Ch. 14: Definition-Evaluation-Comparison: Character Response Essay
In an evaluation argument, you make a value judgment about something or someone.
When constructing an evaluation argument, you have several options: You can make a positive or negative judgment, assert that someone elses's judgment is not accurate or justified, or you can write a comparative evaluation, in which you maintain that something is superior to something else.
For this assignment, you will be making a comparative evaluation, a value judgment, about the stories you read this week. But first, you must define your terms!
Making Evaluations: Here is a list of terms you use to express judgments and indicate the relative merits of two items: (pg. 387)
Superior/Inferior Useful/Useless Efficient/inefficient Effective/ineffective
Successful/Unsuccessful Deserving/undeserving Important/trivial Original/trite
Innovative/predictable Interesting/dull Inspiring/depressing
When you evaluate something, you cannot just say it is "good or bad", useful or useless, valuable or worthless, etc.; you must expalin WHY this is so.
First, develop a CRITERIA for your evaluation. If you are asserting a positive judgment, then you must show that your subject has value based on a certain criteria; if you are asserting a negative judgment, you must show that something lacks value because it does not satisfy certain criteria.
Then, develop a concrete THESIS. Your thesis reveals your judgment and sets up the criteria you will use to prove your judgment in your body paragraphs.
Next, gather supporting evidence. For this particular essay, the evidence will come from within the story that you are choosing to evaluate and will take the form of direct, cited quotes.
The example in your textbook is a formal, researched essay. It contains an introduction, refutation, evidence x3, and a conclusion. However, your assignemnt is less complicated than that; you are asked to write a more informal RESPONSE PAPER.
Your topic is this: You will evaluate which character, Elisa in "The Chrysanthemums" by Steinbeck or Sammy in "A&P" by Updike, provides a better commentary on FEMINISM.
To do so, you will need to compare the characters in the stories. You may want to focus on comparing only the protagonsits (Elisa and Sammy); however, it is important to also bring in the other characters in relation to Elisa and Sammy. For example, you may use Sammy's interaction with 1. the customers, 2. Queenie, and 3. Lengel as evidence for your claim. Likewise, you may use Elisa's interaction with 1. her husband 2. the tinker and 3. her inner self as evidence for your claims.
Example:
Reasons for Elisa 1, 2, 3; Reasons for Sammy 1, 2, 3 OR
Reason 1 (Elisa); Reason 2 (Husband); Reason 3 (Tinker)... Reason 1 (Sammy); Reason 2 (Queenie & the Girls); Reason 3 (Boss, other workers, customers, etc.-- you choose).
Here's how you'll structure your response:
Introduction: Defines feminism, sets up criteria for evaluation, provides context (short summary of plot/characters) of the stories, THESIS
Body 1: Discuss one of the stories/character
Body 2: Discuss the other story/character
**see organizational options above
Conclusion: Takes a stance-- now that you've proven that both stories can be read as a commentary on feminism, you decide which one does this better. Be sure to clearly state the reason behind your evaluation-- this means explaining how one story (via the characterizations) masters the criteria you set forth better than the other. You also want to say what can we learn from this evaluation-- what is the stories' contribution to society.
**This is a 4 paragraph (not 5) essay; 2 page max. length. Because this is an in-class essay, you will not be asked to provide a Works Cited Page that lists the stories. However, you will want to cite your quotes within your paragraphs. Put 3 SHORT quotes in each body paragraph. The structure of paragraphs will be different; here's a general model to use:
Intro. - 5 sentences
Body 1- 7 sentences
Body 2- 7 sentences
Conclusion- 5 sentences
As you print out your stories, number the pages, and cite them as part of your textbook. Pretend that "Chrysanthemums" starts on page 100; "A&P" starts on page 200, and cite accordingly.
Here are some notes to help you establish your criteria:
Feminism refers to movements aimed at defining, establishing and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women.[1][2][3] Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights. Feminism is mainly focused on women's issues, but because feminism seeks gender equality, some feminists argue that men's liberation is therefore a necessary part of feminism, and that men are also harmed by sexism and gender roles.[4][5][6][7] Feminists—that is, persons practicing feminism—can be persons of either sex.
Feminist theory emerged from these feminist movements[8][9] and includes general theories and theories about the origins of inequality, and, in some cases, about the social construction of sex and gender, in a variety of disciplines. Feminist activists have campaigned for women's rights—such as in contract, property, and voting—while also promoting women's rights to bodily integrity and autonomy and reproductive rights. They have opposed domestic violence, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. In economics, they have advocated for workplace rights, including equal pay and opportunities for careers and to start businesses.
Feminist theory aims to understand gender difference and gender inequality and focuses on gender politics and sexuality. Providing a critique of these social and political power relations, much of feminist theory focuses on the promotion of women's rights. Themes explored in feminist theory include discrimination, stereotyping, objectification (especially sexual objectification), oppression, and patriarchy.
OPTIONAL TOPIC:
You could also evaluate which protagonist, Elisa or Sammy, makes a better decision.
Both must decide whether or not to "follow their heart"-- to rebel or to keep the status quo. The outcome is not ideal for either-- or maybe it is; I suppose you could argue it either way.
To write this essay, you must first create criteria (more accurate than "definition," but you could look at it that way) for good/smart decision making; lay that out in the introduction, along with story/character synopsis and a concrete thesis.
Body 1: Examine the value of Elisa's decision.
Body 2: Examine the value of Sammy's decision.
Conclusion: Determine which character makes a smarter decision. You can be creative in your approach to this topic. The conclusion should also contain the "social commentary" of the stories; what can the reader learn by examining these characters and their decision? What is the message about rebellion and decision making, and how do you feel about it? What criteria should we use to make decisions? When should we rebel, when should we maintain the status quo? Do these characters get it right? Explain.
When constructing an evaluation argument, you have several options: You can make a positive or negative judgment, assert that someone elses's judgment is not accurate or justified, or you can write a comparative evaluation, in which you maintain that something is superior to something else.
For this assignment, you will be making a comparative evaluation, a value judgment, about the stories you read this week. But first, you must define your terms!
Making Evaluations: Here is a list of terms you use to express judgments and indicate the relative merits of two items: (pg. 387)
Superior/Inferior Useful/Useless Efficient/inefficient Effective/ineffective
Successful/Unsuccessful Deserving/undeserving Important/trivial Original/trite
Innovative/predictable Interesting/dull Inspiring/depressing
When you evaluate something, you cannot just say it is "good or bad", useful or useless, valuable or worthless, etc.; you must expalin WHY this is so.
First, develop a CRITERIA for your evaluation. If you are asserting a positive judgment, then you must show that your subject has value based on a certain criteria; if you are asserting a negative judgment, you must show that something lacks value because it does not satisfy certain criteria.
Then, develop a concrete THESIS. Your thesis reveals your judgment and sets up the criteria you will use to prove your judgment in your body paragraphs.
Next, gather supporting evidence. For this particular essay, the evidence will come from within the story that you are choosing to evaluate and will take the form of direct, cited quotes.
The example in your textbook is a formal, researched essay. It contains an introduction, refutation, evidence x3, and a conclusion. However, your assignemnt is less complicated than that; you are asked to write a more informal RESPONSE PAPER.
Your topic is this: You will evaluate which character, Elisa in "The Chrysanthemums" by Steinbeck or Sammy in "A&P" by Updike, provides a better commentary on FEMINISM.
To do so, you will need to compare the characters in the stories. You may want to focus on comparing only the protagonsits (Elisa and Sammy); however, it is important to also bring in the other characters in relation to Elisa and Sammy. For example, you may use Sammy's interaction with 1. the customers, 2. Queenie, and 3. Lengel as evidence for your claim. Likewise, you may use Elisa's interaction with 1. her husband 2. the tinker and 3. her inner self as evidence for your claims.
Example:
Reasons for Elisa 1, 2, 3; Reasons for Sammy 1, 2, 3 OR
Reason 1 (Elisa); Reason 2 (Husband); Reason 3 (Tinker)... Reason 1 (Sammy); Reason 2 (Queenie & the Girls); Reason 3 (Boss, other workers, customers, etc.-- you choose).
Here's how you'll structure your response:
Introduction: Defines feminism, sets up criteria for evaluation, provides context (short summary of plot/characters) of the stories, THESIS
Body 1: Discuss one of the stories/character
Body 2: Discuss the other story/character
**see organizational options above
Conclusion: Takes a stance-- now that you've proven that both stories can be read as a commentary on feminism, you decide which one does this better. Be sure to clearly state the reason behind your evaluation-- this means explaining how one story (via the characterizations) masters the criteria you set forth better than the other. You also want to say what can we learn from this evaluation-- what is the stories' contribution to society.
**This is a 4 paragraph (not 5) essay; 2 page max. length. Because this is an in-class essay, you will not be asked to provide a Works Cited Page that lists the stories. However, you will want to cite your quotes within your paragraphs. Put 3 SHORT quotes in each body paragraph. The structure of paragraphs will be different; here's a general model to use:
Intro. - 5 sentences
Body 1- 7 sentences
Body 2- 7 sentences
Conclusion- 5 sentences
As you print out your stories, number the pages, and cite them as part of your textbook. Pretend that "Chrysanthemums" starts on page 100; "A&P" starts on page 200, and cite accordingly.
Here are some notes to help you establish your criteria:
Feminism refers to movements aimed at defining, establishing and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women.[1][2][3] Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights. Feminism is mainly focused on women's issues, but because feminism seeks gender equality, some feminists argue that men's liberation is therefore a necessary part of feminism, and that men are also harmed by sexism and gender roles.[4][5][6][7] Feminists—that is, persons practicing feminism—can be persons of either sex.
Feminist theory emerged from these feminist movements[8][9] and includes general theories and theories about the origins of inequality, and, in some cases, about the social construction of sex and gender, in a variety of disciplines. Feminist activists have campaigned for women's rights—such as in contract, property, and voting—while also promoting women's rights to bodily integrity and autonomy and reproductive rights. They have opposed domestic violence, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. In economics, they have advocated for workplace rights, including equal pay and opportunities for careers and to start businesses.
Feminist theory aims to understand gender difference and gender inequality and focuses on gender politics and sexuality. Providing a critique of these social and political power relations, much of feminist theory focuses on the promotion of women's rights. Themes explored in feminist theory include discrimination, stereotyping, objectification (especially sexual objectification), oppression, and patriarchy.
OPTIONAL TOPIC:
You could also evaluate which protagonist, Elisa or Sammy, makes a better decision.
Both must decide whether or not to "follow their heart"-- to rebel or to keep the status quo. The outcome is not ideal for either-- or maybe it is; I suppose you could argue it either way.
To write this essay, you must first create criteria (more accurate than "definition," but you could look at it that way) for good/smart decision making; lay that out in the introduction, along with story/character synopsis and a concrete thesis.
Body 1: Examine the value of Elisa's decision.
Body 2: Examine the value of Sammy's decision.
Conclusion: Determine which character makes a smarter decision. You can be creative in your approach to this topic. The conclusion should also contain the "social commentary" of the stories; what can the reader learn by examining these characters and their decision? What is the message about rebellion and decision making, and how do you feel about it? What criteria should we use to make decisions? When should we rebel, when should we maintain the status quo? Do these characters get it right? Explain.
Ch. 12: Argument by Definition
What is argument by definition?
It is when you write an argumentative essay that depends on your definition of a key term. In this type of essay, you argue whether or not something fits the definition of a particular class of items.
Look in your textbook on page 316 for a list of examples of topics for a definition paper.
It is important to understand that as time passes, as progress is made, our definitions may change.
Developing Definitions: The success of an argument by definition depends on your ability to define a term so that readers (even those that do not agree with your position) will see its validity. Therefore, rhetorical strategies are important in developing your argument.
Dictionary (formal) Definitions: Term to be defined, general class to which the term belongs, and the qualities that differentiate the term from other items in the same class.
Example (pertaining to your essay):
Term Class Differentiation
Feminism A doctrine or organized movement advocating social, political, and all other rights of
women equal to those of men.
Extended Definitions: A dictionary definition is usually not enough to define a complex or abstract term. An extended definition may be necessary to expalin to readers in some detail what you mean by this term and perhaps give examples to support your definition.
Examples: Used to develop an extended definition. For your examples to be effective, they have to be relevant to your argument. They also must represent the full range of opinion concerning your subject. You must also make sure that your readers accept your examples as typical, not unusual.
Operational Definitions: Defines something by telling how it acts or works. It transforms an abstract concept into something concrete, observable, and possibly measurable.
A strictly "definition" essay would: Establish a context for the argument by explaining the need for defining the term; provide an extended definition of the term; show how the term does or does not fit the definition; refutes opposing arguments...
You are using DEFINITION in your essay in order to provide a context for your terms. For example, before you argue which character is more of a feminist, you must first define the term feminist. Before you argue which character makes the smartest decision, you must first define what you mean by 'smart decision'. Without a definition of these terms, you can't begin your evaluation.
It is when you write an argumentative essay that depends on your definition of a key term. In this type of essay, you argue whether or not something fits the definition of a particular class of items.
Look in your textbook on page 316 for a list of examples of topics for a definition paper.
It is important to understand that as time passes, as progress is made, our definitions may change.
Developing Definitions: The success of an argument by definition depends on your ability to define a term so that readers (even those that do not agree with your position) will see its validity. Therefore, rhetorical strategies are important in developing your argument.
Dictionary (formal) Definitions: Term to be defined, general class to which the term belongs, and the qualities that differentiate the term from other items in the same class.
Example (pertaining to your essay):
Term Class Differentiation
Feminism A doctrine or organized movement advocating social, political, and all other rights of
women equal to those of men.
Extended Definitions: A dictionary definition is usually not enough to define a complex or abstract term. An extended definition may be necessary to expalin to readers in some detail what you mean by this term and perhaps give examples to support your definition.
Examples: Used to develop an extended definition. For your examples to be effective, they have to be relevant to your argument. They also must represent the full range of opinion concerning your subject. You must also make sure that your readers accept your examples as typical, not unusual.
Operational Definitions: Defines something by telling how it acts or works. It transforms an abstract concept into something concrete, observable, and possibly measurable.
A strictly "definition" essay would: Establish a context for the argument by explaining the need for defining the term; provide an extended definition of the term; show how the term does or does not fit the definition; refutes opposing arguments...
You are using DEFINITION in your essay in order to provide a context for your terms. For example, before you argue which character is more of a feminist, you must first define the term feminist. Before you argue which character makes the smartest decision, you must first define what you mean by 'smart decision'. Without a definition of these terms, you can't begin your evaluation.
Sample Essay: Definition/Evaluation
SAMPLE ESSAY:
“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” –Pythagoras: On Elisa and Sammy
We are all faced with life-altering decisions that can change the course of our journey in life. This is the lead-in. Elisa and Sammy, the protagonists of Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” and Updike’s “A&P” respectively, inspire readers to reflect upon the motivation and outcome of the decision making process. This connects the lead-in topic to the subject, i.e. the stories. There are many aspects that go into making a decision, including one’s morals and values, outside influences, predictable outcomes, and emotions, but the measure of a good decision is whether or not it contributes to one’s growth and the progress of one’s life. This is the criteria for evaluation-- i.e. the definition of a good decision is a choice that contributes to the growth and progress of one's life. The overall choice that these characters make is one between abandoning a comfort zone to “follow the heart” or to maintain the status quo in favor of security. While Sammy’s decision propels him forward into the possibility of self-discovery, Elisa’s holds her back and stifles her most intrinsic desires. This is the thesis statement.
Steinbeck paints Elisa Allen as a woman who has no doubt faced many decisions in her over three decades of life; she decides to marry Henry, to live on his ranch, and consequently, to deny herself fulfillment. This is the topic statement; it contains a key word from the thesis—decision and introduces the first subject in the comparison (Elisa). She is clearly a strong woman, who like her flowers, continually survives being “cut down”, but ironically, she is not strong enough to act on her desires. This becomes obvious when the tinker enters the picture; while discussing his life, Elisa reveals, “I wish women could do such things” (637) in regards to his nomadic lifestyle, traveling and fixing broken items. When he protests, “It ain’t the right kind of life for a woman” (637), Elisa defends herself, saying, “You might be surprised to have a rival sometime… I could show you what a woman might do” (637). The story also contains the indication that Elisa desires more of the Tinker than just his lifestyle; as she looks up at him, “her breast swelled passionately” (636), which may indicate that she is in a sexless (she has no kids), unfulfilling marriage. The glimpse we get of Elisa defending her abilities is refreshing, but it quickly fades as she is seen defeated, “crying weakly- like an old woman” (639) after seeing the pot she gave the tinker smashed into pieces on the highway. Rather than speak to her husband about what is bothering her, she merely “whispers to herself” (639), and when she is given the chance to speak up about her desire to go to the prize fights, she declines and settles, saying, “Oh, no… It will be enough if we can have wine” (639). The above sentences are the “evidence”—in this case, it sets up a discussion of Elisa’s decisions. In each of Elisa’s decisions, to live the tinker’s lifestyle or not, to act on her feelings for the tinker or not, to attend the prize fights she reads about or not, and to openly communicate with her husband or not, Elisa chooses “not”; we learn that her strength is merely a façade. This statement evaluates the “evidence” and reflects upon it in relation to the topic, “decisions”.
Unlike Elisa, Updike’s Sammy is young and unmarried; while Elisa has already made key decisions in her life, he is only nineteen and still in the process of “coming of age”. This is the transition/topic statement; it transitions from Elisa to Sammy and introduces our key word ‘decisions’ again. Sammy is working his job at the local A&P in his small town when “In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits” (220); these girls challenge the status quo of conservatism in a town that Sammy sees as being full of “houseslaves in pin curlers” (221) and “the sheep” (221). Sammy takes notice of the girls and of how they seem to “upset the system”; Updike uses the town to represent “the system,” with its “two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store” (221), while the beach represents freedom from the systems. Sammy evaluates the girls’ attire as he states, “It’s not as if we’re on the Cape… there are people in this town that haven’t seen the ocean for twenty years” (221). However, Sammy seems to feel for the girls when Lengel, the store manager, decides to confront the girls by telling them, “We want you decently dressed when you come in here” (223), to which the girl who Sammy nicknames “Queenie” replies, “We are decent” (223). The choice between the status quo and freedom is viewed by Lengel as one between “policy” and “juvenile delinquency” (223); Sammy spends some time thinking and sides with the girls. He tells Lengel, “You didn’t have to embarrass them” (223) after abruptly quitting his job as cashier. He is warned that this decision will follow him, to which he responds, “but remembering how he made that poor girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside I punch the No Sale tab” (224); this is Sammy’s act of rebellion. The above is the “evidence” that leads to an understanding of Sammy’s decisions. It is important to pick only aspects of the story that relate to your topic, that you give relevant and accurate information, and that you cite for effect, or in relation to your topic, rather than just for summary purposes. The story ends with Sammy’s recognition that “the world was going to be hard” (224), but just because Sammy chooses the harder path does not mean he chooses the wrong path. Concluding sentence analyzes evidence in terms of topic, so we see an allusion to our topic again via the word “chooses”.
While the decisions Steinbeck’s Elisa makes dooms to her ordinary life as a childless wife to Henry who piddles in her garden, Sammy’s decisions open up an array of possibilities for his future. In the conclusion is where we analyze and evaluate the topic “decisions” with both subjects “Elisa and Sammy”; the topic sentence signals that. Both characters’ decisions cause them a certain amount of anguish, but the indication is that Sammy’s is temporary, while Elisa’s is everlasting. This is represented by the setting; Elisa lives in a restrictive “closed-pot” (632), while Sammy is headed to the beach, a place that abandons restrictions in favor of freedom. The message that resonates from these readings is that no major life decision can be without consequences, but following one’s heart and remaining true to one’s spirit at least contains the possibility for progress toward fulfillment, while remaining confined to the status quo confines one to stagnation. This sentence presents the social commentary—the message that society can take from this analysis. Because Sammy’s decision at least offers him the possibility to fulfill his destiny, he makes the better choice. The concluding sentence directly answers the prompt and why we answered thusly.
“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” –Pythagoras: On Elisa and Sammy
We are all faced with life-altering decisions that can change the course of our journey in life. This is the lead-in. Elisa and Sammy, the protagonists of Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” and Updike’s “A&P” respectively, inspire readers to reflect upon the motivation and outcome of the decision making process. This connects the lead-in topic to the subject, i.e. the stories. There are many aspects that go into making a decision, including one’s morals and values, outside influences, predictable outcomes, and emotions, but the measure of a good decision is whether or not it contributes to one’s growth and the progress of one’s life. This is the criteria for evaluation-- i.e. the definition of a good decision is a choice that contributes to the growth and progress of one's life. The overall choice that these characters make is one between abandoning a comfort zone to “follow the heart” or to maintain the status quo in favor of security. While Sammy’s decision propels him forward into the possibility of self-discovery, Elisa’s holds her back and stifles her most intrinsic desires. This is the thesis statement.
Steinbeck paints Elisa Allen as a woman who has no doubt faced many decisions in her over three decades of life; she decides to marry Henry, to live on his ranch, and consequently, to deny herself fulfillment. This is the topic statement; it contains a key word from the thesis—decision and introduces the first subject in the comparison (Elisa). She is clearly a strong woman, who like her flowers, continually survives being “cut down”, but ironically, she is not strong enough to act on her desires. This becomes obvious when the tinker enters the picture; while discussing his life, Elisa reveals, “I wish women could do such things” (637) in regards to his nomadic lifestyle, traveling and fixing broken items. When he protests, “It ain’t the right kind of life for a woman” (637), Elisa defends herself, saying, “You might be surprised to have a rival sometime… I could show you what a woman might do” (637). The story also contains the indication that Elisa desires more of the Tinker than just his lifestyle; as she looks up at him, “her breast swelled passionately” (636), which may indicate that she is in a sexless (she has no kids), unfulfilling marriage. The glimpse we get of Elisa defending her abilities is refreshing, but it quickly fades as she is seen defeated, “crying weakly- like an old woman” (639) after seeing the pot she gave the tinker smashed into pieces on the highway. Rather than speak to her husband about what is bothering her, she merely “whispers to herself” (639), and when she is given the chance to speak up about her desire to go to the prize fights, she declines and settles, saying, “Oh, no… It will be enough if we can have wine” (639). The above sentences are the “evidence”—in this case, it sets up a discussion of Elisa’s decisions. In each of Elisa’s decisions, to live the tinker’s lifestyle or not, to act on her feelings for the tinker or not, to attend the prize fights she reads about or not, and to openly communicate with her husband or not, Elisa chooses “not”; we learn that her strength is merely a façade. This statement evaluates the “evidence” and reflects upon it in relation to the topic, “decisions”.
Unlike Elisa, Updike’s Sammy is young and unmarried; while Elisa has already made key decisions in her life, he is only nineteen and still in the process of “coming of age”. This is the transition/topic statement; it transitions from Elisa to Sammy and introduces our key word ‘decisions’ again. Sammy is working his job at the local A&P in his small town when “In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits” (220); these girls challenge the status quo of conservatism in a town that Sammy sees as being full of “houseslaves in pin curlers” (221) and “the sheep” (221). Sammy takes notice of the girls and of how they seem to “upset the system”; Updike uses the town to represent “the system,” with its “two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store” (221), while the beach represents freedom from the systems. Sammy evaluates the girls’ attire as he states, “It’s not as if we’re on the Cape… there are people in this town that haven’t seen the ocean for twenty years” (221). However, Sammy seems to feel for the girls when Lengel, the store manager, decides to confront the girls by telling them, “We want you decently dressed when you come in here” (223), to which the girl who Sammy nicknames “Queenie” replies, “We are decent” (223). The choice between the status quo and freedom is viewed by Lengel as one between “policy” and “juvenile delinquency” (223); Sammy spends some time thinking and sides with the girls. He tells Lengel, “You didn’t have to embarrass them” (223) after abruptly quitting his job as cashier. He is warned that this decision will follow him, to which he responds, “but remembering how he made that poor girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside I punch the No Sale tab” (224); this is Sammy’s act of rebellion. The above is the “evidence” that leads to an understanding of Sammy’s decisions. It is important to pick only aspects of the story that relate to your topic, that you give relevant and accurate information, and that you cite for effect, or in relation to your topic, rather than just for summary purposes. The story ends with Sammy’s recognition that “the world was going to be hard” (224), but just because Sammy chooses the harder path does not mean he chooses the wrong path. Concluding sentence analyzes evidence in terms of topic, so we see an allusion to our topic again via the word “chooses”.
While the decisions Steinbeck’s Elisa makes dooms to her ordinary life as a childless wife to Henry who piddles in her garden, Sammy’s decisions open up an array of possibilities for his future. In the conclusion is where we analyze and evaluate the topic “decisions” with both subjects “Elisa and Sammy”; the topic sentence signals that. Both characters’ decisions cause them a certain amount of anguish, but the indication is that Sammy’s is temporary, while Elisa’s is everlasting. This is represented by the setting; Elisa lives in a restrictive “closed-pot” (632), while Sammy is headed to the beach, a place that abandons restrictions in favor of freedom. The message that resonates from these readings is that no major life decision can be without consequences, but following one’s heart and remaining true to one’s spirit at least contains the possibility for progress toward fulfillment, while remaining confined to the status quo confines one to stagnation. This sentence presents the social commentary—the message that society can take from this analysis. Because Sammy’s decision at least offers him the possibility to fulfill his destiny, he makes the better choice. The concluding sentence directly answers the prompt and why we answered thusly.