Many sad stories have been written over the years, mostly gloomy, morose, and heartbreaking, as well as containing children and dogs. In The Beet Queen, however, by Louise Erdrich, a different way of depicting this sadness is apparent. Erdrich uses devices such as selection of detail, point of view, imagery, and tone to tell her story.
Erdrich uses selection of detail at many points to stress how the environment impacts the children. First, Erdrich talks about the children in the boxcar, "their lips violet and their feet were so numb that, when the jumped out of the boxcar, they stumbled and scraped their palms and knees through the cinders." The inclusion of the facts that they were so cold their lips were violet and that they stumbled and became injured getting out of the boxcar paints the children not as vagabonds illegally riding a train, but as helpless, doing all they can to survive. Another example of selection of detail is the experience of Karl and the tree. Edrich describes the tree as quite ordinary but when Karl sees it, "his cheeks went pink" and he was so drawn to the blossoms this "scratch of light" that he buried his face in the blossoms. By describing to us in such detail Karl's reaction we are able to see how Karl has been reduced to hopelessness. So much so that this scraggly tree draws him so deeply into its arms.
Another device Erdrich uses is point of view. Erdrich tells this story in a third person viewpoint.
From this view we can know some of both Mary and Karl's feelings but others are hidden. We also see the situation taking place from the outside. Having so many different views helps us understand the characters. From the outside we see the direct response. We see Karl slowly walking towards the tree and burying his face, but we also see Mary turning around with an expression of surprise because her brother has become so entranced in the flowers. Such an unexpected occurrence. The multiple ways a third person narrator can tell the story depicts the characters in different lights an allows us to see how Karl is affected by the tree. How unusual it is and why it is important.
Reflection:
I think my writing on this particular prompt was not sufficient so I would score it a 4. I begin the essay alright but my analysis gets more and more vague and I use less and less textual evidence to back up my claims.I have a few organizational errors, and I am very repetitive, especially in the last paragraph. I also ran out of time, making my analysis incomplete. This causes my argument to be unconvincing. Overall, my essay did not show a adequate analysis of the passage, which is why I scored in the lower range. A measurable goal I could have for myself is to read and organize for at least 7 minutes before I begin writing. This should help me with my organization greatly.
Peer Reflection:
http://deatonginaapenglishlit2016.blogspot.com/2015/08/blog-3-prose-essay-assessment.html#comment-form
You have a very well written essay with a very concise analysis. You are very specific in of your paragraphs as you analyze each element used by the author in her story. Your essay provides some very good insights, going deeper than the surface and you even provide some ideas, that though not explicitly or particularly implicitly stated, connect well to the prompt and your analysis. The comparison between Karl and Mary is also apparent in your essay and an important part of examining the effects of the environment. In your reflection you state that you focus on the symbol of the tree and that is not necessarily a bad thing to focus on, as it is such a big part, but make sure to connect it to other parts of the story as well. I would agree with your scoring and grade your essay as a 5, with a little more development and expansion to encompass more parts of the story I believe you could score a very high range number.
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