ENGLISH ESSAY FINAL EXAM
BASED ON THE LITERATURE WE HAVE READ FOR CLASS THIS SEMESTER, CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING IDEAS AND WRITE A 3 PAGE ESSAY. FOLLOW THE RUBRIC FOR FORMAL ESSAYS. REMEMBER TO INCLUDE THE TITLE OF YOUR BOOK AND ITS AUTHOR. YOUR ESSAY MAY BE COMPUTER-GENERATED.
- ANALYZING AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
- Who is the autobiography about?
- When was the subject born? Where?
- Briefly describe his or her childhood.
- Briefly describe his or her adult years.
- Describe any setbacks or disappointments this person suffered.
- What was the person’s greatest accomplishment?
- THE NOVEL VERSUS THE BIG SCREEN
- Does the movie contain the same characters? If no, explain.
- Have any scenes or events been changed? If yes, how?
- Why do you think changes are sometimes made when a novel is produced as a movie?
- Which version of this story, the novel or the movie, did you like better? Explain.
- TRUE HEROES AND HEROINES
- Briefly describe the plot of the story.
- Describe the male lead character’s appearance.
- Describe his personality.
- Describe the female lead character’s appearance.
- Describe her personality.
- What are the most appealing qualities of the lead character?
- THE IMPACT OF HISTORY
- MAKING SENSE OF POETRY
- Does this poem have rhythm? Does it have rhyme? Explain the effect the rhythm and/or rhyme? (If the poem does not have rhythm or rhyme, tell why you think its author did not use these elements in the poem.
- What mood or feelings does this poem arouse in the reader?
- How does the poet achieve this mood?
- What do you think the poet/s purpose was in writing this poem?
- THE STORY IN THE EPIC
- When does this epic take place? Where does it take place?
- Describe the main character(s).
- What is the main conflict of this story?
- Briefly summarize this epic.
- PLOT—THE ACTION PLAN OF A STORY
- Who are the lead characters of this story?
- What problem do the lead characters face?
- Describe the conflict that arises from the problem.
- Describe some complications that arise during the story.
- What actions do the lead characters take to solve the problem?
- Do the lead characters solve explain. Explain.
- ACTION & THEME
- Briefly describe the theme of this story.
- Describe at least three actions in the story that support the theme.
- THEME’S – AN AUTHOR’S MESSAGE
- What is the major theme of this story?
- Does this story have other themes? If yes, what are they?
- Do you think the theme(s) is important? Explain.
- Do you agree or disagree with this them(s)?
- THE CLIMAX – A STORY’S GREAT EVENT
- UNDERSTANDING CHARACTER
- MOTIVATION & ACTION
- THE CAUSES & EFFECTS OF CONFLICT
- SETTING’S – THE BACKGROUND OF STORIES
- PICTURES PAINTED WITH WORDS
- REFLECTIONS ON STYLE
- THE REAL FACTS
- SYMBOLS
- BACK TO THE PAST
- UNDERSTANDING IRONY
- WHAT’S THE POINT OF VIEW?
- ANALYZING THE FIRST-PERSON POINT OF VIEW
- ANALYZING THE THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW
- UNIVERSAL THEMES: HOW ARE THEY USED IN LITERATURE?
- EXAMINE THE USE OF LITERARY DEVICES (ELEMENTS & TERMS) IN YOUR NOVEL.EVALUATING FICTION
- CHARACTER
- Who are the main characters in the story?
- Are the characters believable? Do they act and speak like real people? Give examples from the story.
- Who is your favorite character? Why?
- Who is your least favorite? Why?
- PLOT
- What is the plot of the story?
- Is the plot believable?
- Could it be improved? Explain.
- CONFLICT
- What is the central conflict of the story?
- Is the conflict strong enough to hold the reader’s interest? Explain and give examples from the story.
- SETTING
- Describe the setting.
- Is the setting realistic? Explain.
- What kinds of imagery words did the author use to create the setting?
- THEME
- What is the theme of the story?
- Does the story have more than one theme? If yes, what are they?
- WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL OPINION OF THE STORY? EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER.
