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SESSION ONE
PART PART
A B
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SESSION
TWO |
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(1) 4
(2) 2
(3) 1
(4) 3
(5) 1
(6) 2 |
(7) 1
(8) 2
(9) 4
(10) 1
(11) 3
(12) 4
(13) 3
(14) 1
(15) 2
(16) 4 |
1. 2
2. 3
3. 1
4. 4
5. 3
6. 2
7. 1
8. 4
9. 1
10. 2 |
SECTION TWO SAMPLE ESSAYS WITH A SCORE OF 6
Essay 1
The passages show us that human dignity comes from a person's own strength of character,
not from his social status or his environment. In Passage I, the author uses the omniscient
point of view to let the reader know Mashenka's social status. She is a young governess whose
parents "had nothing" (line 83). She has a "little room" (line 84) in a busy household with many
servants. The author also uses the omniscient point of view to reveal Mashenka's dismany
and confusion when she is falsely accused (See the many questions in line 28-36).
The author of Passage I uses description and dialogue to reveal the environment and true
character of her employers, Madame Hushkin and Nikolay Sergeitch. The presence of the
servants and the value of the missing brooch tell us that this is a wealthy household. The
reader might expect to see these upper class people behave with great dignity, but they behave
quite badly. The Lady of the house invades her governess' room and lies about it ("I upset it
accidentally", line 24). She fusses at the dinner table and rudely orders her husband, "Eat your
dinner, and don't interfere with what doesn't concern you." The husband meekly obeys. He has
inherited this big house and the expensive jewelry, but apparently he can't handle his own
finances. "I need money", he says. So he takes his wife's brooch but is afraid to tell her, letting
blame fall on Mashenka and the other servants.
The contrast is clear. Mashenka, the poor governess, has true dignity. She has too much
strength of character to allow herself to stay in this household, even if it means she must return
to her penniless parents. The Master and Mistress, however, have no character at all. Each
one puts up with the disgraceful behavior of the other. They have status and wealth, but no
dignity.
The author of Passage II uses detailed description to establish the environment in which the
characters live. Although this family has a servant (the washwoman), we can see that they
are not as wealthy as the family in Passage I. The description of winter, with their windows
"decorated with icicles" (line 25) and the piece of coal "very clear" (line 26), suggests that they
live modestly.
The author's description of the old washwoman lets us know that her environment and her
condition are even worse. She gets water from a pump and she carries the wash to a cold
attic – so cold that the laundry becomes "as brittle as ice" (line 20). The old woman herself
is "small and thin" (line 4), with "narrow shoulders" (line 7).
Unlike the wealth family in Passage I, the poorer family in Passage II has strength, character,
and dignity. Their dignity is revealed by the description of their behavior towards the servant.
The mother appreciates the good work of the washwoman and gives her hot tea, bread, and a
warm place to sit. She worries about the old woman and "prayed for her."
But it is the dignity of the old woman that most impresses the reader (and obviously, the
author too). Her strength of character will not allow her to neglect her duty, and her sense
of duty keeps her alive; "The wash would not let me die." Furthermore, she will not use her
age and poor health to seek charity from others. She rejects the mothers blessing that she
"live to be a hundred and twenty" (line 69) because she knows that she can no longer work
and refuses "to be a burden on anyone" (line 72-73).
By using specific elements, such as omniscient point of view, description and dialogue, the
authors of the two passages have shown us characters who have dignity and characters who
do not. By letting us know each character's status and environment, the authors let us see that
the true source of dignity is strength of character.
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