Essay #3 – Explication Rubric
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Response to the topic
Response to the topic: • Does the essay respond to the topic with insight, depth and originality, while clearly meeting the terms of the assignment?
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Thesis statement
Thesis statement: • Is the thesis statement clearly focused? • Specifically, does it reveal the writer’s perspective about the significance of the passage he/she chose? • Also does it show a few rhetorical and literary devices Shakespeare uses in the chosen passage/soliloquy?
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Paragraph Development
Paragraph Development: • Do the paragraphs develop the writer’s perspective about the different aspects of the chosen passage? • Do they support the thesis statement? • Do they contain analysis line-by-line of theme, language, etymology, and syntax? • Do they contain ONLY support from the passage? • Does the concluding paragraph reinforce the significance of the soliloquy/passage?
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Use of Quotes
Use of Quotes: • Are the quotes specific, relevant, and sufficient? • Does the writer use at least 6-10 quotes per body paragraph? • Are they explained and analyzed, and thus, integrated with the writer’s words and points? • Are they cited properly in MLA? • Are they a mix of longer and shorter quotes depending on the purpose of the writer?
• For instance, when discussing theme, the quotes may be longer than when discussing figurative language. • Does the analysis and interpretation go beyond class discussion using exceptional insight? |
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Structure/Paragraphs
Structure/ Paragraphs: • Are the paragraphs organized and long enough to respond thoroughly to the prompt? In other words, do they begin with a topic sentence that supports the thesis statement and end with a concluding statement wrapping up the discussion in that paragraph?• Has the writer provided enough specific textual support to prove that he/she read and understood the passage/soliloquy completely, especially when explaining the etymology of some of the key terms used by the character? • Does the essay follow the guidelines of the assignment (amount of quotations/paraphrases, mostly analysis and interpretation, not summary, etc.) • Does the essay transition between ideas fluidly? Does the order of the explication paragraphs make sense and follow the required structure?
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Conclusion
Conclusion: • Does the conclusion analyze and reinforce the significance of the chosen passage/soliloquy to the play as a whole and the Act itself? • What would be lost if it were taken out of the play? • What would be the implications of that decisions to the rest of the play?
• What arguments does the writer express in favor of the passage’s significance and importance to the play? |
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Language
Language Usage and Mechanics: • Does the essay exhibit superior control of language, including diction, phrasing, syntactic variety, and an ability to paraphrase or translate the passage/soliloquy accurately? • Does the essay avoid serious errors in mechanics and usage? • Are grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation correct?
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MLA Format
Format: • MLA; typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, pages numbered, proper heading. • PAGE LENGTH REQUIREMENT: 3 full pages up to 4 max. (1000-1300 words)!!!
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Explication Structure
Explication Structure: • Does the essay follow the required structure of an explication as required in the essay prompt? • Does the Introduction present a Summary of the passage/soliloquy to locate it within the Act and play? • Do the body paragraphs discuss in this order: Themes, Language (figures of speech) and Etymology (origin and source of 5-7 key words in the passage/soliloquy), and Syntax (caesura, enjambment, run-on lines, end-stopped lines, and elision)? • Does the concluding paragraph analyze and reinforce the Significance of the passage/soliloquy?
Source:
I’ve also provided some essay examples and the essay prompt in the attached files
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