Honors English 10 Unit 1 Assessment 4 Macbeth and Things Fall Apart character analysis essay

Literary critic Northrop Frye asserted in 1957 that “tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Centuries earlier in The Poetics written in 335 BCE, Aristotle established the parameters of tragedy, a literary work which celebrates the courage and dignity of the human spirit as one consisting of the following elements: a) the plot must include a hero(ine) who has distinguished him/herself as "great" in some significant way; b) the hero commits some sort of violation, which Aristotle calls hamartia; c) there is a notable reversal or plot twist as a result of that violation, which Aristotle refers to as peripeteia; d) the hero suddenly recognizes his/her own responsibility for that sudden change of fortune, called anagnorosis; e) the tragedy ends with a purging of the emotional catastrophe (for both the characters and the audience), often the death of the hero at his/her own hands; Aristotle calls this catharsis.

Compose an essay in which you analyze both Macbeth AND Okonkwo as tragic figures, exploring how they establish a central theme of the work. In your analysis, use precise textual evidence, literary terminology, and college-level vocabulary as well as make specific connections to Aristotle, Hegel, Nietzsche, and/or Frye.

Standard Exceeding (4) Meeting (3) Nearing (2) Missing (1) ELACCRL3: Analyze how complex Essay insightfully analyzes Essay competently analyzes Essay attempts to tragic Essay fails to adequately characters develop over the course of a tragic characters, revealing tragic characters and clearly characters, but may fail analyze OR reveals lack of text, interact with other characters, and keen understanding of theme states theme and references to reveal connection to understanding of tragic advance the plot or develop the theme. and intertextual connections. intertextual connections. theme or other texts. characters and theme. ELACCW2: Write explanatory texts to Organization is logical, and Organization is controlled, and Essay is loosely organized Essay is unorganized and examine and convey complex ideas ideas are grouped effectively ideas are grouped reasonably but lacks control. confusingly developed. clearly and accurately through the to support interpretation. to support interpretation. Introduction is Thesis and conclusion may effective selection, organization, and Essay incorporates a Essay includes a sufficient underdeveloped, thesis is be missing, and analysis of content. compelling introduction, introduction, clear thesis, imprecise, paragraphs paragraphing may be ELACCW4: Produce clear and coherent astute thesis, unified paragraphs that are generally are not adequately ignored. writing in which the development, paragraphs that are precisely focused by a topic sentence, developed or unified, and organization, and style are appropriate controlled by topic sentence, and a clear conclusion that conclusion does little to task, purpose, and audience. and a perceptive conclusion. does more than repeat thesis. more than restate thesis. ELACCRL4: Determine the meaning of Essay compellingly uses Essay competently identifies Use of literary Essay fails to incorporate words and phrases as they are used in precise literary terminology literary devices in analysis. terminology in essay or reveals lack of the text, including figurative and to convey understanding of Literary language is employed lacks precision or understanding of accurate connotative meanings; analyze the concepts and enrich textual in the analysis of the writer’s accuracy. Essay attempts literary terminology. cumulative impact of specific word analysis of the writer’s craft. craft. College-level vocabulary to explain concepts but is College-level vocabulary is choices on meaning and tone. College-level vocabulary is is used competently to convey misguided or inadequate. not used or is repeatedly ELACCL6: Use accurately domain- used precisely to enhance the the author’s ideas and College-level vocabulary used inaccurately. specific vocabulary sufficient for author’s ideas and explanations. is attempted in writing reading and writing at the college level. explanations. but is inconsistent and imprecise. ELACCRL1: Cite strong and thorough Essay convincingly and Essay reasonably supports Essay attempts to Essay provides minimal textual evidence to support analysis of thoroughly supports ideas by ideas and proficiently cites and provide evidence from support from the texts as what the text says explicitly as well as persuasively citing and explains quotations from texts. texts, citing but failing to evidence, and inference drawn from the text. explaining focused, concise, Quotations are integrated with explain effectively. explanations are lacking. and germane quotations the writer’s own ideas. Quotations are often Any evidence that is from the texts. Quotations separate from the provided is not connected are aptly selected and writer’s own ideas, or too with the writer’s own seamlessly integrated with long to be incorporated ideas. the writer’s own ideas, often effectively. including the use of advanced punctuation. ELACCL1 & L2: Demonstrate command Spelling, punctuation, Few errors in spelling, Several errors in spelling, Errors in spelling, of the conventions of standard English capitalization, and academic punctuation, capitalization, punctuation, punctuation, grammar and usage, capitalization, conventions are accurate. and academic conventions. capitalization, and capitalization, and punctuation, and spelling when writing Sentence structure is varied; Sentence structure is academic conventions. academic conventions or speaking. sentence types advance ideas somewhat varied and aids Varied sentence distract from and are apt for the analytical analytical purpose. structure is attempted interpretation or make purpose. but tends towards analysis incomprehensible. repetition. Sentence types are repetitive and unvaried.