PEPE

MSCE ENGLISH
LITERATURE ESSAYS
WITH INSIGHTS

Spare
8/29/2029
 MACBETH AND THE PEARL ESSAY QUESTIONS WITH INSIGHTS

FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN WRITING AN ESSAY

 Make sure you choose a question which will not cause you problems to come up with points
 Make thorough plan of your essay
 Cancel your plan after you are done with it

MECHANICS OF AN ESSAY
 Indicate the number of essay you have chosen in the margin
 You are required to write no title as it gives you no marks
 Write brief introduction of your essay
 After introduction, go straight to the body. Signalling devices should always appear at the
beginning
 Avoid beginning your sentences in suspense. For example, you are asked about themes in
the play of Macbeth and go like, ambition rather you may go like this, Firstly, Macbeth
portrays theme of ambition
 The main point should always appear at the beginning of the paragraph. Every description
and example should come from the book itself
 If you have chosen multiple essay question, write in two segment
 Draw a line below the first segment of s multiple essay. This shows the end of last segment
 Do not show any form of numbering in margins before beginning of each paragraph
 Do not write conclusion as it gives no marks
 Use clear and straight forward language

MACBETH QUESTIONS

1. MACBETH STARTS AS A GOOD CHARACTER ONLY GETS CORRUPTED AFTER ATTAINING

INSIGHT
A candidate who chooses this question should focus on all actions done by Macbeth and what other
characters say about him before and after he become king

2. DISCUSS HOW DIFFERENT CHARACTERS ARE RESISTANCE TO TULE OF MACBETH IN THE

INSIGHT
When answering a question like this, the candidate should focus on any form of expression, action or
thought by different characters in the play Macbeth that show they are not happy with leadership of
Macbeth
 3. WITH RELEVANT EXAMPLES FROM THE PLAY MACBETH, DISCUSS HOW MACBETH HAS BEEN
PRESENTED AS A TRAGIC HERO

INSIGHT
A tragic hero is a figure of high status, often of a nobble background. This person is predominantly
good but suffers a self- inflicted fall out due to personal flaws or mistakes. This person often realises
his mistakes when it’s too late. The best approach to this question is by going through all stages
Macbeth passes from beginning to the end, considering also mistakes he makes along

4. BRIEFLY EXPLAIN STEPS TAKEN BY MACBETH AND LADY MACBETH TO CONCEAL THEIR
INVOLVEMENT IN THE MURDER OF KING DUNCAN

INSIGHT
A candidate should consider each and every step done by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth so that they
are not suspects of the murder

5. MACBETH SHOWS THAT HE IS POWER HUNGRY IN THE PLAY MACBETH. DISCUSS EIGHT
POINTS

INSIGHT
When one chooses this question, should go through all actions taken by Macbeth so that he
becomes king and also all actions he does to maintain his kingship

6. EXPLAIN HOW THE FOLLOWING THEMES HAVE BEEN PORTRAYED IN THE PLAY MACBETH

a. Regrets
b. Murder

INSIGHT
If one wants to answer this question, should consider any murder in the play Macbeth and NOT
killing. One should also consider any form of regret in the play Macbeth by any character

7. EVERYONE IN THE PLAY MACBETH IS EITHER SUSPECTS OR HAS HIMSELF/HERSLF

INSIGHT
A candidate who chooses this question should consider actions of any suspicion in the play. Whether
suspecting or suspected
 8. UNCHECKED AMBITION LEADS TO SELF DISTRUCTION. DISCUSS IN RELATION TO THE
DOWNFALL OF MACBETH AND LADY MACBETH.GIVE EIGHT POINTS

INSIGHT
The candidate should understand how over ambition of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth lead to their
own downfall. This downfall may refer to lack of internal peace, furnishing of their reputation and
their deaths

9. MACBETH HAS PHYSICAL COURAGE, BUT MORAL WEAKNESS, AND IS SUBJECT TO

INSIGHT
When responding to this essay, candidate has to understand courageous acts Macbeth performs.
However, it is also important to know how Macbeth handles moral issues; How does he handle his
imaginative fears such as ghost of Banquo. Knowing such issues will help students to answer this
question convincingly

10. USING RELEVANT EXAMPLES FROM THE PLAY MACBETH EXPLAIN HOW THEME OF
SUPERNATURAL HAS BEEN PORTRSYED

INSIGHT
A candidate should understand meaning of supernatural. Supernatural beings may include ghosts,
fairies, witches etc. You need to look deeply in these things and others that can be described as
supernatural

11. IN THE PLAY MACBETH NOYHING APPEARS THE WAY IT IS. USE RELEVANT EXAMPLES FROM
PLAY MACBETH TO SUPPORT THIS ARGUMENT

INSIGHT
This question refers to double faces that both characters and other aspects in the play have. For
example, the appearance of witches, what they say, how King Duncan looks at Macbeth and who
really is

12. THE WHOLE PLAY MACBETH IS CENTRED AT THE THEME OF KINGSHIP. DISCUSS

INSIGHT
The candidate who chooses to respond to a question this one should be able to understand what is
kingship. This simply refers to being a King. Therefore; such a candidate should look at t what it takes
for one to be king, what are the qualities of a good king. What are the actions taken by characters to
attain kingship etc.
 13. DESCRIBE PLAY MACBETH AS A TRAGEDY

INSIGHT
A who chooses this question should understand what tragedy is all about. A tragedy is a play with
bad ending. It is usually characterised by fights, betrayal, death of main characters

14. ACCORDING TO PLAY MACBETH DESCRIBE THE FOLLOWING

INSIGHT
To answer such a question you simply need to choose among the character according to your
familiarity with them. Do not choose to describe characters for who you know very little. It does not
matter whether such characters appear many times or not, but what matters is your familiarity with
them
 THE PEARL QUESTIONS

1. EXPLAIN HOW THE WISDOM OF MAN HAS BEEN PORTRAYED AS A THEME IN THE NOVELLA
THE PEARL

INSIGHT
Before answering this question one should consider every form of wisdom shown in the novella. For
example, when Juana decides that Coyotito should be taken to the doctor when he is stung by
scorpion

2. EXPLAIN SIGNIFICANCE OF SONGS IN THE NOVELLA THE PEARL BY JOHN STEINBECK

INSIGHT
Answering this question, candidate needs to think deep by looking at each and every song that has
been recorded in the novella. One has to pay attention to events reminding each and every song.
Ask yourself such as what is about to happen before the song and what happens after the song?
This will help you have a clue as to what is the significance of the songs. It is also important to know
the titles of songs

3. SYMBOLISM IS ONE OF THE LITERALLY TOOLS STEINBECK USES IN THE NOVELLA THE PEARL
TO CMMUNICATE HIS MESSAGE. EXPLAIN

INSIGHT
Candidate who chooses this question should know each and every symbol used including human
beings

4. IT NEVER RAINS FOR KINO BUT POURS. WITH RELEVANT EXAMPLES FROM THE NOVELLA THE
PEARL, DISCUSS.

INSIGHT
This question has been phrased idiomatically, meaning that Kino’s problems do not come singly but
come one after the other. So as a candidate you need to show how these problems come
successively in Kino’s life

5. DESCRIBE THE CHARACTERS PORTRAYED BY THE FOLLOWING IN THE NOVEL THE PEARL
a. THE FRENCH DOCTOR
b. THE NATIVE DOCTORS
 6. EXPLAIN HOW THE THEME OF BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER HAS BEEN PORTRAYED IN
THE NOVELLA THE PEARL

INSIGHT
A candidate has to understand what it Blood is thicker than water means before answering this
question. This means that when people are related by blood, they are bound to assist and depend
on each other more than when they are distantly or not related at all

7. EXPLAIN HOW THE FOLLOWING LEAD TO THE SUFFERING OF KINO IN THE NOVELLA THE
PEARL
a. NARURE
b. OTHER CHARACTERS

INSIGHT
First of all candidate need to know the aspects of nature that lead to the suffering of Kino .These
may include scorpion, the sea, the pearl etc. After that a candidate has to look at other characters
(people) in the novel such as the doctor, the pearl buyers, the trackers etc. A candidate should
understand that it is a multiple essay.

8. THE NOVELLA THE PEARL SHOWS THAT FATE IS AT WORK IN THE LIVES OF MAIN
CHARACTERS. DISCUSS

INSIGHT
Firstly, a candidate has to understand meaning of fate and its implications. Fate means
predestination. Predestination means events set to happen in future whether one likes it or not. It
means no one can run away from it no matter what. Looking at The Pearl, the candidate needs to
consider several events such as return of the pearl back to sea, death of Coyotito ETC. Then when
answering, look at several events in the novel and how they help these final events to happen

9. DESCRIBE LIFE OF KINO BEFORE AND AFTER THE PEARL

INSIGHT
When answering this question, candidate has to look at the change that takes place in the life of
Kino. This change can be in form of Kino’s economy and social status, his ambition, his security and
relationship in his house before and after discovery of the pearl

10. EXPLAIN HOW KINO HAS BEEN DEPICTED AS VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES

INSIGHT
When responding to this question, candidate has to understand the circumstances. In this case we
look at Kino’s surrounding, his abilities, inheritance, social and economic status, material possession
and how these contribute to the victimisation on Kino
 11. WITH RELEVANT EXAMPLES FROM THE NOVELLA THE PEARL, EXPLAIN HOW THE THEME OF
GREED HAS BEEN PORTRAYED

INSIGHT
When a candidate chooses this question needs to explore examples from the novella to prove that
indeed individuals in the novella the pearl want more despite having enough already

12. WITH RELEVANT EXAMPLES FROM THE NOVELLA THE PEARL EXPLAIN HOW CHARACTERS
ARE SELFISH TO ACHIEVE THEIR OWN GOALS

INSIGHT
One has to understand difference between greed and selfish. Selfish is the main drive to greed. For
example, the town people are selfish by wishing Kino’s pearl was theirs. Selfishness is about self-
centredness

13. EXPLAIN HOW THE THEME OF VIOLENCE IS PORTRAYED IN THE BOOK THE PEARL

INSIGHT
If candidate wants to answer this question should consider every act of violence

14. THE PEARL IS MORE OF A CURSE THAN A BLESSING TO KINO. DISCUSS

INSIGHT
When responding to this question one should understand Kino’s misfortunes and problems caused
due to finding of the pearl