A Marxist Approach: An Exploration of the Role of Women within the Economy and Society

Created by:

Michelle K. DeBonis-Matica

Lincoln High School

Yonkers, New York

Introduction

This WebQuest focuses on the role of women in the marketplace in Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market.” Since we just concluded our research on the role of women in Victorian England from a Marxist perspective, you will now closely investigate the struggles that women faced in the marketplace within the text.

Task

Your mission in this web quest is to analyze Rossetti’s poem and explore how the text is representative of women in the marketplace as both objects and perpetually unfulfilled consumers. You will need to write a literary essay for this Webquest and follow the 6 Step PPA Policy approach to complete the assignment. Your literary response must be a typed, 4 paragraph essay (“12” Font, “Times New Roman,” with double spacing).and should follow these guidelines:

I Introduction: This is where you need to state your thesis and outline the argument (problem) you will make about how women are portrayed in the poem.

II Body Paragraph: Be sure to gather your evidence and identify the cause of the problems within the text

III Body Paragraph: Make sure you describe and evaluate the problem that the characters faced and provide solutions for them

IV Conclusion: Select the best policy to address the problem within the text and conclude your argument as effectively as possible.

Process

Please use the 6 Step PPA Policy for your literary essay.

1- Define and describe the problem in the poem Worksheet1

2- Gather evidence about the problem Worksheet2

3- Identify causes of the problem Worksheet3

4- Describe and evaluate the existing policy for the problem Worksheet4

5- Develop solutions/policies for the problem for this existing policy Worksheet5

6- Select the best policy for the problem Worksheet6

Resources

Texts

DiYanni, Robert. Critical Perspectives: Approaches to the Analysis of Literature New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.

Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide: New New York: Garland, 1999.

Websites

www.poets.org

www.questia.com

Women in Victorian Era

Women in Victorian England

enotes

Evaluation

Your essay will be graded based on this rubric.

Literary Essay : The Role of Women in the Workplace

Teacher Name: Matica

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY	4 - Above Standards	3 - Meets Standards	2 - Approaching Standards	1 - Below Standards	Score
Focus or Thesis Statement	The thesis statement names the topic of the essay and outlines the main points to be discussed.	The thesis statement names the topic of the essay.	The thesis statement outlines some or all of the main points to be discussed but does not name the topic.	The thesis statement does not name the topic AND does not preview what will be discussed.
Evidence and Examples	All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position.	Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position.	At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the author's position.	Evidence and examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained.
Use of PPA	Exhibits a superior knowledge of PPA and presents audience with highly logical and coherent data.	Exhibits satisfactory knowledge of PPA and presents the audience with appropriate data.	Exhibits fair knowledge of PPA and presents the audience with somewhat detailed data.	Exhibits little or no evidence of PPA knowledge and lacks necessary data.
Sources	All sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and cited correctly.	All sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and most are cited correctly.	Most sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and cited correctly.	Many sources are suspect (not credible) AND/OR are not cited correctly.
Grammar & Spelling	Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.

Conclusion

After completing this assignment you should better understand the difficulty that women faced in Victorian England.

This Webquest addresses the following New York State Standards:

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas.

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation.

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people.