Prewriting Be familiar with your novel/story Write out the instructions in your own words Devise a plan of attack; Don’t “Wing it” Dig-up some background information

Introduction  Create a scintillating title  Write an alluring lead  Introduce the literary work and author  Brief summary of the work  Establish the thesis statement

Money is like Manure… Have you ever found delight in a dream that hope would happen even though you know in your heart of hearts, that dream you hold most dear would be deferred because you lack the monetary means to fulfill that dream? If your answer is in the affirmative, then you are like the main character, Pip, in the noteworthy novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens who is dissatisfied with his broke blue-collared life. Pip lives with his sister and surrogate father, Joe, who unlike Pip is contented and comfortable with his impoverished existence. Pip plans to escape his meager material circumstance by being edified as a cultured English gentleman, so that he may be rich and refined enough to excite Estella’s interest. Great Expectations is an illustrative literary masterpiece that could be investigated from a Marxist standpoint since the concepts of economic classes, economic determinism, class consciousness, false consciousness and alienation are remarkably typified by certain characters in the novel. Have you ever found delight in a dream that you hope would happen even though you know in your heart of hearts, that dream you hold most dear would be deferred because you lack the monetary means to fulfill that dream? If your answer is in the affirmative, then you are like the main character, Pip, in the noteworthy novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens who is dissatisfied with his broke blue-collared life. Pip lives with his sister and surrogate father, Joe, who unlike Pip is contented and comfortable with his impoverished existence. Pip plans to escape his meager material circumstance by being edified as a cultured English gentleman, so that he may be rich and refined enough to excite Estella’s interest. Great Expectations is an illustrative literary masterpiece that could be investigated from a Marxist standpoint since the concepts of economic classes, economic determinism, class consciousness, false consciousness and alienation are remarkably typified by certain characters in the novel.

Body Paragraph Topic sentence (debatable claim) Proof/Evidence for that claim (quotations) AnalysisTransitions

Pip is the main character and he proves to be a class-conscious and class-oriented individual who is awfully agitated by his economic position in society. It is evident to him even though he is only seven years old that Mrs. Joe is so receptive and reverent to Mr. Pumblechook because he “was a well-to-do corn chandler in the nearest town and drove his own chaise-cart.” (Dickens 21). Furthermore, he is also cognizant of the veracity that Estalla treats him callously and cruelly because she does not consider him her equal since they are on different fiscal spheres. As a result, he feels an intense sensation of injustice that he should be mistreated and mishandled by someone his own age because of the verity that she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth as portrayed in the lines, “there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt as injustice.” (60). Consequently, Pip aspires for educational and economic self-improvement because he concludes that as long as he remains a coarse country boy, he has no hope of economic expansion. Marx posits that if a person is class-conscious, they have a chance to revolutionize their consciousness as well as other citizens and this is seen when Pip tries to teach Joe to read- “Whatever I acquired, I tried to impart to Joe…I wanted to make Joe less ignorant.” (34).

Conclusion Say something memorable, witty, or profound Restate the thesis statement Mention the author’s intention

In the end, Dickens ostensibly implies that money is like manure- if you spread it around, it does a lot of good, but if you pile it up in one place, it stinks like hell. Magwitch distributes his wealth to Pip and in doing so, he fulfills Pip’s highest hope of being educated as a gallant gentleman. On the other hand, Miss Havisham’s home is frightfully filthy and foul in view of the fact that she does not circulate her capital to the other characters in the novel. The novel could be viewed through a Marxist lens since the concepts ranging from alienation to economic determinism are embodied in the characteristics of distinct characters. Dickens is a careful craftsman who uses his novel Great Expectations to outline a carbon copy of the economic conditions in contemporary 19th century English society.

Work cited: Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. London: Longman Literature, 1992.

Tips Stick to your point Avoid plot summary Try to be original Write with your readers in mind Use present tense Write your introduction last Read what you wrote Find another person to proof-read your work