Chapter Five
Writing about Literature
T
he great French novelist Honoré de Balzac tells the reader near the beginning of
his most famous novel, Le Père Goriot: “All is true” (26). In similar fashion, in
Ken Kesey‟s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Chief Bromden, the giant Indian
who narrates the novel, states that the story he is about to tell “is the truth even if it didn‟t
happen” (13). The paradox* makes us pause. How can events that didn‟t happen be true?
Thinking a moment, we realize that Balzac and Kesey‟s claim is the claim of all good fiction.
Their stories are true because they accurately portray the way human beings feel and think
and act
If we accept this kind of truth, think of the worlds that literature opens to us—the times
and places we would otherwise find it hard to imagine, the countless people we would
otherwise never meet. Think of all the knowledge and wisdom, the compassion and
understanding we can gain from fiction. If, as the poet says, “any man‟s death diminishes
me” (Donne 308), think how much diminished we would be by never knowing all the people
whose lives we have discovered in fiction.
I think, for example, of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird: of his compassion for
those trapped by the circumstances of their lives, of his courage in fighting ignorance and
bigotry, of the love with which he raises his children. I think of his teaching Jem about Mrs.
Dubose, who overcomes her morphine addiction because she doesn‟t want to die beholden to
any drug. I think of his telling Scout that you never understand another person until you
stand in his shoes. Atticus has been my hero for years; if Harper Lee had never written his
story, I would be diminished at least a little.
In the last couple of years of high school and on into college, the study of literature
becomes a primary activity of English classes, and most writing assignments deal with
literature. Some students might wonder why. After all, once out of school, few people write
literary essays. True, but the skills that such essays develop—the ability to read carefully,
analyze thoughtfully, and write clearly—are invaluable in every walk of life.
* paradox. n. a seemingly contradictory statement or situation. Example: It is a paradox that sometimes noble
actions bring tragic results.
A. Some Conventions
Correction symbols: person, tense
A convention is a practice commonly
followed. When we write about literature, four
conventions apply.
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A. S OM E C ON V E N T I ON S
When we write about literature, we assume that our
audience has read the work in
question recently enough to
be able to identify major
characters and events. If we are writing about
“The Most Dangerous Game,” for example, we
do not need to explain that General Zaroff is an
aristocratic Cossack and Ivan his frightful
servant, though we might remind the reader that
the name of Rainsford‟s companion on the yacht
is Whitney. Nor do we need to explain that Ivan
is killed by the Ugandan knife-trap that
Rainsford constructs, though we can discuss
Rainsford‟s ingenuity in setting the trap.
Given this literate* audience, we realize that
there is no reason to summarize the plot. We
need to do more than tell what happens in a
work of literature; we need to respond to it, to
make a point about it.
The only time that we ignore this convention
comes when we write a book review, for the
function of a review is to help readers decide if
they want to read a given work of literature. In a
review we tell what a work is about, discuss its
merits, and give our judgement on it, but clearly
we assume no knowledge of the work on the part
of our audience.
Assuming a
literate
audience
In the first few sentences
of
a
paragraph or essay about
Including
literature,
we include the title
author and
of
the
work
we are discussing
title
and the name of its author.
Even if a teacher asks us to
write about “The Most Dangerous Game,” we
don‟t begin: “This story . . .” Instead we write:
“„The Most Dangerous Game‟ by Richard
Connell . . .” or “Richard Connell‟s „Most
Dangerous Game‟. . .” (Notice that when a title
comes after a possessive noun or pronoun, we
drop an initial a, an, or the.)
As these examples illustrate, it is conventional to write an author‟s name unaccompanied
by any title; we don‟t talk about Mr.
Shakespeare or Mr. Connell. Usually we give
the author‟s first and last name when we first
mention him or her, the last name only
thereafter.
In introducing a work of fiction, it is easy to
use imprecise language or to be repetitive. We
don‟t want to begin: “George Orwell‟s book
Animal Farm . . .” More specifically, the book
is a novel, as the reader knows, and we need to
* literate. adj. educated, well read. Example: It is
fun to talk with literate people about the books they
have been reading.
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keep the synonym novel in reserve to avoid
repetition. Thus: “George Orwell‟s Animal
Farm is a bitter attack against Communism, an
attack that seems even more telling because the
novel was written by an ardent socialist.”
We can divide the
pronouns
that refer to people
Using third
into
three
categories: first
person: person
person (singular:
I, me,
myself, my, mine; plural: we,
us, ourselves, our, ours), second person: (you,
yourself, your, yours), and third person:
(singular: he, she, it, and their forms; plural:
they, them, themselves, their, theirs).
A fundamental decision that we make when
we write is which person to use. When we
write about literature, we generally write in
third person, although there are some
situations when we can write in first person
instead.
We usually avoid writing in the first person
singular (I) for two reasons. In the first place, it
is repetitive and unnecessary: why keep saying
“I think” when the reader knows he or she is
reading my opinion? Second, it tends to make
what we write sound more like a personal
response than a reasoned argument. When a
lawyer presents a case to the jury, he or she
doesn‟t say, “I think that my client is innocent,”
because there is a shade of doubt in that “I
think.” Instead the lawyer asserts, “My client is
innocent.” When we are writing about literature,
we too are presenting a case to the reader, and
our case may sound less certain, less convincing,
if it is peppered with “I believe” and “I think.”
Take this sentence, for example:
• Because he has become a hunted beast, I
think that Rainsford realizes how cruel his
favorite sport can be.
The statement is more forceful with “I think
that” removed.
We can, however, write in the first person
singular if we are telling the reader our personal
experiences with a work of literature—how and
why it moved us—instead of arguing a point
about it. First person is especially appropriate in
giving an opinion that simply has to be a hunch:
• In “The Lady or the Tiger,” I think the lover
is greeted by the tiger.
Many people write about literature in the
first person plural, with we a shorthand for
“attentive readers.” Certainly we is preferable to
such clumsy alternatives as one or “the reader.”
It is acceptable to write: “We see that Rainsford
realizes . . .” Again, though, the statement is
more forceful with “we see that” deleted.
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5. W RI T I N G
Writing in second person about literature is
so tricky that it is best not to attempt it. To
illustrate why, let‟s put our sentence about
Rainsford into second person:
• Because he has become a hunted beast, you
see that Rainsford realizes how cruel his
favorite sport can be.
The problem is that the reader may not agree;
he or she may not think that Rainsford
experiences a change of heart about hunting.
Thus the statement may be offensive to the
reader rather than persuasive.
As we will see in the next chapter, the
correction symbol person asks us to think
about writing in a person other than the one
we have chosen. When we are writing about
literature, person in the margin reminds us to
write in third person. (For a fuller discussion
of choosing first, second, or third person, see
Chapter 6A.)
Finally, we write about
literature
in present tense:
Writing in
•
Not:
At the end of the
present tense:
story,
Zaroff
died a welltense
deserved death.
• But: Zaroff dies a welldeserved death.
The logic here is that the work exists in the
present; it lives every time someone reads or
rereads it. When we turn to the beginning of
“The Most Dangerous Game,” Zaroff is alive
once more. Actually, when we analyze any
work, we should write in present tense: “Plato
states in The Republic,” “Freud points out in
Interpretation of Dreams,” “L‟Engle writes in A
Circle of Quiet,” and so on. (Of course when we
are writing from an historical point of view, we
use past tense: “Connell first copyrighted his
story in 1924.”)
AB O UT
L I T E R A T U RE
The stumbling block for most inexperienced
writers when they write in present tense is
telling about an event that precedes another.
Employing the helping verb have removes the
obstacle:
• Surely Zaroff is surprised to find Rainsford
in his bedroom—for he believes that his
prey has drowned.
There are a couple of exceptions to the
convention of writing about literature in present
tense:
a. We use past tense in referring to events
that occurred before the work of fiction begins:
• Zaroff mentions that he fled Russia during
the Revolution.
b. We use past tense in writing an indirect
quotation if, in direct form, the verb would be in
past tense:
• At the end of “The Most Dangerous Game,”
Rainsford tells Zaroff that he swam to the
chateau: “I found it quicker than walking
through the jungle” (26).
• Rainsford tells Zaroff that he found
swimming to the chateau quicker than
walking.
When writing about literature, tense in
the margin indicates that we have written in
past tense when we should have written in
present. (For a fuller discussion of verb tense,
see Chapter 8C.)
Political theorists are fond of reminding us,
paradoxically, that freedom flourishes only
when limits are maintained. Although we may
find the conventions discussed here bothersome
at first, in fact they provide us with useful
boundaries. When we write about literature, our
audience is defined, and we know to cite author
and title, to write primarily in third person, and
to use present tense.
Exercise 5.1
Write appropriate correction symbols in the margins and make any necessary revisions
in the following paragraphs. (Note: for a corrected version of the first paragraph, see page
141 in the “Exercise 5.1” section at the end of the chapter.)
Paragraph 1
Randall Jarrell‟s poem, The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner, effectively demonstrates
that poets don‟t have to write about pleasant subjects. In this five-line poem he shows you
what happened to a man unlucky enough to be a gunner hanging from the belly of a World
War II bomber in a plexiglas bubble. Either the fighters or the flak blew him up. So that, as
A. S OM E C ON V E N T I ON S
121
the last line read: “When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.” We see in
this little poem an unforgettable image of the savageness of war.
Paragraph 2
In William Faulkner‟s book “The Unvanquished,” he shows how Bayard Sartoris
developed from a boy who followed the conventions of his society into a man who followed
the dictates of his conscience. Some nine years later, we see Bayard deciding not to shoot
his father‟s killer, instead facing him unarmed. First you see Bayard, a boy of 15, tracking
down and killing his grandmother‟s murderer, hanging the man‟s hand on the grave so
Granny can rest easy. I think Mr. Faulkner argued in the novel that true courage was the
kind you show when you do what you think is right even if others don‟t.
Paragraph 3
Bilbo Baggins was the hero of The Hobbit. He was, of course, a hobbit—a short
creature with hairy toes and comfortable habits who liked to eat on time. He went on an
adventure with Gandolf the wizard and several dwarves, led by Thorin, to recover the
treasure of the dwarves stolen by the dragon Smaug. Bilbo‟s nephew Frodo was the hero of
the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. At the beginning of the book, Bilbo thinks of himself as an
average fellow with average beliefs. As the book went along, Bilbo learned a lot of lessons
that we all need to learn: that he was more resourceful than he thought, that he would risk
his life for his friends, that he would do what he beleived was right even if some of his
friends disagreed. At the end of the book, the author showed through Bilbo that regaining
the treasure was not worth the lives lost in the attempt. Bilbo returned home a more
admirable and wiser hobbit, you are wiser too when you finish this book.
B. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is taking the words or thoughts of
someone else and claiming them as our own. At
its worst plagiarism is clearly dishonest: making
up facts or quotations or copying a paragraph or
essay from a classmate or the Internet--or buying
an essay from the Internet. But avoiding
plagiarism is both a matter of honesty and an
intellectual exercise. We need to learn the rules
about giving credit to others so that we will not
plagiarism unintentionally. The purpose of this
section is to highlight those rules.
We plagiarize, first, if we
use
the author‟s words or
Quoting or
phrases
as our own. When we
paraphrasing
write about literature, the best
evidence we have to support
our points comes from the text. When we cite
such evidence, we have two choices: a) place
quotation marks around material that we
quote directly, or b) rephrase the material so
that it is clearly in our own words (words that
we use regularly) and not the author‟s—a
process known as paraphrasing.
When we quote a phrase or passage, we
need to indicate its source—author, book, and
page number where we have found it. If the
author and title are clear from the text, we
simply write the page number in parentheses
after the quotation, as illustrated below. (If the
work under discussion is a poem, we don‟t cite
the page number, but if the poem is long, we do
include line numbers.)
Let‟s take, as an example, Zaroff‟s response
in “The Most Dangerous Game” when Rainsford
122
expresses his shock at the idea of hunting men.
Zaroff states:
“How extraordinarily droll you are! . . .One
does not expect nowadays to find a young
man of the educated class, even in America,
with such a naive, and, if I may say so, midVictorian point of view. It‟s like finding a
snuffbox in a limousine” (13-14).
In writing about Zaroff‟s speech, we can quote:
• Zaroff states that Rainsford is “naive” and
has a “mid-Victorian point of view” (14).
Or we can paraphrase:
• Zaroff states that Rainsford is being oldfashioned in refusing to hunt the greatest of
animals—men.
However, we plagiarize if we write:
• Zaroff does not expect to find a young,
educated man with such naive and Victorian
views.
We are using words nearly identical to those of
the author without giving him due credit.
When we paraphrase, we need to be
particularly careful to avoid including words that
we would not ordinarily use. Since droll at the
beginning of Zaroff‟s speech is probably not part
of our everyday vocabulary, we are plagiarizing
if we write:
• Zaroff finds Rainsford‟s attitude droll.
Instead, we should either substitute a synonym or quote:
• Zaroff finds Rainsford‟s attitude amusing.
• Or: Zaroff finds Rainsford‟s attitude “droll”
(13).
Similarly, if an author uses words or expressions
that are outmoded* or vocabulary that is
especially difficult, we need to check our writing
carefully to ensure that we have not allowed
such words or expressions to slip into our work
as our own.
This matter of paraphrasing is a tough one,
and it is not always easy to know if we have
been successful at it. Suppose, for example, that
I know what “naive” and “Victorian” mean, so
that if I write that “Zaroff finds Rainsford‟s
attitude naive and Victorian,” I am using words
of my own. Suppose further that I do not
remember that the two words in question are
mentioned in the story. Am I plagiarizing then?
Clearly there are grey areas here. What I tell
my students is that they should go out of their
way to be sure, when they paraphrase, that their
words are truly theirs. The best way to do so, I
think, is to put aside the original text, think for a
moment what we want to write, and then put pen
* outmoded. adj. out of date or fashion. Example:
The motor on our fishing boat was so outmoded that
we could not find parts to repair it.
5. W RI T I N G
AB O UT
L I T E R A T U RE
to paper. Ordinarily, at least, our brains are
marvelous paraphrasers because they remember
thoughts rather than specific wording. If we
take the time to make the thought ours, the
words should be ours as well.
We plagiarize also if we
use
the ideas of another
Giving credit
without
giving that person
to others
credit. Often when we write
about literature, we have
heard or read opinions other than our own about
the work in question. If we use such secondary
material** to support a point, we need to give
credit to the author. (Of course, if we use the
exact words of another, we need to put them in
quotation marks.)
Assume, for example, that a critic named
Stover has written the following passage about
Zaroff:
“In creating General Zaroff, Richard
Connell demonstrates how thin the veneer of
civilization can be. The general enjoys the
finest clothes, crystal, and wine; he hums
tunes from Madame Butterfly and reads the
Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius. But
he also places no value on human life; he
does not hesitate to track down men like
animals.”
If we make use of this point, we need to let the
reader know that it is not ours. We write:
• One critic notes that Connell creates in
Zaroff a character who appears on the
surface to be supremely civilized, but who in
fact is utterly savage (Stover 122).
• As one critic has stated, “In creating General
Zaroff, Richard Connell demonstrates how
thin the veneer of civilization can be”
(Stover 122).
Note that, in either case, we add a parenthetical
note within the text specifying our source,
including the author‟s last name and the
appropriate page number. Even if we arrived at
this point independently of the critic, we need to
indicate that we know our idea is not original:
• Stover also makes this point in A Writing
Text (122).
Sometimes it is hard to know whether we
have been influenced by an opinion we have
read or heard and need to give credit for it. I tell
students that if they would have written a given
** secondary material.
n. not a work itself (the
primary material) but something written about the
work. Example: When you are writing a history
paper, it is usually more interesting to study primary
materials (newspapers, letters, and the like) than to
read secondary material.
B. P L A GI A R I S M
paragraph without access to secondary
material—if the ideas about the work are truly
theirs (and if they correctly quote or paraphrase
the author‟s words)—then they are not
plagiarizing. But they still need to make a note
of any secondary sources they know of that
agree with them. After all, we only strengthen
our points when we demonstrate that others
concur with them.
This discussion of plagiarism
may make it seem as
The domain of
though
we
need to quote or
common
give
credit
in nearly every
knowledge
sentence we write. In fact,
though, we base much of what
we write on common knowledge, the body of
knowledge that we can assume our readers
already know—for example, that George
Washington was the first President of the United
States, that the Washington Monument is in
Washington D.C., that Washington is a proper
noun. There is no need to cite sources for items
of common knowledge such as these.
As we have already seen, when we write
about literature, we assume that our readers are
familiar with the work in question. In other
words, the characters and events in the work are
common knowledge. Thus, when we write that
Rainsford falls from his boat, we do not need to
give the page number. Of course we still need to
put words that are the author‟s in quotation
marks, but we do not have to list the page of
every event we mention.
In school our most likely readers are the
other members of our class, so under ordinary
circumstances we can also treat class discussions
as part of the common knowledge about a work
of literature.
If someone has coined a
memorable phrase during class, we need to
quote the phrase if we include it in our writing.
But if we make a point familiar to everyone in
the class, we do not need to give credit for it
(even assuming we can remember how the class
arrived at it). If we write only what the class has
already discussed, we will receive low marks for
originality—but we will not be plagiarizing.
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When we use quotation
marks, we are pledging to the
reader that the material inside
those marks is, to the letter, a
direct quotation. If we make any changes at all
in the quotation, we are misleading the reader
because we are falsifying information.
Technically we are not plagiarizing, but we are
not being truthful.
Towards the end of “The Most Dangerous
Game,” Connell writes about Rainsford:
“Then he ran for his life. The hounds raised
their voices as they hit the fresh scent.
Rainsford knew now how an animal at bay
feels” (24).
It is inaccurate to write:
• Connell writes, “Rainsford finally knew
what an animal at bay feels like” (24).
Connell‟s words are different, and we are
misleading the reader when we write otherwise.
Recall from Chapter 4 that if we want to
leave words out of a quotation, we replace them
with an ellipsis; if we want to add explanatory
information, we do so within brackets:
• Connell writes, “Then he ran for his life. . . .
Rainsford knew now how an animal at bay
feels” (24).
• Connell writes, “Then he [Rainsford] ran for
his life. The hounds raised their voices as
they hit the fresh scent” (24).
Quoting
precisely
The poet who wrote Ecclesiastes centuries
ago claimed that “there is no new thing under
the sun” (1:9). To think an original idea is
indeed an achievement. To think of an idea for
ourselves, even if others have done so before us,
is also notable. Even to write clearly and
intelligently about another‟s ideas is a worthy
accomplishment—but it is one that is
impoverished* unless we are absolutely honest
about which thoughts and words are our own
and which are borrowed.
* impoverish.
vt. to make poor, to deprive of
strength. Example: The war impoverished tens of
thousands of refugees.
Exercise 5.2
After each passage, determine which statements are examples of plagiarism (P) and
which are not (NP). Revise the plagiarized sentences to make them acceptable. Also,
correct any inexact quotations. (Note: for correct responses about the first and fourth
passages, see page 142 in the “Exercise 5.2” section at the end of the chapter.)
Passage 1
124
5. W RI T I N G
AB O UT
L I T E R A T U RE
“The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured
upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not
suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was
a point definitively settled—but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded
the idea of risk. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed
when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to
make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.”
—Edgar Allan Poe
“The Cask of Amontillado” (1:1299)
a. _____ The narrator of the story has borne the injuries of Fortunato as best he could, but
he can not bear an insult, so he vows revenge.
b. _____ He does not threaten the man that he wants to punish.
c. _____ He believes that he will “not only punish, but punish with impunity” (1:1299).
d. _____ He believes that a wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser.
e. _____ He also believes that a wrong is not righted unless the person taking revenge
reveals his identity to his former persecutor.
Passage 2
Montresor, the narrator of Edgar Allan Poe‟s grisly tale “The Cask of Amontillado,” is
thoroughly deranged. In the first place, he determines to kill Fortunato for no substantial
reason. (Although the “thousand injuries” are unspecified, as is the “insult” (1:1299), it is
hard to imagine that a normal person would believe capital punishment an appropriate
response.) Second, Montresor kills Fortunato in a most horrible way—by entombing him
alive. Third, when his victim finally recognizes his fate and shrieks as loudly as he can,
Montresor joins in and yells even more horribly. All this with only a moment‟s hesitation,
which the deranged man denies: “My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the
catacombs that made it so” (1:1304-5).
—Stover
a. _____ Montresor is a thoroughly deranged man.
b. _____ A careful reader of “The Cask of Amontillado” recognizes that the narrator is a very
sick man.
c. _____ As one critic points out, Montresor kills Fortunato “for no substantial reason”
(Stover 120).
d. _____ Certainly capital punishment is not an appropriate response to Fortunato‟s
supposed crimes.
e. _____ Montresor kills Fortunato in a truly horrifying fashion; he walls him up and leaves
him to die.
f. _____ As Stover points out, the fact that Montresor howls along with his victim is evidence
of his insanity (120).
g. _____ When Montresor states, “My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the
catacombs that made it so” (1:1304-5), the reader sees the only evidence that Montresor
has a normal human response to what he has done—though he denies it. (Stover also
makes this point [120].)
h. _____ Montresor in Poe‟s “Cask of Amontillado” is insane— as shown by his decision to
kill Fortunato without just cause; the grisly manner in which he executes the decision (and
the man); his goulish howls as he walls Fortunato up; and his failure to feel any but a
moment‟s hesitation.
B. P L A GI A R I S M
125
Passage 3
Yonder See the Morning Blink
Yonder see the morning blink
The sun is up, and up must I,
To wash and dress and eat and drink
And look at things and talk and think
And work, and God knows why.
Oh often have I washed and dressed
And what‟s to show for all my pain?
Let me lie abed and rest:
Ten thousand times I‟ve done my best
And all‟s to do again.
—A. E. Housman
a. _____ The speaker in the poem wonders why he must continue in the same daily routine.
b. _____ The and‟s in the first stanza emphasize the monotony of the speaker‟s life: he
must “wash and dress and eat and drink and look and talk and think.”
c. _____ He‟s done his best ten thousand times and has to do it all over again.
d. _____ He sees the morning blink and wishes he could lie abed.
e. _____ The speaker asks, “And what‟s to show for all my pain?” He arrives at no
conclusion.
Passage 4
The speaker of A.E. Housman‟s “Yonder See the Morning Blink” is sick of the routine
that governs his life. He feels as if he performs the same actions every day. As the poet
states, he gets up, dresses, eats, drinks, talks, thinks, and works—and he doubts if there is
any purpose to his actions. In a weary tone he says he does them “God knows why.”
Certainly he finds the routine unrewarding; he asks: “what‟s to show for all my pain?” He
responds that only more of the same awaits him: “And all‟s to do again.” I picture him as a
man in his 40s without family or hobbies, and while I feel empathy* for him, I don‟t admire his
self-pitying tone.**
—Stover
a. _____ The speaker of “Yonder See the Morning Blink” is sick of his monotonous
existence.
b. _____ He is tired of the routine that governs his life.
c. _____ He feels as if he performs the same actions every day.
d. _____ When he says he goes through the routine “God knows why,” his tone is weary.
e. _____ As Stover notes, “he certainly finds the routine unrewarding” (121).
* empathy. n. the ability to imagine and understand the feelings or ideas of another, as opposed to sympathy,
sharing those feelings or ideas. Reading literature helps us to empathize with others (stand in their shoes), but
we need not sympathize with everyone we read about (feel pity or sorrow for them). Example: I sometimes
think that empathy is the most important quality we can learn.
** tone. n. the attitude of a speaker or writer toward his subject. Example: Sometimes it is hard to determine
whether the tone of a story is angry or pitying.
126
5. W RI T I N G
AB O UT
L I T E R A T U RE
f. _____ One critic envisions the speaker as a person in his 40s without family or hobbies
(Stover 121).
g. _____ Stover notes that the speaker has an unlikable “self-pitying tone” (121).
h. _____ Housman‟s poem is about a man who is fed up with the repetitiveness of his life.
C. Characterizing
Characterizing a fictional person is little
different from characterizing an acquaintance.
We need to reflect on what we know about the
person, determine three or four traits that are
outstanding, and select actions or statements that
illustrate those traits.
If anything, characterizing someone in
fiction is easier than characterizing an acquaintance because the evidence we need is in front of
us, not hidden in the nooks and crannies of our
minds. However, the evidence is also available
to our audience, so we need to be sure that we
marshal* it accurately.
“How can you count off if I‟m giving my
own opinion?” Teachers who disagree with what
students write often hear this question. The
answer, of course, is that when we are writing
about literature, we need to make sure to cite
evidence from the text that reasonably supports
our opinions. Characterizing Rainsford, for
example, we can state that the hunter is
resourceful, courageous, and principled. On the
other hand, we can not very well state that
killing living creatures makes him uneasy. Nor
would it be accurate to write that he feels
remorse** after he kills Zaroff. After all, the
author comments that Rainsford “had never slept
in a better bed” (26).
In considering nearly any story, if there are
some claims that are clearly true and some that
are not, there is also an expanse of grey about
which, to paraphrase Justice Holmes, reasonable
people might reasonably differ (516).
Is
Rainsford a good man? Now that he knows
what it feels like to be the prey, will he quit
hunting or will he simply hunt with greater
empathy for the beast? Questions such as these
have no correct answers; the best answer is the
one that is most persuasively supported by
evidence from the text.
* marshal.
** remorse. n. gnawing guilt. Example: A judge
vt. to set forth in order, as proof.
Example: She carefully marshaled her facts—and
won the principal‟s approval of a change in the exam
policy.
often tries to find out if a prisoner is feeling remorse
before pronouncing a sentence.
Exercise 5.3
Write a paragraph characterizing a person that you have read about in your literature
study this year. Before you begin, look back at Chapter 3D.
Student Samples
Squeaky, in “Raymond‟s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara, is an admirable ten-year-old girl.
She is caring. Although her brother, Raymond, is mentally retarded, she takes him on walks
and looks after him like a mother. Instead of joining in when others make fun of Raymond,
she immediately defends him and is willing to fight rather than wait around trading insults.
She is also hard working. If she wants to do something (like running, playing the piano,
spelling) she practices until she is good at it instead of waiting around hoping that talent will
come to her. Most important, though, she is not ashamed of who she is. Unlike Cynthia,
who pretends everything comes naturally to her, Squeaky is proud that she practices and
doesn‟t care who knows. Squeaky is an honest and hard-working girl who takes pride in
herself and her family: an admirable combination in a person.
—Cathy Fullerton
C. C HA R A C T E R I ZI N G
127
Stradlater, in Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, is a despicable character. First, he is
very egotistical, as the narrator of the book explains. Stradlater is handsome and knows it,
and because of this, he puts himself above his peers. Next, Stradlater is a “secret slob”
(27). In my opinion, this is even worse than being a visible slob because he pretends that
he is something that he isn‟t. One sign that he is a “secret slob” is that after he is finished
shaving, he looks fine, but he doesn‟t ever clean his razor. Finally, Stradlater uses people.
He asks the narrator to write a paper for him because he has a date. Also, he doesn‟t care
about any of the girls that he dates. All in all, Stradlater is not someone that I would want to
know.
—Mary Louise Roberts
D. Comparing and
From the first few pages of the text, we have
talked about writing paragraphs that support a
point—with reasons, examples, an incident,
evidence from literature, and so on. Sometimes
the most difficult part of writing is finding out
what we think, what points we would like to
defend. One of the best methods to help us
clarify our thoughts about a character, an event,
a poem, a story—nearly anything—is to
compare and contrast.
(To compare can mean to find similarities
and differences. Coupled with contrast, however, to compare means to point out similarities,
while to contrast means to point out
differences.)
Many of us, feeling
weighted
down by cares, have
The power of
happened
to see someone
comparison
coping with a much greater
burden or handicap—and
suddenly our problems become insignificant in
comparison. Seeing how our situation relates to
another‟s, we have gained perspective. The only
way to have that perspective is by viewing
things in relation to one another—by comparing
and contrasting.
Considering two characters, for example,
can help us think more effectively about each.
(Authors frequently invite such comparison by
including a character foil in a story—a character
who serves to emphasize the attributes of
another character because the two are so
different.)
Let‟s consider, specifically,
Rainsford and the unnamed protagonist in Jack
London‟s “To Build A Fire.”
Contrasting
Comparing
and
contrasting
two characters
How are the two men
comparable? Each confronts
a life-threatening situation.
Rainsford is chased by the
fanatical
Zaroff,
and
London‟s protagonist combats
the extreme cold of the Yukon. Each fights
down panic and acts swiftly and decisively.
Rainsford sets traps for his pursuers and finally
tricks Zaroff; the man in the Yukon quickly
builds a fire after his feet are soaked. Each
denies the suggestion of an acquaintance:
Rainsford tells Whitney that hunted creatures
have no feelings, and London‟s protagonist
ignores the old-timer‟s advice. And each man
learns, as a result of his ordeal, that he has been
wrong.
On the other hand, the men are different in
several ways. London‟s protagonist does not
have sufficient foresight to realize, in the first
place, that he shouldn‟t be out alone in such
cold, and second, that he shouldn‟t build his fire
under a tree. He fails to overcome the crisis that
he brings on himself, and as a result, he dies.
Rainsford, however, falls into his ordeal quite by
chance, by tumbling from the ship. He refuses
to sacrifice his principles to extricate himself
from the crisis: he tells Zaroff that hunting men
is murder pure and simple. Once he realizes the
game he must play, he plays it with great
cunning, and he triumphs.
As illustrated in the two
preceding
paragraphs, there
Shuttle and
are
two
ways
to write a
block
paragraph of comparison or
contrast. As in the first of the
paragraphs, we can shuttle back and forth: A is
similar to or different from B in one respect; A
is to B in a second respect; A is to B in a third
respect; and so on. On the other hand, as in the
second of the paragraphs, we can write in a
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block about one of the items under consideration
(A) and then about the other (B).
Neither way is better, though the shuttle
method is a bit more demanding since it requires
that we have matching statements about the pair
under consideration. Even if we use the block
method, we should try to list corresponding
details in the same order in both parts of the
5. W RI T I N G
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paragraph; we also need to be sure to provide a
link between our discussion of A and B.
In any case, a well-organized comparison,
whether focusing on literature or something else,
is a powerful way to illuminate both the items
that we are considering.
Exercise 5.4
Write a paragraph contrasting two characters you have read about in your literature
study this school year. Choose characters other than the one you wrote about for your last
assignment. Support your statements with specific evidence from the text. Use the block
method.
Then write a second paragraph, contrasting the same two characters, using the shuttle
method.
Student Sample
Squeaky, the narrator of Toni Cade Bambara‟s “Raymond‟s Run,” and Mrs. Mitty from
James Thurber‟s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” are entirely different characters. Squeaky
is protective of her brother Raymond, as the following remark illustrates: “You got anything
to say to my brother, you say it to me” (184). In addition, she is proud of her brother after his
run: “I‟m jumping up and down so glad to see him . . . a great runner in the family tradition”
(189-90). Mrs. Mitty, on the other hand, is always on Walter‟s case, as this remark shows:
“You know I don‟t like to go more than forty. You were up to fifty-five” (335). She believes
that Walter is almost insane: “I wish you‟d let Dr. Renshaw look you over” (335). As we can
see, Squeaky‟s attitude toward Raymond greatly contrasts Mrs. Mitty‟s toward Walter.
Squeaky, the narrator of Toni Cade Bambara‟s “Raymond‟s Run,” and Mrs. Mitty from
James Thurber‟s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” are entirely different characters. Squeaky
is protective of her brother Raymond, as the following remark illustrates: “You got anything
to say to my brother, you say it to me” (184). Mrs. Mitty, on the other hand, is always on
Walter‟s case: “You know I don‟t like to go more than forty. You were up to fifty-five” (335).
Also, Squeaky is proud of Raymond after his run: “I‟m jumping up and down so glad to see
him . . . a great runner in the family tradition” (189-90). On the other hand, Mrs. Mitty
believes that Walter is almost insane: “I wish you‟d let Dr. Renshaw look you over” (335).
As we can see, Squeaky‟s attitude toward Raymond greatly contrasts Mrs. Mitty‟s toward
Walter.
—Andy Lipscomb
Exercise 5.5
Compare or contrast some aspect of any two poems that you have read this year. Feel
free to consider any element of the poems—speakers, figurative language, sound and
rhythm, themes, and so on—but don‟t try to compare everything about the poems. Use
either the shuttle or block method.
Student Sample
D. C OM P A R I N G
AND
CONTRASTING
129
Both “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “The Man He Killed” by Thomas
Hardy have similar themes: war is a terrible thing. “Dulce et Decorum Est” vividly describes
the gruesome death of a man choking on toxic gases in World War I, and “The Man He
Killed” tells the story of a man who killed someone he never knew just because he was an
enemy. These poems tell of the savageness of war and give examples to prove the point.
The man choking on the vile gas doesn‟t have to die, but he probably believes it is glorious
to die for his country. The speaker in Hardy‟s poem killed someone with whom he might
have been otherwise friendly—had he not been an enemy. Both poems give proof to the
fact that war is horrible.
—Barney Ireland
E. Analyzing
When we analyze something, we break it
down into its parts and study each one so that we
can better understand the whole. To see how a
machine works, we take it apart; we also
disassemble a work of literature to see how it
works. When we analyze a story, for example,
we consider all its various elements—setting,
events, characters, theme, and so on—because
we want to be sure to understand the author‟s
intent. We are analyzing when we characterize,
compare, or contrast. However, analysis does
not necessarily fit neatly into one of those
categories.
How do we decide the
topic
of an analytical paraChoosing a
graph?
The process is similar
topic
to the one introduced in
Chapter 1 that we use to think
about any writing assignment.
To exemplify the process, let‟s look again at
London‟s “To Build a Fire.” We start by listing
topic choices—in the case of analysis, the parts
of the story. The elements of this story include
the Yukon, the dog, the old-timer, the man and
his failure to survive in the cold, and the reasons
for his failure.
Then we ask questions about each part of the
story—what we wonder about, what we are
unsure of. This is the step that demands the
most practice; questions in literature texts or
ones brought up in class discussion often prove a
useful starting place. For instance, does London
mean for the reader to think of nature as man‟s
enemy? What role does the dog play in the
story? What role does the old-timer play? Why
is the man unnamed? Does the reader feel
sympathy for the man? Does the man‟s failure
reflect a general human failing?
Next, we choose one of these questions to
consider in a paragraph, one that interests us and
that we think we can answer. For example, let‟s
think about the role of the dog in the story.
If I were writing a paragraph
about my own dog, I
Searching the
wouldn‟t
have to think hard to
text
know what my point would
be: “My dog Duff was an odd
but lovable character.”
However, before
deciding how to answer the question about
London‟s dog, I need to turn to the text of the
story and examine it for all relevant information
about the dog. I discover that London does not
mention the dog until the sixth paragraph, at
which point he notes: “Its instinct told a truer
tale than was told to the man by the man‟s
judgement” (35). The next time the dog
appears, the man sends it ahead to test the trail;
the dog falls through, but it knows instinctively
to bite off the ice that forms on its legs. Later, at
lunch time, the dog enjoys the fire that provides
a respite* from the bitter cold and is sorry to
leave it. After the man falls through the ice and
gets wet, the dog watches intently as he
struggles to light a fire. When the man fails and
calls to the dog, hoping to kill it and plunge his
hands into the warmth of the carcass, the dog
reluctantly obeys. The man grabs it but realizes
that his hands are so frozen that he can not cut it
open. The dog lunges away, watches the man,
follows him until he drops for good, creeps near
and smells death, howls, and heads up the trail
toward the camp.
Having sifted these details
about
the dog from the story, I
Analyzing a
can
formulate
the point of my
short story
paragraph. What role does
the dog play in the story? The
* respite.
n. pause, break. Example: In a brief
respite from working in the summer heat, Dan ate
two popsicles.
130
dog illustrates that a creature with instincts can
survive in nature better than man, who has
forgotten his.
Finally, I decide to list my details in
chronological order, and I am ready to write.
The paragraph reads:
In Jack London‟s “To Build A Fire,” the
dog illustrates how well a creature with
instincts can survive in even the most brutal
environment—how much better than a man
whose judgement is poor. The dog‟s instinct
tells it that it is too cold to be out. When the
dog falls through the snow into a pocket of
water, its instinct tells it to bite off the ice
that forms on its legs. When the man dies,
the dog‟s instinct tells it to shy away and
move on. In contrast, without the instincts
of the dog or the sense to listen to advice,
the man freezes to death. Thus London
demonstrates that though a man may be the
master of a dog, he is not always its
superior.
We analyze a poem in
similar
fashion. Let‟s look,
Analyzing a
for
example,
at Thomas
poem
Hardy‟s “The Man He
Killed.” The parts of the
poem include the speaker, his attitude toward
war, Hardy‟s choice of words, his attitude
toward the poem‟s subject, and the way in which
he makes his point.
Next, we ask questions about these
elements. Who is the speaker and what is his
background? How does he feel about killing an
enemy soldier? Why does Hardy include words
like nipperkin and traps and expressions like
“sat us down” and “thought he‟d „list”? How
does Hardy feel about the speaker and about
war? (Why is the title in third person and the
poem in first person?) How do literary devices
like understatement and dramatic irony help
Hardy make his point?
I decide I want to sort out the differences
between the poem‟s speaker and author, and I
carefully study the poem for evidence. The
speaker enlists in the army because he is without
possessions (“traps”) and without a job. He
doesn‟t enlist out of patriotic fervor* or deep
commitment. A friendly fellow, he is also
(judging from his speech) a fellow of limited
education. And he has limited reasoning ability
as well. He recognizes that it does not make
much sense to shoot a man who is much like
* fervor. n. intense feeling, passion. Example: The
students‟ fervor to excel made teaching them a great
pleasure.
5. W RI T I N G
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L I T E R A T U RE
him, but he accepts that the man had to die
because he was a foe. Hardy, on the other hand,
clearly is not satisfied with saying the enemy
soldier must die “because”—as he shows by
repeating and emphasizing the word. To him
war is not “quaint and curious”; it is barbarous
and cruel.
I am now ready to make my point: that
Hardy and his speaker have very different
opinions about war. To emphasize this contrast
and the point that Hardy is making, I decide to
organize my details in block fashion with the
speaker‟s opinions first and then the author‟s.
Here is the paragraph:
In Thomas Hardy‟s “The Man He
Killed,” the speaker is a friendly fellow who
accepts the conventional wisdom that the
enemy soldier he killed had to die because
he was a foe. He recognizes, however, that
the man was probably very much like him,
someone he‟d buy a drink if they met in a
bar. He concludes that war is a “quaint and
curious” thing. Hardy has much stronger
feelings about war. While recognizing the
speaker‟s good intentions, he clearly finds
inadequate the explanation that the enemy
soldier died “because— / Because he was
my foe.” By having the speaker say, in
understated fashion, that war is “quaint and
curious,” Hardy is emphasizing that it is in
fact brutal and senseless. Because the
speaker‟s attitude is different from the
author‟s, “The Man He Killed” provides a
good example of dramatic irony: the poem
reminds us that we should never assume that
the speaker in a poem and its author are one
and the same.
Let‟s summarize the process of writing an
analytical paragraph by comparing it to the basic
thinking process we discussed in Chapter 1.
thinking about a
paragraph
thinking about an
analytical paragraph
1. List choices.
1. List parts of the
work
2. Ask questions.
3. Select one of the
questions.
4. Search the text
for details.
5. Decide the point.
6. Order the details.
2. Select one.
3. List details to
include.
4. Decide the point.
5. Order the details.
Analyzing literature is a difficult undertaking. I am reminded of an incident involving the
E. A NA L Y ZI N G
poet Robert Frost.
poem, reads:
131
“Dust of Snow,” a Frost
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued**.
** rue. vt. to feel regret or remorse. Example: I
rued my habit of chewing ice when I learned I needed
to have several of my molars crowned.
In the documentary film Robert Frost: A
Lover’s Quarrel with the World, Frost relates
that a person suggested to him that this poem is
“very sinister” because the bird is black and
hemlock is a poison. Frost was stunned by the
misinterpretation. The hemlock of the poem is
an evergreen tree unrelated to the herb of the
carrot family that killed Socrates, and the poem
tells of a person whose heart is lightened and
perspective regained by seeing bird, tree, and
snow unmoved by what weighs him down.
In analyzing literature, like the man who
judged this poem sinister, we may easily lose
our way. But we must at least be careful to
choose the right hemlock.
Exercise 5.6
A. Write an analytical paragraph on a work of literature you have recently read. Go through
the process described above.
Student Samples
The title of Susan Glaspell‟s story “A Jury of Her Peers” refers to the fact that Mrs. Hale
and Mrs. Peters, two of Minnie Foster‟s peers, are the ones who discover the evidence
against Minnie and must then decide whether or not to give this evidence to the police. In
order to make this decision, the ladies must decide whether or not they feel that Minnie was
justified in killing her husband. These women are probably the best qualified jury Minnie
could have because Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters understand what Mrs. Foster must have
gone through all these years, living with a man who was cold and hard, and who drove all of
her friends away. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters can relate to how Minnie Foster must have felt
and understand why she killed her husband, but they realize that the men would never
understand and that if they hand over the evidence they have against Minnie, she will be
tried and found guilty. Therefore the ladies withhold the evidence, feeling that Minnie was
justified in doing what she did, even though it was not legally justifiable. By withholding the
evidence, and thus becoming the only ones to judge her, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters become
Minnie Foster‟s jury, a jury which hands down a verdict of “not guilty.”
—Cathy Jaynes
In Carter Revard‟s “Discovery of the New World,” Revard illustrates the evils of greed
through the creation of a fantastic tale detailing the annihilation of the human race. It is
apparent that the author intends to draw a parallel between the cruelty that man has
suffered at the mercy of fellow humans in the mention of General Sherman, the Union
general responsible for moving native Americans onto reserves. By establishing the entire
human race as the “food and prey and slaves” of their alien oppressors, Revard both
institutes the unity that should exist between men and creates a situation in which tyrants of
our species may consider their own cruelty to others if presented with the possibility that
they could be the victims. The author further draws the parallel between the ignorant
followers of an inhumane alien leader and those who carry out the evil of authority.
Although the aliens pity the humans, they justify their actions as a “mission” that they must
faithfully complete. Revard stresses the poem‟s theme through the irony of the concluding
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5. W RI T I N G
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line: “Then we will be safe, and rich, and happy here forever.” However, the reader knows,
in fact, the aliens or any other race may only live in happiness until some force with more
power conquers them to continue an endless stream of destructive greed.
—Terra Thomas
B. A LIBRARY PROJECT. In your school library find and look through a book of literary
analysis, preferably one on a work you have read or an author you know. As you look
through the book, notice the sorts of topics the author or authors have chosen to address.
Then read with care one essay or chapter, paying close attention to the details the author
uses to support his or her points. Meet with a group of your classmates to share your
findings.
F. Writing the Test
Just as the study of literature becomes a
dominant focus in English classes, asking
students to write paragraphs or essays becomes a
standard means of testing, and not only in
English classes. In fact, in college courses in
many departments, a student‟s grade depends
entirely on his or her performance on tests that
demand written responses of a paragraph or
more. One of the skills an adept student
masters, therefore, is how to write such
responses effectively.
We prepare for a test
paragraph,
in the first place,
Preparing
by reviewing what we have
learned about writing any
paragraph—the need for topic and concluding
sentences, details arranged in order, and so on.
(It is easy to forget even rudimentary* items
under the pressure of test-taking.) If we are
writing about literature, we can also review the
conventions involved and remind ourselves
about quoting and paraphrasing correctly.
Second, to prepare for a literature test, we
analyze the work or works in question, considering the elements of each and asking questions
about them. Trying to guess what the teacher
will ask is a time-honored and worthwhile
practice. What are some of the questions I
might ask if I were giving the test? How would
I respond to them?
* rudimentary. adj. basic, simple. Example: I have
never advanced beyond the rudimentary level in
tennis.
Paragraph
Reading
questions
carefully
Once a test question
confronts us, the single most
important action by which we
can ensure a successful reply
is to read the question
carefully.
First, we need to identify key words and be
sure we understand them. Suppose this is the
question:
• Explain whether Sanger Rainsford in “The
Most Dangerous Game” is an admirable
character.
The key word is “admirable”; we need to ponder
what it means. (When we admire someone, we
look up to that person because of his or her
traits, beliefs, and actions.
What about
Rainsford makes us look up to him, and what
does not?)
Second, we need to be sure that we
understand exactly what the response should
include. In answering this question, need we
discuss what we do not admire about Rainsford?
Yes—everything admirable or not admirable
about the man is relevant.
Being thorough is especially important when
confronted by a question with several parts;
ignoring one of them guarantees a poor grade.
For example, suppose we are asked:
• In London‟s “To Build A Fire,” what is the
attitude of the old-timer to nature? What is
the attitude of the protagonist? What is
London saying man‟s attitude should be?
We must answer all three questions.
Once we have examined the question, we
should scan our brains for relevant information.
(Answering a test question is easier than writing
an analytical paragraph in that we do not have to
think up the topic, but it is harder in that we can
consult only our memories, not the text, for
information.) It is a good idea to jot down, in
F. W R I T I N G
T HE
T E S T P A R A G RA P H
abbreviated form, some of the details that we
plan to include. Finally, we are ready to
determine the point we are going to make in our
response and to begin writing.
Getting ready to write may take a good five
minutes or more, but even if we have only
fifteen or twenty minutes to respond to a
question, it is five minutes well spent.
Here‟s another suggestion. Although it
makes sense to guess what questions a teacher
might ask on a test, it makes little sense to
modify an answer to reflect a teacher‟s opinions.
In my experience students over-estimate the
extent to which teachers want to read what the
students think the teachers believe. In fact,
teachers want to read students‟ opinions and will
give more credit for well-conceived, wellwritten paragraphs expressing opinions with
which they disagree than for poorly written
paragraphs expressing their own beliefs.
133
Along these lines, we need to be prepared to
disagree with statements that appear on test
questions, no matter how authoritatively
phrased. Say, for example, that a test includes
the following:
• Write a paragraph discussing this statement:
“The businessman in Borden Deal‟s
„Antaeus‟ has every right to order the dirt
and grass removed from his roof.”
Although we could write a cogent paragraph
supporting the statement, we could write an
equally effective paragraph pointing out that the
businessman should at least check to see if the
soil is damaging his roof. (Note the key word in
this question—”right.”
How we respond
depends largely on how we define the word.) In
any case, teachers tend to admire the confidence
and independence of students who disagree with
such statements.
Exercise 5.7
A. Write three test questions about a work of literature you have recently studied. Each
question should demand a paragraph in response. Underline the key word or words in each
question.
B. Here are two test questions and responses to them. At the end of each response, write
a comment suggesting how it might be improved. (Note: for comments on the first
paragraph, see pages 142 in the “Exercise 5.7” section at the end of the chapter.)
Question 1
In “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” what is Tolstoy saying about the origin of greed,
the nature of greed, and the result of greed? Does Tolstoy believe that all greedy people
end up impoverished in one way or another?
Response 1
I think that Tolstoy believed that greed, like all human evil, comes from the devil. Pahom
got greedy when the devil decided to show that country people could be tempted too. His
greed for land grew and grew, so I guess Tolstoy is saying that that‟s the nature of greed.
The result of his greed was that no one liked him because he was so greedy. He searched
for more and more land farther and farther away. And of course his greed caused him to
walk too far the last day of his life so his heart burst when he had to run.
Question 2
Tennyson‟s “Ulysses” is written in what kind of verse? How is the poet able to emphasize
certain lines (especially at the end of the poem) while adhering to that verse?
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Response 2
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in his great poem “Ulysses,” portrays the hero longing to escape
the quiet, boring life he leads on Ithaca with his wife and son and return to the adventurous
ways he experienced during the Trojan War and his long return from it. So he recruits some
friends for another voyage. While still adhering to his pattern of verse, Tennyson
emphasizes Ulysses‟s determination to seek a newer world: “We are strong in will / To
strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield” (lines 69-70).
Chapter 5 Review
CHECKLIST
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Avoid plot summary in a paragraph about literature.
Give the author and title of the work.
Write primarily in third person or first person plural. (Correction symbol: person.
Write in present tense. (Correction symbol: tense.)
Quote words and phrases taken from other writers. Make sure that what you
paraphrase is in your own words. Give credit to others for their ideas. In other words,
do not plagiarize.
6. In any paragraph about literature, support assertions by specific evidence from the text.
7. In a comparing or contrasting, clearly organize the points, using either the block or
shuttle method.
8. Read test questions carefully, identifying key words, and respond fully.
Chapter 5 Review Exercise
A. Please read this paragraph from Ernest Hemingway‟s “The Short Happy Life of Francis
Macomber” (19).
Thirty-five yards into the grass the big lion lay flattened out along the ground. His
ears were back and his only movement was a slight twitching up and down of his
long, black-tufted tail. He had turned at bay as soon as he had reached this cover
and he was sick with the wound through his full belly, and weakening with the wound
through his lungs that brought a thin foamy red to his mouth each time he breathed.
His flanks were wet and hot and flies were on the little openings the solid bullets had
made in his tawny hide, and his big yellow eyes, narrowed with hate, looked straight
ahead, only blinking when the pain came as he breathed, and his claws dug in the
soft baked earth. All of him, pain, sickness, hatred and all of his remaining strength,
was tightening into an absolute concentration for a rush. He could hear men talking
and he was waiting, gathering all of himself into this preparation for a charge as soon
as the men would come into the grass. As he heard their voices his tail stiffened to
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twitch up and down, and, as they came into the edge of the grass, he made a
coughing grunt and charged.
1. Determine which of the following statements plagiarize this passage (P) and which do not
(NP). Revise plagiarized statements to make them acceptable. (Note: for answers to this
exercise, see page 142 in the “Chapter 5 Review Exercise” section at the end of the
chapter.)
a. _____ In Hemingway‟s story the lion is stretched out silently in the grass, motionless
except for the twitching of his tail.
b. _____ The wounded lion lies flattened out thirty-five yards into the grass, twitching his
tail.
c. _____ The lion‟s flanks are wet and hot, and flies are feasting around the bullet holes
in the tawny hide.
d. _____ The lion feels hatred for the men who have attacked him.
e. _____ The lion hears the men talking and gathers all of himself into his preparation to
spring on them when they enter the grass.
f. _____ As the men advance, the lion “made a coughing grunt and charged” (19).
2. Study this analysis of Hemingway‟s paragraph. Write appropriate correction symbols in
the margin, and revise the paragraph as needed. (Note: for a corrected version of this
paragraph, see pages 142-43 in the “Chapter 5 Review Exercise” section at the end of the
chapter.)
The great author illustrated here his ability to bring a scene to life in the reader‟s mind.
We also feel more acutely the lion‟s anguish because he is personified: his eyes are
narrowed with hate, he intends to die in taking revenge against his attackers. As always,
Hemingway choose details with great care, wasting no words on what any lion looks like,
giving us only the information necessary to make vivid in our minds the image of this
particular lion: flattened in the grass, ears back, long, black-tufted tail twitching, bullet holes
in the wet, hot flanks, big yellow eyes blinking with the pain of breathing, claws dug in the
earth. Although the paragraph is primarily descriptive, the very rhythm of the sentences
adds suspense as the lion prepares to charge. He wrote, “He could hear the men talking
and he waited and gathered all of himself into his preparation for a charge as soon as the
men would come into the grass.” And in the slow unfolding of the sentence—“gathering all
of himself into this preparation for a charge”—we feel the lion slowly preparing for his final
act. The passage was certainly an interesting description of a wounded animal.
B. Read these two poems by Langston Hughes:
Epigram*
Oh, God of dust and rainbows, help us see
* epigram. n. a short poem or statement often, as here, expressing an ingenious thought. Example: Creating a
clever epigram is a real challenge.
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That without the dust the rainbow would not be.
Dream Deferred**
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
1. Determine which of the following statements plagiarize these poems (P) and which do
not (NP). Revise plagiarized statements to make them acceptable.
a. _____ Hughes points out that without dust, there would be no rainbows.
b. _____ Hughes asks if a dream deferred will dry up like a raisin in the sun.
c. _____ He also wonders if it will “fester like a sore— / And then run.”
d. _____ He compares the dream to rotten meat and a heavy load as well.
e. _____ He concludes by asking if the dream is like a bomb that explodes.
f. _____ A dream that is put off may dry up like a raisin, fester like a sore, stink like
rotten meat, sugar over like old candy, sag like a heavy load, or explode like a bomb.
2. Study this analysis of the two poems. Write appropriate correction symbols in the
margins, and revise the paragraph as needed.
In “Epigram” and “Dream Deferred,” Langston Hughes makes very different points.
“Epigram” tells you that you have to accept the bad with the good—there are dust and
rainbows, you can‟t have just rainbows. “Dream Deferred” is a darker poem. In “Epigram”
Hughes is making the point that life won‟t be perfect—and that sometimes good comes out
of bad. In “Dream Deferred” Hughes suggests five similes to illustrate what may happen
when a dream (like that of African Americans for equal status in American society) is
delayed. But the metaphor at the end implies the worst possibility. That the dream may
explode like a bomb, destroying everyone around. In “Epigram” Hughes tells us to accept
life‟s dust; in “Dream Deferred” he warns that if some injustices are ignored, more than dust
will be swirling around.
** defer. vt. to delay, put off. Example: Because of his injury, the man deferred several planned house
projects.
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C. Just as we can write anecdotes of several paragraphs, so we can write several
paragraphs characterizing a fictional person. Choose such a person from your literature
study this school year (one about whom you have not already written) and characterize him.
In your first paragraph try to interest the reader in your character. In each of the next three
or four paragraphs, discuss one of the character‟s important traits, using quotations and
other evidence from the text to support your statements. In your final paragraph explain why
you enjoyed learning about the character.
Student Sample
“I mean how do you know what you‟re going to do till you do it? The answer is, you
don‟t” (213). This quote exemplifies the attitude that Holden Caulfield has towards life in
The Catcher in the Rye. J. D. Salinger gives Holden three characteristics that make him
unusual. One is his highly emotional personality, another is his compassion for others, and
the last is his rebelliousness. His characteristics make him different from most people, but in
a good way.
Holden is unusually emotional, and there are many examples throughout the book. He
buys a record for his sister Phoebe and drops it in Central Park. The record is shattered,
and he sits down on a bench and “damn near cried” (154). Holden goes to Phoebe‟s school
to leave her a message, and when he walks inside, he sees some obscenities written on the
walls. He becomes irate and tries to erase them. Another example takes place when
Phoebe is riding the carrousel, and he starts crying. “It was just that she looked so damn
nice” (213). Perhaps the best example is what he did when his brother Allie died. When he
heard of Allie‟s death, he punched out all of the windows in his garage, putting himself in the
hospital for several days. His highly emotional personality is one of the many characteristics
that make him different.
Holden‟s next characteristic is his compassion for other living things. When he meets
two nuns in a cafe, he gives them a donation of ten dollars, which is a large amount of
money compared to what he has. He gives them the money because he cares about what
they will use the money for. Also, he is genuinely concerned about what the ducks in
Central Park do when the pond ices over. He seriously asks several people where the ducks
go. He shows compassion for Sunny, who is a prostitute. When he meets her, he becomes
depressed. The most important example of his compassion occurs when Phoebe asks him
what he wants to do, and he says he wants “to catch everybody [children] if they start to go
over the cliff. . . . That‟s all I‟d do all day” (173).
Holden‟s last and most important characteristic is his rebelliousness. When he goes to
New York, he meets an old girlfriend, Sally. Later when they are talking, he tries to get her
to run away with him. When his roommate, Stradlater, asks him to write a composition and
doesn‟t like it, Holden takes the composition and rips it up. He doesn‟t like school, so he
decides not to try. Holden‟s ultimate form of rebelling is to run away from school. When he
leaves Pency, he yells, “„Sleep tight, ya morons!’ I‟ll bet I woke up every bastard on the
whole floor. Then I got the hell out” (52).
Salinger combines these characteristics to create a highly believable character. These
qualities combine to make a person different from others. Yet Salinger has created the type
of person one would like to have as a friend.
—Ben Johnson
Chapter 5 Practice Test #1
A. (15%) Answer each of the following questions in a few sentences.
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1. What are the four conventions of writing about literature?
2. What is plagiarism?
3. If you‟re asked on a test to write a paragraph agreeing or disagreeing with a statement,
should you always agree? Explain.
B. (25%) Read the following paragraph. Write appropriate correction symbols in the
margin. Then revise the paragraph as best you can. (Note: for a corrected version of this
paragraph, see page 143 in the “Chapter 5 Practice Test #1” section at the end of the
chapter.)
I think that Squeaky and the narrator of “The Scarlet Ibis” were a lot alike. Squeaky
spent time with her retarded brother. So did the narrator. Both took charge of their brothers
and were responsible for them. Both cared about their brother and wanted to help them
develop their talents. Squeaky decided to make Raymond a great runner, and the narrator
taught Doodle to walk. It‟s true that he pushed Doodle too far and he died, but at least he
tried to help him, Doodle probably would have died anyway. In any case, both Squeaky and
the narrator learned not to be too selfish. So you can see that having a retarded brother
teaches you lots of things.
C. (20%) Read the cartoon from Berke Breathed‟s Penguin Dreams and Stranger Things
(57). Determine which statements plagiarize the cartoon (P) and which do not (NP). Revise
plagiarized statements to make them acceptable. Also, correct any errors in quoting. (Note:
for answers to this exercise, see pages 143-44 in the “Chapter 5 Practice Test #1” section at
the end of the chapter.)
1. _____ Television advertising sends Opus berserk, and he orders 6,000 Ronco plum
pitters and yogurt squirters.
2. _____ The device dices, slices, shplices, pushes, mooshes, and squooshes.
3. _____ The delivery man informs Milo that I‟ve got six thousand Ronco combination “plum
pitters and yogurt squirters.”
4. _____ Milo informs the man that Opus was killed in a blimp accident.
5. _____ Opus confesses to Milo, once the deliveryman is gone, “Oh, I am embarrassed”
(57).
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D. (40%) Write a paragraph about how a character changes--and why--in one of the novels
you have read outside of class. Is the character better off because of the changes?
Chapter 5 Practice Test #2
A. (15%) Answer each of the following questions in a few sentences.
1. Explain what these two correction symbols mean in terms of this chapter:
person—
tense—
2. What is plagiarism?
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3. What is “the single most important action by which we can ensure a successful reply” to a
test question once the test is distributed?
B. (25%) Read the following paragraph. Write appropriate correction symbols in the
margin. Then revise the paragraph as necessary.
In this poem about an aristocratic woman whose lover was killed Fighting with the Duke
in Flanders / In a pattern called a war, the author wants you, first of all, to think about the
patterns of the woman‟s life. The author was herself an American aristocrat. She is defined
by her culture and her class. She wears a whalebone corset, heavy brocaded gown, and
high-heeled shoes; she walks in a formal English garden; she behaves punctiliously* to the
bearer of bad tidings. Finally, the author is asking each of us to wonder about the patterns
in our own lives. What are they? What can we do about them? Christ! What are patterns
for? The reader realizes, though—the author‟s 2nd point—that she would rather be free,
naked, chased through the woods by her lover she would rather be like the daffodils and
squills that Flutter in the breeze / As they please.
C. (20%) Read the cartoon from G.B. Trudeau‟s Doonesbury Chronicles (no pagination).
Determine which statements plagiarize the cartoon (P) and which do not (NP). Revise
plagiarized statements to make them acceptable. Also, correct any errors in quoting.
1. _____ The editor asks the reporter to stick around for a second while he proofreads her
article.
2. _____ The cartoon states, in part, that Mr. Taylor “turned more than one head with his
sheer, skin-tight socks.”
3._____ The reporter tells the editor that she wrote the article with the same sensitivity one
finds in your prose—that is, no sensitivity at all.
4. ____ The reporter effectively protests the newspaper‟s sexism.
* punctiliously.
adv. in precise accordance with social conventions.
manservant, Bunter, always sees that he is dressed punctiliously.
Example:
Lord Peter Wimsey‟s
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D. (40%) Write a paragraph showing how the title of a short story or novel you have read
this year enriches the work.
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Completed Exercises
Exercise 5.1
Paragraph 1
Randall Jarrell‟s [poem, The] "Death of the Ball Turret Gunner", effectively
¢ x 2, pct
demonstrates that poets don‟t have to write about pleasant subjects. In this
five-line poem he Jarrell shows [you] what happened happens to a man
person, tense
unlucky enough to be a gunner hanging from the belly of a World War II
bomber in a plexiglas bubble. Either the fighters or the flak blew blow him up.
[So that,] as As the last line reads: “When I died they washed me out of the
tense x 2, frag
turret with a hose.” [We see] in In this little poem Jarrell creates an
person?
unforgettable image of the savageness of war.
Exercise 5.2
Passage 1
a. P. The narrator of the story claims that Fortunato has not only harmed him in many ways
but also insulted him, and so he determines to seek revenge.
b. NP
c. NP
d. P. He believes that “[a] wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser”
(1:1299).
e. NP
Passage 4
a. NP.
b. P. As Stover notes, he “is sick of the routine that governs his life” (121)
c. P. According to Stover, “He feels as if he performs the same actions every day” (121)
d. P. Because he doesn‟t feel a purpose behind his daily actions (he performs them “God
knows why”), he is exhausted by them.
e. NP. But: As Stover notes, “Certainly he finds the routine unrewarding” (121).
f. P. One critic envisions the speaker as “a man in his 40s without family or hobbies”
(Stover 121).
g. NP
h. NP
Exercise 5.7
Response 1
You have made a good attempt here to answer all of the questions—but your answer to
each is very brief. Try to expand on each one, explaining more fully and adding more detail
from the story. Also, have you answered the last question? Finally, listen to your writing
C O M PL E T E D E X E R C I S E S
143
and try to avoid repeating greed so much. (I know—the question repeats it too much as
well.)
Chapter 5 Review Exercise
A. 1.
a. NP
b. P. Hemingway begins his paragraph: “Thirty-five yards into the grass the big lion lay
flattened out along the ground. . . . his only movement . . . a slight twitching up and down of
his long, black-tufted tail” (19).
c. P. The lion is hot and sweating, and flies are feasting around the bullet holes in his hide.
d. NP
e. P. The lion hears the men talking: “he was waiting, gathering all of himself into this
preparation for a charge as soon as the men would come into the grass” (19).
f. NP
A. 2.
1 In "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," Ernest Hemingway [The
great author] illustrated illustrates [here] his ability to bring a scene to life [in
tense
the reader‟s mind]. 3 We also Also, the reader feels more acutely the lion‟s
order, person
anguish because he is personified: his eyes are "narrowed with hate," (19),
pct
and he intends to die in taking revenge against his attackers. 2 As always,
cs
Hemingway chooses details with great care, wasting no words on what any
tense
lion looks like, giving us only the information necessary to make vivid in our
minds the image of this particular lion: "flattened" in the grass, ears back,
pct
"long, black-tufted tail" twitching, bullet holes in the "wet, and hot" flanks, "big
pct x 2
yellow eyes . . . blinking with when the pain came as he of breathingbreathed,
pct
"claws dug in the soft baked earth" (19). 4 Although the paragraph is primarily
pct
descriptive, the very rhythm of the sentences adds suspense as the lion
prepares to charge. He Hemingway wrotewrites, “He could hear the men
tense
talking and he was waited waiting, and gathered gathering all of himself into
this preparation for a charge as soon as the men would come into the grass.”
(19). 5 And in the slow unfolding of the sentence—“gathering all of himself
into this preparation for a charge”—we the reader feels the lion slowly
person
preparing for his final act. 6 The passage was is certainly an interesting vivid
description of a wounded and desperate animal.
Chapter 5 Practice Test #1
B.
tense, d
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[I think that] Squeaky and the narrator of “The Scarlet Ibis” were are a lot
person, tense
alike. Squeaky spent spends time with her retarded brother. So did does the
tense x 2
narrator. Both took take charge of their brothers and were are responsible for
tense x 2
them. Both cared about their brothers and wanted to help them develop their
tense x 2
talents. Squeaky decided decides to make Raymond a great runner, and the
tense
narrator taught teaches Doodle to walk. [It‟s true that he pushed Doodle too
tense, unity
far and he died, but at least he tried to help him, Doodle probably would have
died anyway.] [In any case,] Having a mentally disabled brother helps both
Squeaky and the narrator learned not to be too selfish. [So you can see that
tense
having a retarded brother teaches you lots of things.]
person
d
C.
1. NP
2. P. According to the television advertisement, the device “dices! It slices! It shplices! It
pushes! It mooshes!” and so on (57).
3. P. The deliveryman informs Milo, “I got six thousand combination „plum pitter and yogurt
squirters‟ for a Mr. Opus” (57).
4. NP
5. NP. But: Opus confesses to Milo, once the delivery man is gone, “Oh, I am so
embarrassed” (57).