Obedience and Respect Above All

Instructions

Write a two-to-four-page essay about one of fairy tales below. Do not use any outside sources of criticism, scholarly commentary, or interpretation. Interpret the tale by explaining what you think the story teaches about cultural values, morals, and behavior, and how the story depicts and symbolizes these ideas (paradigms). Make specific references to the tale to clarify your points. Consult the model essay to be sure you understand how to do this.
Rubric for the Fairy Tale Essay

Introductory paragraph and thesis, 0-10 points

Does the paragraph identify the title and author and briefly (one-to-two sentences) summarize the situation or main conflict in the story?

Does the thesis specifically state the lessons, values, and good and bad behaviors expressed by the story?

Body Paragraphs, 0-80 points

Does each of the body paragraphs clearly and directly present one of the main ideas in the thesis?

Is each of the main ideas clearly and thoroughly explained?

Is each of the main ideas well-supported with specific references to actions taken (or not taken) and/or statements made by characters in the story?

Are the references cited by author’s last name and page number?

Does each paragraph have at least one key quote as part of the support?

Quotes, 0-10 points

Are the quotes properly integrated into the sentences and properly punctuated?

Excerpt

Literary Analysis of The Little Match Seller

The Little Match Seller is a short story written by Hans Christian Andersen and was first published in 1845. The narrative is simple; it tells the story of a poor little girl who, due to poverty, had spent the New Year’s Eve out in the cold selling matches and died. I believe that the story’s moral is to behave charitably to others, especially to those who are less fortunate; however, I think that besides that the story also is a good social commentary about the effects of poverty particularly to children.

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