General Comments

High score (8–10)

Essays with high marks address well the key issues prompted by the test question and show good organization, sound logic, and effective writing:

• They make clear what our presumed assumptions are about being beautiful or ugly and recognize that these assumptions are in many ways arbitrary.

• They point out what questions the poem asks about held beliefs regarding beauty and ugliness, and, on the other hand, what ideas are unquestioned or confirmed.

• They discuss the way literary elements are used to debunk or strengthen values attributed to those who are beautiful and those who are ugly, providing compelling examples and detailed analysis of specific literary elements and their function in the poem’s argument.

• They make thoughtful connections and/or distinctions between being beautiful and ugly.

• They have a strong thesis (main argument/idea/point) which is stated from the out set.

• They have meaningful, logical organization.

• They give effective, well-supported interpretations rather than a summary or paraphrase of what the poem says.

• They provide original insight and/or extend classroom discussion (ex. on the concept of beauty, on issues like appearances, judging people, the value or worth of individuals, identity, following or breaking from conventions, the structure and meaning of a text, word play, characterization, irony).

• They exhibit attention to word choice, phrasings, and sentence and paragraph flow.

• They have very few or no grammatical mistakes.

Middle score (6–7)

Essays in the middle range lack some of the qualities of the higher range. They tend to be less focused and often make broad statements rather than discuss the specifics of the poem.

• They have a sound thesis.

• There are minor misinterpretations/misreadings of the poem.

• They provide some substantiation for the points or claims made.

• They are somewhat disjointed or disorganized.

• Grammatical mistakes/mechanics detract from the smooth comprehensibility of the writing.

Low score (0–5)

Essays with low marks exhibit many or all of the following: 

• They do not answer the question or mostly strays from the prompt.

• There are major misinterpretation(s) of the poem.

• They provide mainly a summary and mis-summary of the poem.

• They are about general ideas, not about the text (the poem).

• They show little close reading.

• They give poor support for points made or has no substantiation at all.

2202234 Introduction to the Study of English Literature

Semester I, 2010

Monday, July 5, 2010

Test 1

(45 minutes)  Read the following poem carefully and then write a well-organized essay in which you discuss how elements in the poem like diction, images, sound, rhythm, irony, tone and form challenge or reinforce our assumptions about what it is to be beautiful or ugly, attractive or unattractive.

Text.

2202234 Introduction to the Study of English Literature

Semester I, 2010

Monday, July 5, 2010

Test 1

(45 minutes)  Read the following poem carefully and then write a well-organized essay in which you discuss how elements in the poem like diction, images, sound, rhythm, irony, tone and form challenge or reinforce our assumptions about what it is to be beautiful or ugly, attractive or unattractive.

Title

Text

2202234 Introduction to the Study of English Literature

Semester I, 2010

Monday, July 5, 2010

Test 1

(45 minutes)  Read the following poem carefully and then write a well-organized essay in which you discuss how elements in the poem like diction, images, sound, rhythm, irony, tone and form challenge or reinforce our assumptions about what it is to be beautiful or ugly, attractive or unattractive.

Text

2202234 Introduction to the Study of English Literature

Semester I, 2010

Monday, July 5, 2010

Test 1

(45 minutes)  Read the following poem carefully and then write a well-organized essay in which you discuss how elements in the poem like diction, images, sound, rhythm, irony, tone and form challenge or reinforce our assumptions about what it is to be beautiful or ugly, attractive or unattractive.

Text

• "You're Beautiful" (text of the poem with sound clip of author reading it)

• Rachel Shields, "Simon Armitage: He can talk the talk – now he'll walk the walk" (interview with Armitage)

• Simon Armitage

• Simon Armitage (brief bio)