ENG1141
Creative Writing
Formal Critique
Reviewer’s Name: Amna Ahmed
Title of Piece: The First Day
Author’s Name: Edward P. Jones
Plot: The story is about a five year-old girl who is at the age to go to school. The girl and her mother start by going to the school near the mother’s church. However, they live too far to attend the school. Thus, the child and mother end up at another school where the little girl qualifies to attend to.
Question: Why did the mother want the little girl to attend Seaton Elementary School?
Characters: The main character is a five year-old girl who is the age where she can now attend school. The side character is the mother of the five year-old girl who wants her daughter to attend a school near a church.
Questions: Why is the daughter ashamed of her mother?
Point of View: The story is from the point of view of the little girl. The child talks about the events happening on her first day of school.
Question: What is the importance behind gardenia perfume?
Setting & Context: The story takes place on a September morning. The mother and the daughter live in New Jersey where she will attend her first day of classes. The author mentions “New Jersey Avenue” to illustrate the setting.
Question: Does the author mention New Jersey because he lives there?
Based off the question you wrote for the plot, I feel like the reason her mom wanted her to attend Seaton Elementary School because its in front of the church where she goes and that she would be safer there than some other school that’s around some other neighborhood she’s not familiar with.
In regards to your question about the gardenia perfume i think its significant to her because as in the story the author mentions that it was a perfume that the littles girls father gave to her and is symbolic to his memory.
Hey Anna, I like your questions you added details about the characters and their setting, I like how you added details up to which street they were located at, Jones added many did spruce details upon where the characters were located and what was their next destination. For your question, I believe the main reason behind why the mother wanted her daughter to attend that school in particular, was because it was her set goal long way before.
Hi Amna,
I really liked how you described the character in the critique. I liked how you talked about a five-year-old girl and her mother which were the main characters in this story. l I also liked how you added questions throughout the part. I feel like you included all the small details in your critique and it was really interesting to read.