Expository Literary Essay: Female characters


DIRECTIONS: Write a well-organized composition on the topic below.

Female characters in literary works possess widely varying degrees of status. Some female characters hold positions of power, while others remain in passive, subordinate roles. The status of some female characters rests somewhere between these two extremes.

From the novels, short stories, full-length plays, films, and poems you have studied, choose
a work with a prominent female character. Using specific references from the work, describe the character’s role, discuss her status, and explain how her position contributes to the overall theme of the work.

As you write your composition, remember to:

  • Give the title and the author of the work.
  • Focus on the role and status of a prominent female character.
  • Use specific examples, reasons, and details to discuss this character’s status and to explain how her position contributes to the overall theme of the work.
  • Give any necessary plot information but avoid giving a plot summary.
  • Write in complete sentences.
  • Write coherent and well-developed paragraphs.
  • Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
Expository Literary Essay Plan
Expository Literary Essay Plan
Holistic Expository Essay Rubric
Holistic Expository Essay Rubric
Critical Response Rubric
Critical Response Rubric