THE THIRD LEVEL – ASSIGNMENT

Submit by 9pm - 9 May 2020

Write an article comparing and contrasting the escapist and time travel elements in the narrative in
about 150 words.

(Self-evaluation with rubric). Complete the self-evaluation by filling up this rubric.

ARTICLE WRITING RUBRIC

Sl no. CRITERIA YES NO Adequate Good Excellent
(C) (B) (A)
1 Title (1/2 mark) Yes B

2 Author’s name (1/2 mark) Yes A

3 INTRODUCTION B
Hook line/attention grabber: (1/2mark) Yes

4 General statement: (1/2mark) Yes B

5 Main idea statement: (1 mark) No

6 BODY PARAGRAPH 1 (1 mark) B

Topic sentence Yes

7 Supporting details: (at least 2) C

(1 mark) Yes

8 BODY PARAGRAPH 2 (1 mark) B

Topic sentence Yes

9 Supporting details: (at least 2) (1 mark) No C

10 Transitions (1 mark) Yes A

11 Conclusion (1 mark) Yes C
12 Word count (1 mark) No
TOTAL MARKS

THE THIRD LEVEL: A COMPARISON

- Jack Finney

If you could travel through time and visit any period of history, where would you go?
Maybe you would want to see the birth of pyramids or be present during the world war. However, for
the protagonist, Charley in Jack Finney’s story, The Third Level, he visits Illinois in 1874. This is the story
of a man interwoven between fantasy and reality.

Charley was an ordinary man, an ordinary man who wants to escape this chaos filled world, an ordinary
man who stumbles upon the third level of The Grand Central Station. As a result of this, he is
transported back in time to 1874, Illinois which is supposedly much more happier and quieter place to
be. The Third level can be interpreted as an escape mechanism which he unknowingly fabricated to cope
with the grim reality filled with war, stress, fear and worry. It provides a base for Charley to interweave
fantasy and reality. Even though he exchanges his new bills of three hundred dollars for old style bills, he
was never able to go back. Clearly, this proves that it was a figment if his imagination.

On the other hand, this could be proof of time travel. After all, everything that he saw in the past was
precise. For example, he noticed a newspaper, The World which hasn’t been published for years. The
lead story said something about President Cleveland who was present during 1894. There are theories
stating that time travel is possible, to travel in between two different realities but none of them could be
proved. In conclusion, the question of whether the third level exists in reality or only in Charley's mind
can be inferred from Sam’s letter.