Competency/Skill #7 47

7. ABILITY TO WRITE WELL ON A SELECTION FROM POETRY OR PROSE, INCLUDING FICTION OR NONFICTION.

1. Analyze a given selection.2. Demonstrate the ability to organize ideas around a focal point.3. Exhibit conventions of standard written English.4. Incorporate relevant content, using ample evidence.5. Use elements of style that enhance the reader’s interest and understanding.

ESSAY IS ONE HOUR.

“For your essay, you will choose between two topics. The sixty minutes allotted for this section of the exam includes time to prepare, write, and edit your essay.

The essay section represents 30 percent of the total score of the exam. Your work will be scored holistically by two judges. The personal views you express will not be an issue; however, the skill with which you express those views, the logic of your arguments, and the degree to which you support your position will be very important in the scoring.

Your essay will be scored both on substance and on the composition skills demonstrated, including the following elements: ideas, focus, organization, style (diction and sentence structure), and mechanics (capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and usage).

The judges will use the categories [below] when evaluating your essay.”

Essay Scoring Categories:7 – The essay has a clear thesis, unity, focus, and a distinctive style. The ideas are concrete,

plentiful, appropriate, and deep-textured. The writer uses an abundance of specific, relevant details, including concrete examples that clearly support generalizations. A wide variety of sentence constructions is used. Appropriate transitional words and phrases and effective coherence techniques make the prose distinctive. Usage and mechanics are generally accurate.

5 – The essay has a thesis, focus, and unity and is clearly written, observing the elements of style. The writer presents a considerable quantity of relevant and specific detail in support of the subject. A variety of sentence patterns occurs, and sentence constructions indicate that the writer has facility in the use of language. Effective transitions are accompanied by sentences constructed with orderly relationship between word groups. There may be a few errors in usage, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

3 – The essay has some degree of unity and focus, but it is only reasonably clear. The writer employs a limited number of specific details relating to subject. Paragraphs are usually sufficiently unified and developed. Sentence variety is minimal. Some transitions are used and parts are related to each other in a fairly orderly manner. The essay is at times awkward. Usage is generally accurate. There are some errors in spelling, capitalization, and punctuation that detract from the essay’s effect if not from its sense.

1– The essay lacks unity and focus. The writer includes very little, if any, specific and relevant supporting detail, but instead, uses unsupported generalizations. Paragraphs are underdeveloped and ineffective. Sentences lack variety. Transitions and coherence

Competency/Skill #7

devices are not discernable. There are many errors in usage, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

An off-topic essay will automatically be classified in Category 1.” (Florida Teacher Certification Examination Test Preparation Guide for English 6-12, 3rd

edition: 9-10.)

STEP ONE Read the prompt and address every part of the question Read the prompt again Typical Prompt: “Using any critical approach, discuss in an essay how the language

and/or other elements contribute to the overall effect of the selection. Support your discussion with specific references.” (Florida Teacher Certification Examination Test Preparation Guide for English 6-12, 3rd edition: 11.)Critical Approaches might be:

Formalistic, Historical, Sociological, Archetypal etc.Elements of language might include:

Rhetorical techniques Strategies, devices of language Stylistic elements

Specific terms: Diction Imagery Syntax (sentence structure) Structure/organization Tone Point of view Selection of detail

Overall effects of the selection means to: Analyze techniques Convey/define attitude Achieve purpose Effect on audience/reader Convey point of view

STEP TWO – read the passage Mark/identify/annotate what the author is using

Diction (especially connotative language and irony) Figurative language/sensory detail Unusual syntax, punctuation How ideas are connected/organized

STEP THREE – formulate a thesis Think before you write so that your essay is organized Don’t begin by parroting the prompt word for word Thesis needs to be specific - how does the author’s use of language and meaning

interact?

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Competency/Skill #7

STEP FOUR - Writing the body ¶’s Be thorough and specific: ANALYZE Do not simply “point out” strategies; explain how they are used Provide examples from the text Speculate as to why the author included them/what is their effect/how do they support

the purpose?Use detail

Quote from the passage liberally Use examples of diction, figurative language etc. Use short quotes/words/phrases - incorporate into your own sentences Always explain the writer’s purpose in including these devices…how do they

support the purpose? Include your example and then comment on how or why the example demonstrates the point you are making. Why did the author include it?

Can’t remember a term? Don’t guess about the name of a device If you aren’t sure if the name is onomatopoeia or oxymoron or metonymy, then

don’t use the terms … but do include “buzz” and “loud silence” and “the crown” … and then discuss how they contribute to the meaning

Write about what you know You cannot possibly explore every rhetorical device or strategy the author has

used to create the effect Select those for which you can explain the function and purpose. Don’t make things up!!!

How Long? There is no magical number of paragraphs Divide into paragraphs – don’t write one long essay WATCH YOUR TIME – you want to include language/examples from the end as

well as the beginning of the text You are rewarded for what you do well – so don’t write an unacceptably brief

essayWhat style to use?

Write to express, not to impress – use natural language - use words in your “comfort zone”

Demonstrate that you understand style – show how the author has developed the selection to create a desired effect

Maintain an economy of language – say much with few words Probably best to use third person (he, she, they, etc.) rather than first person Try to use present tense when discussing literature Write legibly – the readers cannot reward you for what you do well if they can’t

read it Let your work stand on its own merits – no “pity notes” (e.g., “I’ve been out of

college too long,” etc.) Verbs to use Chronicles Delineates Demonstrates Depicts Exemplifies

Features Illuminates Illustrates Portrays Reflects

Specifies Suggests Utilizes

DO NOT USE: goes, shows, tells

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Competency/Skill #7

Some material taken from The AP Vertical Teams Guide for English(The College Board 2002)

Language Analysis - Terms

STYLE – generally style is the author’s voice/imprint – that which makes his writing unique. It can be urbane, formal, stiff, light, didactic, philosophical, whimsical, pompous etc.

Style is defined by considering diction, syntax, tone, point of view, structure, imagery, literary devices, and selection of detail. In analyzing prose, you must identify and comment on the purpose and effectiveness of the author’s choices. You must always include examples from the selection to illustrate (words, phrases, line #s etc.).

DICTION – author’s word choice intended to convey a certain effect

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AbstractAlliterativeArchaicArtificialAssonanceBombasticCacophonousClichéColloquialConcreteConnotativeCrispCulturedDenotativeDetachedDialectEmotional

EsotericEuphemisticEuphoniousEvocativeExactFeminineFigurativeFormalGrotesqueHarshHomespunHyperbolicIdiomaticInformalInsipidIronicJargon

LearnedLightLiteralMasculineMonosyllabicMoralisticObscureObtuseOld-fashionedOnomatopoeticOrdinaryPedanticPicturesquePhilosophicalPlainPoeticPolysyllabic

PompousPrecisePretentiousProvincialScholarlyScientificSensuousSimpleSlangSoftStiffSymbolicTriteUrbaneVulgarWhimsical

SYNTAX: sentence structureSentence Lengths

Telegraphic – shorter than 5 words Short – approximately 5 words in length Medium – approximately 18 words in length Long and involved – 30 words or more in length (How does the sentence length fit the

subject matter? What variety of lengths is present? How is the length effective?) Sentence Patterns

Declarative (assertive) – makes a statement (e.g., “The king is sick.”) Imperative – gives a command (e.g., “Cure the king.”) Interrogative – asks a question (e.g., “Is the king sick?”) Exclamatory – provides emphasis or expresses strong emotion (e.g., “The king is dead!

Long live the king!”) Simple – contains one subject and one verb (an independent clause) (e.g., “The singer

bowed to her adoring audience.”) Compound – contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinate conjunction or by

a semicolon (e.g., “The singer bowed to the audience, but she sang no encores.”) Complex – contains an independent clause and one or more subordinate (dependent)

clauses (e.g., “Because the singer was tired, she went straight to bed after the concert.”) Compound/Complex – contains two or more principal clauses and one or more

subordinate (dependent) clauses (e.g., “The singer bowed while the audience applauded, but she sang no encores.”)

Sentence order: Loose sentence – makes complete sense if brought to a close before the actual ending

(e.g., “We reached Edmonton that morning after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, tired, but exhilarated, full of stores to tell our friends and neighbors.”) The sentence could end before the modifying phrases without losing its coherence.

Periodic sentence – makes sense only when the end of the sentence is reached (e.g., “That morning, after a turbulent flight and some exciting experiences, we reached Edmonton.”)

Balanced sentence – the phrases or clauses balance each other by virtue of their likeness of structure, meaning, or length (e.g., “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside still waters.”)

Natural order – constructing a sentence so that the subject comes before the predicate (e.g., “Oranges grow in Florida.”)

Inverted order (sentence inversion) – constructing a sentence so that the predicate comes before the subject (e.g., “In Florida grow the oranges.”)

Rhetorical/Grammatical devices: Active/passive voice – the subject performs the action; the subject is acted upon; is used

to suggest control or lack of control (e.g., “He looked at the dead man.” “He was being looked at by a dead man.”)

Appositives – set off by comas, adds information Author asides - usually in parentheses; author intrudes on his story Ellipsis, dashes – slows the motion; indicates passage of time, pauses

Juxtaposition – normally unassociated ideas, words, or phrases are placed next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit (e.g., “The apparition of these faces in the crowd; / Petals on a wet black bought.” “In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound).

Lists and catalogues Parallel structure (parallelism) – grammatical or structural similarity between

sentences of parts of a sentence. It involves an arrangement of words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs so that elements of equal importance are similarly phrased (e.g., “He was walking, running, and jumping for joy.”)

Participles – “ing” words – may denote motion, quick pace, action Repetition – the deliberate use of any element of language more than once – sound,

word, phrase, sentence, grammatical pattern, or rhythmical pattern; for the purpose of enhancing rhythm and creating emphasis (e.g., “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”)

Rhetorical question – a question that expects no answer. It is used to draw attention to a point and is generally stronger than a direct statement (e.g., “If Mr. Ferchoff is always fair, as you have said, why did he refuse to listen to Mrs. Baldwin’s arguments?”)

Sentences which interrupt – breaks the rhythm in a passageFIGURATIVE LANGUAGE and IMAGERY (rhetorical devices/strategies): Alliteration – repetition of initial consonant sound of several consecutive or neighboring

words (e.g., “The twisting trout twinkled below.”) Allusion – a reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place or thing

(e.g., “He met his Waterloo.”) Antithesis – involves a direct contrast of structurally parallel word groupings, generally

for the purpose of contrast (e.g., “Sink or swim.”) Apostrophe – a form of personification in which the absent or dead are spoken to as if

present (e.g., “Milton! Thou shoulds’t be living at this hour.”) Assonance – the repetition of accented vowel sounds in a series of words (e.g., the words

“cry” and “side” have the same vowel sound.) Consonance – the repetition of a consonant within a series of words to produce a

harmonious effect (e.g., “And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.”) The “d” sound is in consonance.

Flashback – a scene that interrupts the action of a work to show a previous event. Foreshadowing – the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest future action. Hyperbole – a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration (e.g., “The

shot heard ‘round the world.”) It may be used for either serious or comic effect. Irony –

o Verbal irony – the result of a statement saying one thing while meaning the opposite (e.g., “It’s easy to stop smoking; I’ve done it many times.”)

o Situational irony – when a situation turns out differently from what one would normally expect – though often the twist is oddly appropriate (e.g., a deep sea diver drowning in a bathtub.)

o Dramatic irony – occurs when a character says or does something that has more or different meanings from what he thinks it means, though the audience and/or other characters do understand the full ramifications of the speech or action (e.g., Oedipus curses the murderer of Laius, not realizing that he is himself the murderer and so is cursing himself.)

Metaphor – a comparison without the use of like or as; usually a comparison between something that is concrete and something that is abstract (e.g., “Time is money.”)

Onomatopoeia (imitative harmony) – the use of words in which the sounds seem to resemble the sounds they describe (e.g., “hiss,” “buzz,” and “bang.”)

Oxymoron – a form of paradox that combines a pair of contrary terms into a single unusual expression (e.g., “sweet sorrow” or “cold fire.”)

Paradox – when the elements of a statement contradict each other. Although the statement may appear illogical, impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth (e.g., “Much madness is divinest sense.” “The more you know, the more you don’t know.” Socrates.)

Personification – a kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics (e.g., “The wind cried in the dark.”)

Prosody – the study of sound and rhythm in poetry Pun – a play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply diverse

meanings. Puns can have serious as well as humorous uses (e.g., in Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is bleeding to death and says to his friends, “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find a grave man.”)

Sarcasm – a type of irony in which a person appears to be praising something but is actually insulting it (e.g., “As I fell down the stairs headfirst, I heard her say, ‘Look at that coordination.’”)

Sensory detail – an appeal to the senses (e.g., sight, sound, texture, taste, smell) Shift or turn – a change in movement in a piece resulting from an epiphany, realization,

or insight gained by the speaker, a character, or the reader. Simile – a comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words like

or as. It is a definitely stated comparison in which the writer says one thing is like another (e.g., “The warrior fought like a lion.”)

Symbols – any object, person, place, or action that has both meaning in itself and that stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value (e.g., the land turtle in Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath suggests or reflects the toughness and resilience of the migrant workers.)

Synecdoche (metonymy) – a form of metaphor. In synecdoche, apart of something is used to signify the whole (e.g., “All hands on deck.”) In metonymy, the name of one thing is applied to another thing with which it is closely associated (e.g., “I love Shakespeare.”)

Synesthesia – sense mixing Understatement (meiosis, litotes) – the opposite of hyperbole; a kind of irony that

deliberately represents something as being much less than it really is (e.g., “I could probably manage to survive on a salary of two million dollars per year.”)

STRUCTURE: (organization) (rhetorical structure) Modes: argumentation, cause/effect, classification, compare/contrast, definition,

exposition, description, narration, process analysis, etc. Genre: prose, short story, poetry, novel, drama, sermon, editorial, satire, parody, journal,

letter, legal brief, speech, etc. Arrangement: chronological, flashbacks, full-circle, order of importance, spatial,

informal, formal, etc. (e.g., examine the arrangement of ideas in a paragraph to see if there is evidence of any pattern or structure.)

POINT OF VIEW: Participant Point of View – first person point of view

o Narrator as a major charactero Narrator as a minor charactero Innocent-eye narratoro Stream-of-consciousness (interior monologue)

Nonparticipant Point of View – third person point of viewo Omniscient narrator – the author can enter the minds of all characterso Selective (limited) omniscient narrator – the author limits his omniscience to the

minds of a few of the characters or of a single charactero Objective narrator – the author does not enter a single mind, but instead records

what can be seen and heard Other POV Descriptors: Adult, Child-Like, Naïve, Nostalgic, Objective, Persona,

Personal, Reflective, Scientific, Sophisticated, Subjective

TONE: (voice, attitude) the writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject and audience.

AfraidAllusiveAngryApologeticAudaciousAwedBenevolentBitterBlack humorBoringCandidChildishColdComplimentaryCondescending

ConfusedContemptuousCynicalDetachedDidacticDistantDramaticDreamyExhortativeFancifulFrivolousGiddyHappyHollowHorrific

HumorousIrreverentJokingJoyfulMock seriousMockingNostalgicObjectivePeacefulPitifulPoignantProudProvocativeRestrainedSad

SarcasticSeductiveSentimentalSharpShockingSillySomberSweetSympatheticTiredUpsetUrgentVexedVibrantZealous

SELECTION OF DETAIL:Describe the author’s treatment of the subject matter by considering the following: Has the author been:

Subjective? Are his conclusions based upon opinions; are they rather personal in nature? Objective? Are his conclusions based upon facts; are they impersonal or scientific? Details? How did he support his thesis? What details are included/omitted? How many?

About what? Specific or general? Concrete or abstract? Position in selection? Does the author use current events, personal illustrations, descriptions, allusions, anecdotes, history, literature. Are the details religious, scientific, poetic, sentimental, cynical, etc.

PRACTICE ANALYSIS

SAMPLE PROMPT #1:

Using any critical approach, discuss in an essay how the language and/or other elements contribute to the overall effect of the selection. Support your discussion with specific references.

“Out Out! - ” allusion – to Macbeth

The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard personification/onomatopoeiaAnd made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood, alliterationSweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it. alliteration/sensory detailAnd from there those that lifted eyes could count alliteration/foreshadowingFive mountain ranges one behind the other imagery/symbolismUnder the sunset far into Vermont. symbolismAnd the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled, personification/repetitionAs it ran light, or had to bear a load.And nothing happened: day was all but done. deliberately vague dictionCall it a day, I wish they might have said To please the boy by giving him the half hour parental attitudeThat a boy counts so much when saved from work.His sister stood beside them in her apron them - saw + boyTo tell them “Supper.” At the word, the saw, connotative languageAs if to prove saws knew what supper meant, personificationLeaped out at the boy’s hand, or seemed to leap – He must have given the hand. However it was,Neither refused the meeting. But the hand! connotation (handshake)The boy’s first outcry was a rueful laugh. rueful laugh (unusual language)As he swung toward them holding up the hand. them - saw and sisterHalf in appeal, but half as if to keep cry for helpThe life from spilling. Then the boy saw all – punctuation – use of dashSince he was old enough to know, big boy loss of innocenceDoing a man’s work, though a child at heart – He saw all spoiled. “Don’t let him cut my hand off - foreshadowing“The doctor, when he comes. Don’t let him, sister!” appeal to the sister/not parentSo. But the hand was gone already. abrupt transition/connotationThe doctor put him in the dark of ether. dark - ebbing of lifeHe lay and puffed his lips out with his breath. Emotionless, static languageAnd then – the watcher at his pulse took fright. watcher – impersonal languageNo one believed. They listened at his heart. abrupt syntaxLittle – less – nothing! – and that ended it. cold, dispassionate dictionNo more to build on there. And they, since they they – impersonal pronounWere not the one dead, turned to their affairs. Distant and callous

Robert Frost (1916)

SAMPLE RESPONSE #1The following sample response takes the Formalistic Critical Approach:

In a crisp economical style, Robert Frost describes the tragic death of a child who was regarded as a “hired hand” and who was denied a future by his callous and indifferent parents.

In the first lines of the poem Frost uses soft and sensual language to describe the “sweet scented” raw beauty of a New England sunset juxtaposed against the adult responsibilities imposed on the child. Because he “was a big boy doing a man’s work, though a child at heart,” the adults in his life, “those that lifted eyes,” might have anticipated the imminent danger of letting a child use the dangerous “buzz” saw. While the parents are impersonal and distant, the saw is personified as an angry and dangerous villain who “snarled and rattled” in the yard and was intimately close to the child. Frost creates a vivid image foreshadowing the accident when he describes the “five mountain ranges one behind the other under the sunset far into Vermont.” The five mountain ranges symbolize the five fingers of the hand, or perhaps the saw blades themselves, set against the blood-red sky; the boy’s parents might have predicted the tragedy, but they did not bother to “lift eyes.”

The boy is clearly just the hired hand, unworthy of the “half hour that a boy counts so much when saved from work.” But he is not unique in his family; it is, after all, the apron clad sister who calls them (the personified saw and the boy) for supper. Frost extends the metaphor when he writes that the saw “as if to prove saws knew what supper meant” attacks or literally “eats” the boy’s hand. Ironically, the boy did not withdraw his hand, suggesting a naïve and hopeful appeal to his parents’ sympathy, but his “rueful laugh” reveals the deeper understanding of the child. “Neither refused the meeting,” writes Frost, implying that the boy and the saw shook hands to close the deal; the tragedy was pre-destined and inevitable. The symbolic injury to the hand is significant since the boy is, after all, merely a hired hand, and without the use of his limbs he is worthless to his family.

However, the boy realizes almost immediately that “giving the hand” to the saw was a terrible mistake; he can’t keep his “life from spilling” and he sees his future “all spoiled.” Tellingly, he does not cry out to his parents for comfort; instead he turns to his sister to save him. The syntax and diction of the poem change dramatically when it is clear that the boy will not survive, and the poignant appeal to the sister is followed with an abrupt response. Using mechanical and detached language, Frost writes, “So. But the hand was gone already.”

As the child lies dieing, he is presumably surrounded by family members who are depicted as impersonal “watchers” and who react to his death with disturbing indifference. The nameless parents take fright only temporarily as the boy’s heartbeat disintegrates from “little” to “less” to “nothing!” The insignificance of the child’s life, and ultimately his death, is summed up in the businesslike language of “and that ended it. No more to build on there.” Even the death of their child has not moved the parents to emotion, and since “they were not the one dead, [they] turned to their affairs.”

The title of the poem alludes to two different Shakespearian lines. The first and most obvious reference suggests the fragile nature of life. Devastated by the loss of his wife, Macbeth weeps, “Out out, brief candle.” Similarly, the boy’s life is a brief flickering candle, which is snuffed out far too soon. But Frost also condemns the child’s parents with his allusion to Lady Macbeth’s futile attempt to cleanse the imaginary “blood” which stains her hands. No matter how desperately she commands, “Out out, damned spot,” the guilt of the murder she has

committed cannot we washed away. Echoing the line, Frost offers no forgiveness for the parents who murdered their own child, robbing him of his childhood, his future, his life.

SAMPLE PROMPT #2:

Using any critical approach, discuss in an essay how the language and/or other elements contribute to the overall effect of the selection. Support your discussion with specific references.

Off was the rumble of death. It seemed now that Nature had no ears. This landscape gave him assurance. A fair field holding life. It was the religion of peace. It would die if its timid eyes were compelled to see blood. He conceived Nature to be a woman with a deep aversion to tragedy.

He threw a pinecone at a jovial squirrel, and he ran with chattering fear. High in a treetop he stopped, and poking his head cautiously from behind a branch, looked down with an air of trepidation.

The youth felt triumphant at this exhibition. There was the law, he said. Nature had given him a sign. The squirrel, immediately upon recognizing danger, had taken to his legs without ado. He did not stand stolidly baring his furry belly to the missile, and die with an upward glance at the sympathetic heavens. On the contrary, he had fled as fast as his legs could carry him; and he was but an ordinary squirrel too – doubtless no philosopher of his race. The youth wended, feeling that Nature was of his mind. She reinforced his argument with proofs that lived where the sun shone.

The youth went again into the deep thickets. The brushed branches made a noise that drowned the sounds of cannon. He walked on, going from obscurity into promises of greater obscurity.

At length he reached a place where the high, arching boughs made a chapel. He softly pushed the green doors aside and entered. Pine needles were a gentle brown carpet. There was a religious half-light.

Near the threshold he stopped, horror-stricken at the sight of a thing.He was being looked at by a dead man, who was seated with his back against a

columnlike tree. The corpse was dressed in a uniform that once had been blue, but was now faded to a melancholy shade of green. The eyes, staring at the youth, had changed to the dull hue to be seen on the side of a dead fish. The mouth was open. Its red had changed to an appalling yellow. Over the gray skin of the face ran little ants. One was trundling some sort of a bundle along the upper lip.

Steven Crane, from The Red Badge of Courage (1895)

SAMPLE RESPONSE #2The following sample response takes a Sociological Criticism approach:

Employing the philosophy of Naturalism and using Impressionistic and Realistic writing styles, Stephen Crane demonstrates the senselessness of war in this excerpt from The Red Badge of Courage.

Naturalism, the detached and objective philosophy, which purports that man is insignificant and powerless in a world where God or nature is indifferent to human suffering, informs Crane’s view of war. In the novel, the young soldier runs when the rebels attack his unit, and to justify his cowardice, he points to the squirrel that instinctively flees when faced with danger. Crane writes, “Nature had given him a sign. The squirrel had taken to his legs without ado...he had fled as fast as his legs could carry him.” Clearly “Nature was of his mind” and supported his view that man has no free will and must simply react to the world in order to survive. Later in the passage the young soldier comes to a peaceful and quiet spot where the “brushed branches made a noise that drowned the sound of canons.” He naively believes that Nature will protect and comfort him, but Nature is unsympathetic to his emotional pain and instead leads him to the shocking discovery of the corpse.

The Naturalistic philosophy is supported by Crane’s use of impressionistic and symbolic images. When the youth calms down and begins to believe that Nature will provide comfort, Crane employs feminine and soft language and personifies nature as a woman with a “deep aversion to tragedy.” In fact, he initially describes the surroundings with religious language: the place is a “chapel” with “green doors”; it is carpeted in “a gentle brown” and is illuminated in a “religious half light.” It is, in fact, the “religion of peace.” The youth believes that nature “would die if its timid eyes were compelled to see blood.” With his emotions coloring his perceptions, he creates his own personal impression that God will protect him from the ravages of the war. But instead of finding peace and “greater obscurity,” he is forced to confront the realistic consequences of war. God/Nature is apathetic and uncaring and will not provide reassurance, so Crane uses realistic depictions of the ugly brutality of war to make this point. The calming comfort of the “chapel” is destroyed by the horrifying confrontation with the corpse. In fact, Crane refers to the dead soldier as a “thing,” using cold, dehumanizing language to underscore the evil truth of war. To further suggest the fact that man is merely a puppet with no free will, he deliberately uses passive voice. Staring at the youth through lifeless eyes, death asserts control. “He was being looked at by a dead man,” writes Crane, emphasizing that the youth is paralyzed by the sight of the corpse. Abandoning the soothing sensory descriptions of the natural chapel, Crane follows with a coarse and disturbing description of the dead soldier. He now adds colors that are “grey,” “appalling yellow,” and “melancholy green.” Using abrupt syntax, Crane suggests that there is nothing dignified or inspiring about death. The dead soldier’s eyes have the “dull hue seen on the side of a dead fish” and ants run over the face, “trundling some short of bundle.”

Crane speaks loudly and clearly through the dead soldier’s “open mouth.” War, declares Crane, does nothing but produce death and destruction, and the young soldier cannot escape this ugly truth.

SAMPLE PROMPT #3

Using any critical approach, discuss in an essay how the language and/or other elements contribute to the overall effect of the selection. Support your discussion with specific references.

“Richard Cory”

Whenever Richard Cory went downtown,We people on the pavement looked at him:He was a gentleman from sole to crown,Clean-favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,And he was always human when he talked;But still he fluttered pulses when he said,“Good morning,” and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich – yes, richer than a king – And admirably schooled in every grace:In fine, we thought that he was everythingTo make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,Went home and put a bullet through his head.

Edwin Arlington Robinson (1897)

SAMPLE PROMPT #4

Using any critical approach, discuss in an essay how the language and/or other elements contribute to the overall effect of the selection. Support your discussion with specific references.

My reasons for marrying are, first, and I think it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish. Secondly, that I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness; and thirdly – which perhaps I ought to have mentioned earlier, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness. Twice has she condescended to give me her opinion (unasked too!) on this subject; and it was but the very Saturday night before I left Hunsford – between our pools and quadrille, while Mrs. Jenkinsons was arranging Miss de Bourgh’s foot-stool, that she said, ‘Mr. Collins, you must marry. A clergyman like you must marry. – Chuse properly, chuse a gentlewoman for my sake; and for your own, let her be an active, useful sort of person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way. This is my advice. Find such a woman as soon as you can, bring her to Hunsford, and I

will visit her.’ Allow me, by the way, to observe, my fair cousin, that I do not reckon the notice and kindness of Lady Catherine de Bourgh as among the least of the advantages in my power to offer. You will find her manners beyond anything I can describe; and your wit and vivacity I think must be acceptable to her, especially when tempered with the silence and respect which her rank will inevitably excite.

(Jane Austen 1813)