight important words in the title.

Step Two: Read the text, CLOSELY!!!! What's the point of reading closely? There's a very important purpose. You need to engage with the text in order to gain a basic comprehension. What does this mean? Well, basically, you pay attention to the material while you read it, you retain the information as you read, and you reach a basic understanding of the material by the end.  Underline key words as you go (words that aid in the overall understanding of a piece). Take notes in the margin that may help with comprehension. 

Step Three: Can you summarize the piece? If so, it's best to write a phrase at the bottom that summarizes the piece. Is it not completely clear what the piece is about (for instance, a poem that might seem fragmented)? Look back again for pronouns that may help set a context, key words that may help in recreating a situation or a story, and any words that indicate speaker purpose or emotion. This can be tough, and it may not always be clear initially. Write down anything that helps.

Step Four: What type of piece is in front of you? Prose or poetry? Write it down. If any context is given to you in the title, take note.

This may seem like a lot of work, but it's worth it. And really, once you get the hang of it, it will become second nature. Remember, the idea here is to engage (to read and interpret information) with the text and to gain an overall understanding of the piece before you read (and potentially become distracted by) the questions themselves.

Step Five:  The questions.  1)  Read the question and write an answer down BEFORE you look at the answers.  2)  

Playwrights as Social Reformers

“A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view.”

Henrik Ibsen, 1881

Becoming Global Citizens:

A substantive understanding of the world is the foundation of global competence. Students demonstrate global competence through awareness and curiosity about how the world works—informed by disciplinary and interdisciplinary insights. Specifically, globally competent students are able to perform the following four competences:

1. Investigate the world beyond their immediate environment, framing significant problems and conducting well-crafted and age-appropriate research.

2. Recognize perspectives, others’ and their own, articulating and explaining such perspectives thoughtfully and respectfully.

3. Communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences, bridging geographic, linguistic, ideological, and cultural barriers.

4. Take action to improve conditions, viewing themselves as players in the world and participating reflectively.

While it is important to examine the four capacities above individually, global competence is best seen as an integrated outlook on the world—not a collection of independent skills.

Overview:  In A Doll House and Ghosts, Ibsen explored the role of women and men in our society.  Sadly, many parallels to our present society are abound, but there is something dated about the philosophical concepts. Yes, as a society, we have accepted that women and men should have equal rights.  However, is this truly happening?  Are women paid the same as men for the same occupation, for example?  Who makes decisions about a woman’s reproductive rights?  More importantly, what are we seeing with regard to sexual harassment, assault and rape in the media today?  Have you noticed the difference in male and female responses? In addition, in what ways has the idea of gender been challenged through the efforts of the LBGTQ community? How do their efforts effect everyone? Your task will be to explore current issues connected to human rights in and around the world.  Have a global focus.  Ibsen challenged society through drama. Now it is your turn.

Directions:  Each group will research a global issue related to the rights of women happening now. Next, they will compose a group essay using real sources of material from a variety of sources.  The group will post these fully formed essays with a Works Cited on the class blog so we call all read and discuss.  Explore.  Do not just hunt for your own opinion.  Once you have a firm grasp on your topic, compose a two scene/act play in the style of Henrik Ibsen.  We want to view Ibsen in a modern setting.  What are the current ghosts?  Each student must contribute to the writing process or no credit will be given for the assignment.  All need not perform, but must be involved in the production.  You can film it, if preferred. 

C  All completed pieces should include:

• Group essay about a global issue about the rights of women/LBGTQ community with at least 3 cited sources
• 10 typed pages of double spaced dialogue
• At least two scenes
• Stage directions
• The first page must include setting, time, place, staging, etc.
• Basic plot, characters, conflict, symbols and a resolution

B  Great plays will include the following:

• All elements of the C above
• Group blog is comprehensive, with 4-5 sources
• Title is symbolic
• The theme is not trite and causes the audience to think
• Themes or motifs:  control, power, gender roles, fear of scandal…ghosts!
• There is a clear protagonist and antagonist
• There are stereotypical foil characters that add a richness to the other characters
• Scene 1 sets audience up for scene 2
• End of scene 1 is a cliff hanger, leaving us with multiple possibilities for scene 2
• There is a shocking ending

A  Outstanding plays include the following:

• All elements of the C and B above
• Group blog post is a publishable response with passion and purpose with 5 or more sources of reliable information
• The conflict is intense – Dualities are employed for dramatic effect
• Each line of dialogue should serve multiple purposes
• It is a tragicomedy – balancing the line between tragedy and comedy
• The characters have a symbolic societal/family function
• The stereotypical characters turn out to be the opposite of what we expect, and brings out meaning
• The play pushes the limits and makes the audience uncomfortable
• There are satirical nods to Ibsen and playwriting

Note:  You may use the framework of Marjorie Prime for you play.  If you do so, please refer to the rubric below:

C  All completed pieces should include:

• Group blog post a global issue about the rights of women/LBGTQ community with at least 3 cited sources
• 10 typed pages of double spaced dialogue
• At least two scenes
• Stage directions
• The first page must include setting, time, place, staging, etc.
• Basic plot, characters, conflict, symbols and a resolution

B  Great plays will include the following:

• All elements of the C above
• Group blog is comprehensive, with 4-5 sources
• Title is symbolic
• The theme is not trite and causes the audience to think
• Themes or motifs:  generational differences, death, grieving, what we conceal, what we want loved ones to be
• Science fiction that brings out our true humanity
• Characters will die and become Primes
• Dialogue will slowly cue us into the changes in Prime and information shared
• The play pushes the boundaries of the original concept with unanswered/unexplored elements from the original
• Thoughtful ending with a twist that shows how the future is closer than we think

A  Outstanding plays include the following:

• All elements of the C and B above
• Group blog post is a publishable response with passion and purpose with 5 or more sources of reliable information
• The conflict is intense – Dualities are employed for dramatic effect
• Each line of dialogue should serve multiple purposes
• There are satirical nods to the original play and playwriting
• Science fiction that brings out our true humanity
• Characters will die and become Primes, for reasons that connect to larger themes
• Dialogue will slowly cue us into the changes in Prime and information shared in a nuanced manner that connects themes
• The play pushes the boundaries of the original concept with unanswered/unexplored elements from the original, pushing the limits and makes the audience uncomfortable
• Good science fiction will either ground a futuristic, high-tech, high-concept premise in a relatable context, or it steers the story into unexpected, emotionally resonant places – the A does both!
• Thoughtful ending with a twist that shows how the future is closer than we think, and makes us see more possibilities

Due Thursday, Read "A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan & "Marjorie Prime" Journal

Read "A Pair of Tickets" by Amy Tan.  In this blog space, make connections to the thematic elements of Ghosts and Marjorie Prime.  

In your journal:  Imagine yourself conversing with a Prime version of an adult guardian in your life.  What would you share with this individual?  What would you omit?  Tweak?  Explore a hypothetical dialogue.  How would it go?  Next, what is stopping you from having this discourse with the real person?  What steps could be taken to address this person?

Ghosts Q3

Directions: Please choose one of the following three prompts and compose an essay using Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen as your work of choice. Please use the list of quotations and the full text as you means of citing evidence from the text. Please post your essay to Turnitin.com by the end of the block.

Prompts

1968. In many plays, a character has a misconception of himself or his world. Destroying or perpetuating this illusion contributes to a central theme of the play. Choose a play with a major character to whom this statement applies and write an essay in which you consider the following points: what the character’s illusion is and how it differs from reality as presented in the play and how the destruction or perpetuation of the illusion develops a theme of the play.


1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.


2005. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess "That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.

Full Text of Ghosts:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8121/8121-h/8121-h.htm

Important Quotations from Ghosts

Act I

1. Yes, you may be sure we'll see about it! Me that have been brought up by a lady like Mrs. Alving! Me that am treated almost as a daughter here! Is it me you want to go home with you?--to a house like yours? For shame!

2. Then never mind about marrying them. You can make it pay all the same. [More confidentially.] He--the Englishman--the man with the yacht--he came down with three hundred dollars, he did; and she wasn't a bit handsomer than you.

3. Well, I seem to find explanation and confirmation of all sorts of things I myself have been thinking. For that is the wonderful part of it, Pastor Minders--there is really nothing new in these books, nothing but what most people think and believe. Only most people either don't formulate it to themselves, or else keep quiet about it.

4. Object to in them? You surely do not suppose that I have nothing better to do than to study such publications as these? … I have read enough about these writings to disapprove of them.

5. When Oswald appeared there, in the doorway, with the pipe in his mouth, I could have sworn I saw his father, large as life.

6. Oh, how can you say so? Oswald takes after me.

7. But how is it possible that a--a young man or young woman with any decency of feeling can endure to live in that way?--in the eyes of all the world!

8. Well, then, allow me to inform you. I have met with it when one or other of our pattern husbands and fathers has come to Paris to have a look round on his own account, and has done the artists the honour of visiting their humble haunts. They knew what was what. These gentlemen could tell us all about places and things we had never dreamt of.

9. Soon after, I heard Alving come in too. I heard him say something softly to her. And then I heard--[With a short laugh]--oh! it still sounds in my ears, so hateful and yet so ludicrous--I heard my own servant-maid whisper, "Let me go, Mr. Alving! Let me be!"….It was my purchase-money. I do not choose that that money should pass into Oswald's hands. My son shall have everything from me--everything.


Act II


10. Ghosts! When I heard Regina and Oswald in there, it was as though ghosts rose up before me. But I almost think we are all of us ghosts, Pastor Manders. It is not only what we have inherited from our father and mother that "walks" in us. It is all sorts of dead ideas, and lifeless old beliefs, and so forth. They have no vitality, but they cling to us all the same, and we cannot shake them off. Whenever I take up a newspaper, I seem to see ghosts gliding between the lines. There must be ghosts all the country over, as thick as the sands of the sea. And then we are, one and all, so pitifully afraid of the light.

11. Yes--when you forced me under the yoke of what you called duty and obligation; when you lauded as right and proper what my whole soul rebelled against as something loathsome. It was then that I began to look into the seams of your doctrines. I wanted only to pick at a single knot; but when I had got that undone, the whole thing ravelled out. And then I understood that it was all machine-sewn.

12. Oh, wait a minute!--now I recollect. Johanna did have a trifle of money. But I would have nothing to do with that. "No," says I, "that's mammon; that's the wages of sin. This dirty gold--or notes, or whatever it was--we'll just flint, that back in the American's face," says I. But he was off and away, over the stormy sea, your Reverence.

13. It only shows how excessively careful one ought to be in judging one's fellow creatures. But what a heartfelt joy it is to ascertain that one has been mistaken! Don't you think so?

14. At last he said: "There has been something worm-eaten in you from your birth." He used that very word… He said, "The sins of the fathers are visited upon the children." No other explanation was possible, he said. That's the awful part of it. Incurably ruined for life--by my own heedlessness! All that I meant to have done in the world--I never dare think of it again--I'm not able to think of it. Oh! if I could only live over again, and undo all I have done! [He buries his face in the sofa.]

15. I only mean that here people are brought up to believe that work is a curse and a punishment for sin, and that life is something miserable, something; it would be best to have done with, the sooner the better…But in the great world people won't hear of such things. There, nobody really believes such doctrines any longer. There, you feel it a positive bliss and ecstasy merely to draw the breath of life. Mother, have you noticed that everything I have painted has turned upon the joy of life?--always, always upon the joy of life?--light and sunshine and glorious air-and faces radiant with happiness. That is why I'm afraid of remaining at home with you.


Act III


16. And the refuge for wandering mariners shall be called "Chamberlain Alving's Home,” that it shall! And if so be as I'm spared to carry on that house in my own way, I make so bold as to promise that it shall be worthy of the Chamberlain's memory.

17. Well then, child of joy as he was--for he was like a child in those days--he had to live at home here in a half-grown town, which had no joys to offer him--only dissipations. He had no object in life--only an official position. He had no work into which he could throw himself heart and soul; he had only business. He had not a single comrade that could realise what the joy of life meant--only loungers and boon companions - Your poor father found no outlet for the overpowering joy of life that was in him. And I brought no brightness into his home.

18. Yes, but she was one of that sort, all the same. Oh, I've often suspected it; but--And now, if you please, ma'am, may I be allowed to go away at once? A poor girl must make the best of her young days, or she'll be left out in the cold before she knows where she is. And I, too, have the joy of life in me, Mrs. Alving!

19. Everything you point to you shall have, just as when you were a little child.--There now. The crisis is over. You see how easily it passed! Oh, I was sure it would.--And do you see, Oswald, what a lovely day we are going to have? Brilliant sunshine! Now you can really see your home. [She goes to the table and puts out the lamp. Sunrise. The glacier and the snow-peaks in the background glow in the morning light.]

20. [Sits motionless as before and says.] The sun.--The sun.

General Rubric for Mr. Pellerin’s English Classes

(Based on the Advanced Placement Literature Rubric)

Overview:  The score that you are assigned will reflect the quality of the essay as a whole—its content, its style, its mechanics.  I reward the writers for what they do well.  The score for an exceptionally well-written essay may be raised a half step above the otherwise appropriate score (i.e. from an A- to an A).  In no case may a poorly written essay be scored higher than a D.

9-8 A	These essays offer a well-focused and persuasive analysis of the assigned prompt.  Using apt and specific textual support, these essays fully explore the assigned prompt and demonstrate what it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.  Although not without flaws, these essays make a strong case for their interpretation and discuss the literary work with significant insight and understanding.  Generally, essays scored an A reveal more sophisticated analysis and more effective control of language than do essays scored an A-.
7-6 B	These essays offer a reasonable analysis of the assigned prompt, and what it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.  These essays show insight and understanding, but the analysis is less thorough, less perceptive, and/or less specific in supporting detail than that of the A essays.  Generally, essays scored a B+ present better developed analysis and more consistent command of the elements of effective composition than do essays scored a B or B-.
5 C	These essays respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading, but they tend to be superficial or underdeveloped in analysis.  They often rely upon plot summary that contains some analysis, implicit or explicit.  Although the writers attempt to discuss the assigned prompt and how the relationship contributes to the work as a whole, they may demonstrate a rather simplistic understanding of the work.  The essays demonstrate adequate control of language, but they may lack effective organization and may be marred by surface errors.
4-3 D	These lower-half essays offer a less than thorough understanding of the task or a less than adequate treatment of it.  They reflect an incomplete or over simplified understanding of the work, or they may fail to address the assigned prompt directly.  They may not address or develop a response to how it contributes to the work as a whole, or they may rely on plot summary alone.  Their assertions may be unsupported or even irrelevant.  Often wordy, elliptical, or repetitious, these essays may lack control over the elements of composition.  Essays scored a D- may contain significant misreading and demonstrate inept writing.
2-1 F	Although these essays make some attempt to respond to the prompt, they compound the weaknesses of the papers in the D range.  Often, they are unacceptably brief or are incoherent in presenting ideas.  They may be poorly written on several counts and contain distracting errors in grammar and mechanics.  The writer’s remarks are presented with little clarity, organization, or supporting evidence.

 

Ten Steps to writing an effective essay every time

1.      Read and Read and Read Prompt:  Whatever you choose, make sure to think about every facet of the question.  Read over and over again.  Think.  Digest what you are about to accomplish.

2.      Return to the text.  Return to your blog responses, journal, and class notes.  Go back and look your work again with the prompt in mind. How is everything new now that you are seeing the plays with the prompt in mind? 

3.      Rehearse.  What?  Yes!  Rehearse and perform a verbal essay using the prompt and the works.  How would you address a jury of your peers with you proposed thesis?  What evidence would you use?

4.      Find your Evidence:  Find and cite valuable passages for each of the parts of the above prompt.  Go to the net and cut and paste at least 10-12 passages and or quotations to use in your piece into a word document.

5.      So what’s your point?  Thesis statement:  The questions in the prompt are guiding your essay. Look at your 10 major passages and ask yourself…what message am I taking away from this reading experience?  Write a solid one sentence thesis statement of purpose.

6.      Organization:  Look at the list of quotations and organize the quotations into the paragraphs.  DO NOT BE AFRAID TO JUMP AROUND.  JUMP AROUND.  JUMP UP, JUMP UP AND GET DOWN!

7.      Your thesis and 10 Quotations.  Your complete thesis is the heading and the 10 quotations should be arranged in the order you would use them in your argument.

8.      Compose body paragraphs:  Using the prompt and your accompanying quotations - start writing your essay.  Make sure you come to some sort of conclusion in the third paragraph.  You may even have a brief conclusion as another paragraph.

9.      Read your essay over: The professor’s eyes should not be the first set of eyes to read your essay.  Make sure it is solid.  Read it out loud. 

10.   Compose your introduction:  Keep it brief and make sure the thesis statement you wrote is the last sentence.