ELA 10-2

LITERARY EXPLORATION
ELA 10-2 Literary Exploration

Read the following poem and complete the assignment as follows.

The Goal
By Anonymous

There is one thing nobly worth while,

Though the parrots chatter and scream,
Though the critics howl and the cynics smile,
And life seems a mocking dream.
There is one thing that grandly counts,
In the face of the tempting glare,
In the tempests of doubt on the lonely mounts,
In the thickets of thorny care.
And that’s to hold the truth!
To abide with justice and right,
To be a man in genuine sooth1,
With heaven’s invincible might.
There are bowers of beauty and love,
There are trumpets of lordly fame,
There are pleasures below and blessings above
That flash with a lifting flame.
Let them flaunt their allurements2 high,
Let them beckon and call and cajole3;
There is only one worth in the earth and the sky,
And that is an honest soul.

1
truth
2
things meant to allure or charm
3
flatter; persuade
The Assignment

In this poem, the speaker proclaims the worthiness of an honest soul.

What is your opinion of the idea that honesty is an important quality?

You must

● discuss a character from literature or film that you have studied in English Language Arts
10-2
● ensure the details you select support your opinion of the idea that honesty is an important
quality
● present your ideas in prose

You should
● reflect on your own knowledge and/or experience and/or the reading selection provided
● use the Initial Planning section on page 9 to help plan your response. Carefully consider
your controlling idea or how you will create a strong unifying effect.
● select a character who is relevant to your ideas about the topic and interesting to you from
the short stories, novels, plays, poetry, nonfiction, or films that you have studied in ELA
10-2
 Initial Planning

Read the assignment question and write your controlling idea below (this means your thesis

statement).

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Select a character (or characters) from a text you have studied in ELA 10-2

Character(s) Chosen ____________________________________________________________

Literary Text(s) and Author(s) ____________________________________________________

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Briefly identify details about the character(s) that you intend to use to develop your ideas. Make

sure the details associated with this character are relevant to your ideas about the topic question.