ASSIGNMENT
Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole.
Question 1
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)
The following poem is by the sixteenth-century English poet George Gascoigne. Read the poem carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the complex attitude of the speaker is developed through such devices as form, diction, and imagery.
For That He Looked Not upon Her
You must not wonder, though you think it strange,
To see me hold my louring1 head so low;
And that mine eyes take no delight to range
About the gleams which on your face do grow.
The mouse which once hath broken out of trap5
Line
Is seldom ’ticèd2 with the trustless bait,
But lies aloof for fear of more mishap,
And feedeth still in doubt of deep deceit.
The scorchèd fly which once hath ’scaped the flame
Will hardly come to play again with fire,10
Whereby I learn that grievous is the game
Which follows fancy dazzled by desire:
So that I wink or else hold down my head,
Because your blazing eyes my bale3 have bred.
(1573)
1 gloomy
2 enticed
3 misery
Question 2
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)
The following passage is from the novel The Known World by Edward P. Jones. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze how the author reveals the character of Moses. In your analysis, you may wish to consider such literary elements as point of view, selection of detail, and imagery.
Unfortunately, we have been denied permission to
reproduce the excerpt from Edward P. Jones’
The Known World on this website.
The excerpt is taken from the beginning of the novel.
Question 3
(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)
It has often been said that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. Consider how this statement applies to a character from a novel or play. Select a character that has deliberately sacrificed, surrendered, or forfeited something in a way that highlights that character’s values. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how the particular sacrifice illuminates the character’s values and provides a deeper understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole.
You may choose a novel or play from the list below or one of comparable literary merit. Do not merely summarize
the plot.
Othello
The Age of Innocence The Poisonwood Bible
Antigone The Portrait of a Lady
The Awakening A Prayer for Owen Meany
Beloved A Raisin in the Sun
The Crucible The Scarlet Letter
Death of a Salesman A Streetcar Named Desire
Ethan Frome A Tale of Two Cities
King Lear Tess of the d’Urbervilles
Linden Hills Their Eyes Were Watching God
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter Things Fall Apart
Much Ado About Nothing A Thousand Acres
Noah’s Compass The Women of Brewster Place
Oryx and Crake.
