Prompt
The Importance of Being Earnest is a classic example of satire, with Oscar Wilde using humor to critique Victorian society on a number of topics.
For this TEQ, you will:
Choose ONE of the following topics:
Love and/or Marriage
Manners/ Etiquette
Social Status and/or Wealth
Education and/or Intelligence
Duty and/or Respectability
Identify the criticism Wilde is making about this topic in his society through satire.
Write a well-developed paragraph that discussesWilde’s satirical criticism about your chosen topic and provides two pieces of textual evidence and analysis for support.
How to Make a Copy of a Document so You Can Type on It
RUBRIC
If you need extra support, watch this VIDEO on the CEA method of answering a literary analysis paragraph. CEA stands for “Claim, Evidence, Analysis”. That’s the format that we use for writing a literary analysis paragraph.
Your paragraph should follow this basic structure:
1-Intro/TAG sentence (Claim)
2-Evidence #1
3-Analysis #1
4-Transition
5-Evidence #2
6-Analysis #2
7-Concluding Sentence
Topic/TAG Sentence
Write your topic sentence. Include TAG (title, author, genre) and your claim about the criticism Wilde is making about your chosen topic>.
The title of a play needs to be italicized and the main words need to be capitalized.
Genre means type of writing: novel, short story, fable, poem, play, letter, etc.
Examples:
In Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest, he uses satire to criticize Victorian society’s emphasis on __________.
In his play The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde pokes fun
at Victorian views on ____________, suggesting that _________
Oscar Wilde uses satire in his play The Importance of Being Earnest
to show how Victorian society places too much importance on __________.
Evidence
Include a DIRECT QUOTE from the play to support your topic sentence/claim.
You MUST copy the author’s words exactly as they appear in the selection.
You need to introduce your quote with a lead-in. Provide context for your quote.
The quote must be in quotation marks, and you need to provide a citation in MLA format.
Your MLA citation should include: (Author’s Last Name Page #).
Example: (Smith 36).
If there isn’t a page number, then you may omit it.
Note: The period comes AFTER the citation. If the punctuation mark is a question mark or an exclamation point, it comes INSIDE the quotation marks. You then add a period after the citation.
Template: For example, when… (provide context/ lead-in), ___(character)___ states, (“quote”) (citation).
Example: For example, after Lady Bracknell __________, she mutters, “_________” (Wilde 26).
Analysis
This is where you get to share YOUR ideas about the claim.
Write 1 or 2 well-developed sentences to show HOW the evidence that you chose supports your claim about Wilde’s use of satire to make a point.
This should be in YOUR words and should present YOUR ideas. Do not plagiarize.
Template: This shows/supports how (your claim) because (analysis).
Example: This shows how important ________ is to prominent members of Victorian society, even though _______________, illustrating Wilde’s point that ____________.
Transition
Include a transitional word or phrase to improve the flow of your ideas.
Here is a list of common transitions.
Example: Another example that pokes fun at Victorian society’s _________ is when
Cecile ______________.
Evidence
Include a 2nd DIRECT QUOTE from the text to support your theme statement.
Template: (Lead-in), (“quote”) (citation).
Example: As Cecile confronts Algernon, she says” _______________” (Wilde 17).
Analysis
Write 1 or 2 well-developed sentences to show HOW the evidence that you chose supports your claim.
Template: This shows/supports how (your claim) because (analysis).
Example: This shows Wilde’s ridicule for ________ in Victorian society by ____________.
Concluding Sentence
Add a final sentence that wraps up the main idea of your paragraph.
Template: Clearly, (author) uses satire in (title) to point out (claim).
Example: Clearly,Wilde uses satire in The Importance of Being Earnest to show how Victorian society places too much emphasis on___________, leading to _________ .
Put it all together!
Copy and paste all your sentences (IN ORDER!) on a Google Doc/Word Doc.
Proofread your paragraph, and make necessary revisions and edits before submitting.
Submit it to PAPER, our free 24-7 tutoring platform, for feedback from a tutor.
Review the RUBRIC!
Did you include all the requirements? If not, make revisions.
Don’t forget to INDENT your paragraph and to follow MLA guidelines for formatting your assignment. Your work must include a heading, it must be double-spaced, and it must be in Times New Roman 12. (See the Course Resources folder for more details about MLA.)