LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY RUBRIC LIT1100

LIT1100 Introduction to Literature University of Northwestern – St. Paul

NAME: _________________ GRADE: ________

CONTENT (50%) SUPERB GOOD DECENT POOR

Presentation of

Subject

 Essay opens with

compelling attention-getter,

creatively drawing reader

into paper and effortlessly

leading into the thesis

 Essay opens with a clear

attention-getter, drawing

reader into paper and clearly

leading into the thesis

 Attention-getter is present

but struggles to engage

reader; transition from

opener into thesis is rocky

 Attention-getter fails to

engage reader or is missing;

transition from opener into

thesis is abrupt

Thesis / POC  Assertion is compelling,

precise and arguable;

restated consistently

throughout the paper

 Literary element clearly

identified and perfectly suits

the purpose of essay and the

actual text

 POC is insightful and

precise

 Assertion is clear and

arguable; restated

consistently throughout the

paper

 Literary element clearly

identified and mostly suits

the purpose of essay and the

text

 POC is insightful, but

phrasing needs tweaking

 Assertion is somewhat

clear and arguable and

restated consistently

throughout the paper

 Literary element clearly

identified and mostly suits

the purpose of essay and the

text

 POC lacks sophistication /

phrasing is imprecise

 Assertion is vague or

confusing or unarguable /

restated inconsistently

throughout the paper

 Literary element unclear /

inappropriate for the

purpose of essay and the

text

 POC is unclear / missing

Argumentation  Develops and supports

thesis masterfully through

specific, effective textual

examples and sound logic

 Support is clearly

explained and connected to

thesis

 Essay effectively

synthesizes ideas and blends

sources into the writer’s

structure of ideas to create

an interesting, full

discussion of thesis

 Develops and supports

judgment through many

effective, relevant details,

examples and sound logic

 Support is usually

explained and connected to

thesis

 Essay adequately

synthesizes ideas and blends

sources into the writer’s

structure of ideas to create

an interesting, full

discussion of thesis

 Develops and supports

judgment through some

relevant details and

examples, one or two

instances of faulty logic

 Support is sometimes

explained and connected to

argumentation; in a few

places, writer spends too

much time summarizing text

 Paper sometimes

synthesizes ideas and blends

sources into the writer’s

structure of ideas

 Weak development and

support: lacks reasons,

contains irrelevant details,

ineffective examples or

logic is generally faulty

 Support is inadequately

explained or connected to

argumentation; in several

places, writer spends too

much time summarizing text

 Paper rarely synthesizes

ideas and blends sources

into the writer’s structure of

ideas

WRITING (50%) SUPERB GOOD DECENT POOR

Style  Writing is superior to

collegiate-level in content,

arrangement and style,

showing rich variety and

elegance in its sentence

structures and word choices

 Writing is more than

merely adequate for

collegiate-level work,

showing some variety and

elegance in its sentence

structures and word choices

 Writing is adequate for

the collegiate level but

shows little variety and

elegance in its sentence

structure and word choices

 Writing is not adequate

for the collegiate level; no

variety or elegance in its

sentence structure; word

choice is generally bland

and cliché

Organization  Unified and consistent

pattern of organization with

an apt introduction, graceful

transitions and a vigorous

conclusion

 Unified pattern of

organization with an

introduction, transitions and

conclusion

 Displays a pattern of

organization with a

distinguishable beginning,

middle and end

 Lacks a distinguishable

sense of order to the

content: no beginning,

middle or end discernable

Unity/

Coherence

 Entire essay demonstrates

coherence and unity; essay

has a controlling and

sustained sense of purpose

& an exceptionally mature

level of thought

 Entire essay demonstrates

coherence and unity; has a

controlling sense of purpose

and mature level of thought

for the most part

 With only a few

exceptions, essay

demonstrates unity and

coherence; has some sense

of controlling purpose

 Overall essay lacks unity

and coherence between

sections; purpose of essay is

nearly or completely

indistinguishable; lacks

maturity of thought

Mechanics  Essay averages 1 error or

fewer per page (250 words)

 Essay averages 2 errors

per page (250 words)

 Essay averages 3 errors

per page (250 words)

 Essay averages 4 or more

errors per page (250 words)

Citations  Text is written in present

tense in entire essay. In-text

citations follow MLA

guidelines, and essay

includes a Works Cited page

 For the most part, text is

written in present tense. In-

text citations mostly follow

MLA guidelines; includes

Works Cited page

 Text is sometimes written

in present tense. In-text

citations overall struggle to

follow MLA guidelines;

Works Cited page contains

many errors

 Text is not written in

present tense. In-text

citations overall fail to

follow MLA guidelines;

Works Cited missing

LIT1100 Introduction to Literature University of Northwestern – St. Paul

Rough Draft Guidelines

Writing a first draft can be overwhelming. A common feeling is that you are juggling all your ideas without clearly knowing where to start. Use these guidelines to help the drafting process go more smoothly. First, read through the instructor feedback on your outline and make notes as to what elements need to be altered in your writing plan. Next, think of each section of the paper – the introduction, body and conclusion

– as distinct parts that have different purposes.

Introduction – 1-2 paragraphs The introduction should be 1-2 paragraphs long, and its purpose is to introduce your readers to the topic of your paper. Remember, the topic is not only the text that you analyzed; it is also the literary element(s) that you will be discussing throughout the paper. Note: The thesis and forecasting statements should appear somewhere in the introduction, usually at the end. Body – several pages

Body paragraph model: all body paragraphs should follow this model

1. Topic sentence: Introduce the first point listed in the thesis that will prove the validity of your central idea.

2. Supporting details: Discuss the paragraph topic by weaving your interpretations and specific textual evidence together. You may quote, describe, summarize or paraphrase parts of the story that will develop your idea.

3. Concluding sentence: Use your own words to bring closure to the paragraph and signal the reader that you are moving on to your next point or sub-point.

As you write each body paragraph, remember the following: *Assume that your audience has read the story but not analyzed it deeply as you have. Do not retell the story; rather, cite specific detail from the story to support your ideas.

*Explain for your readers how the textual evidence you cite relates to your thesis: do not

merely cite detail from the story without connecting it to your ideas.

*Use a parenthetical reference with a page number after every sentence containing a reference from the story, whether directly quoted, summarized, or paraphrased.

*One main point might need several body paragraphs to fully develop it.

Conclusion – 1 paragraph The purpose of the conclusion is to bring closure to your essay by reasserting your central idea (thesis) and by summarizing the main points of the paper. The last sentence of the conclusion, and the essay itself, should be somewhat profound or ultimately conclusive because it’s your last chance to convince the reader that your central idea is valid. Note: you can use a quote from the story to end the paper if that feels appropriate.

LIT1100 Introduction to Literature University of Northwestern – St. Paul

The final step to complete before you draft your paper is to read the annotated student sample essay that illustrates each of the above guidelines. Once you have reviewed that sample, start writing!

Before you submit your rough draft …

Content Polishing

 Don't lose sight of your thesis; it needs to be the focus of

your entire essay.

 Avoid ever mentioning the reader of the essay or

addressing the reader ("you").

 Avoid saying "In this essay I will prove," or "I will discuss"; avoid using "I" if possible.

 Avoid slang, contractions or clichés.

 Proofread and spell check your essay carefully–rough AND final drafts.

Essay Structure Polishing

 Paragraphs should generally not be fewer than 5 sentences

or more than 10 sentences.

 Use 12 or 14 point font (standard font like Times, Helvetica,

or Arial, etc.).

 Double-space the paper.

 Use 1” margins.

 Do not put extra spaces between paragraphs.

 DO indent new paragraphs a half inch (set tab).

Presentation Polishing

 Come up with original titles (not “Literary Analysis Essay") that reflect your subject.

 Do not underline, bold, or capitalize every letter of your title.

 There is only one double-spaced return between the title and the beginning of your essay.

 In the upper left-hand corner, provide the following information:

Name Professor Name Date Word Count