Critical Essay Exemplars

CRITICAL ESSAY EXEMPLARS for REVIEW:

*Even if you don’t know the TEXT, a good critical essay should have you feel like you know it well enough – under the lens of the prompt. But notice that the strong critical essays do not just RETELL (say) of the plot; strong critical essays argue a strong opinion/idea/insight about the prompt – using the text as the examples to support their claims.
*Notice how the critical essays are really a psychological analysis of the character and their circumstances in relevance to the prompt.

Review Critical Essays by deconstructing others’ essays:
1) does the writer answer the prompt?
2) do they know the text well -with precise, specific, relevant examples?
3) do they explain how their examples are relevant to the prompt/their thesis?
4) what works?
5) how does their essay fit the outline, the template?
6) what is their thesis and topics?
7) How do they weave (embed) their evidence/quotes into the paragraph?
8) How do they offering MEANING and MATTER to the evidence – relative back to the prompt?
9) Does their essay have unified and coherent structure that flows?
10) Is their style of writing effective? Is there a variety of sentences? Do they weave strong images or symbols from the text into their analysis and style of writing – i.e. the “chess” reference in Shawshank Redemption, or light/darkness imagery?
11) How clean and correct is the writing with GUMPS?
12) Is the essay written with clarity – or does it get too wordy and confusing or lose its direction?

https://www.alberta.ca/writing-diploma-exams.aspx – look under: Exemplars, examples of students’ writing and practice questions 30-1 (scroll through the PDF to find the E, Pf, S exemplars for each CRITICAL prompt)

 

CRITICAL ESSAY EXEMPLARS:

Prompt: the role self-perception plays when individuals seek to reconcile the conflict between illusion and reality. (June 2014)

A Streetcar Named Desire – Ziyana
https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2016/01/14/the-looking-glass/

A Streetcar Named Desire (Blanche) compared to The Picture of Dorian Grey (Sybil) – Hope (but a comparison/contrast analysis)

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2018/01/17/the-truth-of-magic-polished-critical/

Picture of Dorian Grey – Tarannum
https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/10/05/critical-the-effect-of-self-perception-on-the-conflict-between-illusion-and-reality/

 

Prompt: The role of honesty when an individual experiences tension between optimism and reality. 

A Streetcar Named Desire – Hijab

Dimming the Glare: Seeking Illusion to Remedy Reality – A Streetcar Named Desire Polished Critical

A Streetcar Named Desire – Ibukun

2. something thoughtful

A Streetcar Named Desire – Claire

Manipulation for the Sake of Safety (Polished Critical Essay)

Prompt: …the interplay between how individuals perceive themselves and are perceived by others

A Streetcar Named Desire – Sara

A Streetcar Named Desire Cold Critical: The Falsity of Perception

Prompt: the ways in which an individual’s resilience is shaped by empathy. (June 2015)

Frankenstein – Queeny
https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2016/01/10/polished-critical-manipulation-of-empathy/

A Thousand Splendid Suns – Megan

Polished Critical: The Surmounting of Oppression by Means of Empathy Birthing Resilience

A Thousand Splendid Suns – Vanessa
https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2016/01/10/cold-critical-triumphs-fueled-by-resilience/

Frankenstein – Siddharth

Frankenstein Polished Critical: Resilience and the Weakening Forces of Empathy

Richard III – Alissa

A Deformed Resilience Resulting from a Lack of Empathy

Prompt: an individual’s attempt to live unconstrained by convention or circumstance (June 2007)

Death of a Salesman – Maria

death to the salesman: a polished death of a salesman critical

Death of a Salesman – Abhay

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2020/01/12/the-wrong-dream-polished-critical/

Death of a Salesman – Nazeefa

Stop Dreaming, Willy!

Their Eyes Were Watching God – Luca

Something Unbound – Polished Critical

Their Eyes Were Watching God – Nimrat

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2020/01/13/the-pursuit-of-the-horizon-polished-critical/

Their Eyes Were Watching God – Petrina

from a spark to the sun: a polished critical

Death of a Salesman – Zaid

Birth of a Rancher – Death of a Salesman: Polished Critical

Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zaid

Their Eyes of Constraint – Their Eyes Were Watching God: Polished Critical

Pride and Prejudice –  (comparison 2 paragraph essay) – Claire B.

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/01/15/a-breaking-of-convention-to-obtain-happiness-polished-critical/

Prompt: ways in which individuals struggle to restore honour and certainty (Jan 2009)

Hamlet (Ophelia) – Alysha

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/12/11/an-honourable-woman/

Hamlet(Hamlet) – Lauryn

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/12/13/overthinking-it-hamlet-critical-essay/

Hamlet (Hamlet) – Jieo

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/12/24/doubt-begets-doubt/

Hamlet (Ophelia) – Ziyana

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/12/12/the-uncertainty-of-femininity/

Hamlet (Ghost) – Tarannum

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/12/12/purpose-is-but-the-slave-to-the-memory-death-and-the-desire-to-restore-ones-honour-and-certainty-hamlet-critical-essay/

Hamlet (Ophelia) – Hijab

To Break the Chains of Convention: Ophelia’s Story

Hamlet (Hamlet) – Carmen

The Victims of Uncertainty in William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” – Polished Critical

Prompt: …the role emotional courage plays when an individual experiences separation. 

Hamlet (Ophelia) – Maria

the saving grace of the emotional coward: a polished hamlet critical

Hamlet – Ophelia – Petrina

the courage within madness – a polished critical essay

Prompt: the significance of idealism and truth in an individual’s life (June 2009)

Frankenstein – Ziyana

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/01/08/quixotry-as-it-dies/

Frankenstein – Rehman
https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/01/15/hollow-idealism-polished-critical/

Frankenstein – Shyla
https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/01/15/polished-critical-the-pursuit-of-an-ideal-without-accountability-to-truth/

 

Prompt: – the ways in which individuals take responsibility for themselves or others (June 2010)

Death of a Salesman – Shyla

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/12/29/polished-critical-responsibility-for-oneself-when-lacking-identity/

Death of a Salesman – Alysha

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2018/01/03/the-dream-of-a-salesman/

Death of a Salesman – Jieo

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2017/12/29/of-ranchers-and-salesmen/

The Great Gatsby – Yasmeen

https://aphunniblog.edublogs.org/2018/01/08/death-dreams-and-daisies/

 

Prompt: the role adversity plays in shaping an individual’s identity. (June 2011)

Night  – Ayisha
http://hunniblog30now.edublogs.org/2017/06/10/progressive-deterioration-of-identity-polished-critical/

Night – Riya
http://hunniblog30now.edublogs.org/2017/06/20/forfeiting-the-conflict-against-adversity-polished-critical-on-elie-wiesels-night/

 

Prompt: an individual’s capacity for self-sacrifice in the face of compelling circumstances. (June 2013)

Night – Sidra
http://hunniblog30now.edublogs.org/2017/06/11/selflessness-vs-selfishness-polished-critical/

 Prompt: …the nature of motivations that direct an individual’s course of action.

Frankenstein – Nimrat

the flames of motivation: polished critical

 

The ways in which individuals pursue or compromise their happiness. (Jan 10)

Their Eyes Were Watching God – Nazeefa

Desecrating the Pear Tree

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena) – Judy

Happiness and Love – Polished Critical Essay

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