Open Prompt pt. 1 April 5th

2005. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess
“That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions.” In a novel or play that
you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly.
Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and
inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.

Response 1:
First of all, this response is nearly impossible to read because the author's handwriting is so bad. The first sentence is awkwardly worded and I find it hard to understand what the author is actually trying to say. However, the author did choose a very good work for this prompt and seems to answer each part of the prompt in their intro, including the meaning of the work which is unusual. The essay is separated into three distinct paragraphs that each have their own argument. Although the author includes a lot of plot summary, they also do a good job of including warrants and analysis. Overall, this is a pretty good essay, albeit slightly wordy.

Response 2:
This essay has a decent introductory paragraph, but the author failed to include the overall meaning of the play. The author does a very good job of answering each part of the prompt in a separate paragraph. They also include solid pieces of evidence to explain their points, but their analysis is lacking slightly. The conclusion wraps up the essay nicely and adds new information, however it would be helpful if the author included the theme of the work in one succinct sentence rather than over a few sentences. There are a few small grammatical errors in the essay, like the way the author denotes the play by quotation marks rather than an underline. Although this essay is a little short, it does a nice job of answering each part of the prompt and utilizing good pieces of evidence.

Response 3:
In the intro, the author repeats the exact sentence used in the prompt. They go on to explain how the character conforms to society, but not how she questions internally. The author also does not do a very good job of using the literary present and often switches between tenses. All of the body paragraphs stick to mere plot summary with no actual analysis whatsoever. Finally, the conclusion just restates exactly what was said in the first paragraph. The author pretty much summarizes every single thing that happens in the book without relating it to the prompt or analyzing the meaning. Overall, this essay is rushed and underdeveloped. It seems as if there was no planning involved because the author just separates the plot into arbitrary paragraphs.