General Zaroff Character Analysis Essay Essay

Short Stories
Constructed Response Literary Analysis
 
Prompt
Using the short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” “A Sound of Thunder,” or “The Most Dangerous Game” identify a character who responds in some significant way to wrongdoing. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the author’s use of characterization to show the universal truth readers are taught by the character’s pursuit of justice.
 
Step 1:  Deconstruct the prompt.

• What is the prompt asking me to do?
• What literary content do I have to consider?
• What must my response include?

 
Step 2: Vocab Analysis
The prompt focuses on the term “justice.”  Complete the chart below analyzing the term “justice.” In the first column of the chart, create a “dictionary definition” of the word “justice.”  For the second column, list the emotional associations with the term “justice.”  Think of as many as you can.  For the third column, list several synonyms of “justice.”  Lastly, for the 4^th column, list several antonyms of “justice.”

 
Step 3: Universal Ideas
Brainstorm a list of other universal ideas that your chosen story expresses.  Keeping in mind that you will create a universal truth that also involves the idea of “justice.”
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Step 4: Write the universal truth.
Now, to make a universal truth, choose theTHREE abstract nouns from the previous list that will work with the universal idea of justice.  Join the two words together with a strong verb. Try to make THREE universal truths, all of which need to involve justice as one of your abstract nouns.As you form these universal truths, ask yourself, “Is the short storyas a whole about this universal truth (abstract noun-verb-abstract noun)?” Choose the BEST universal truth and highlight it.
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