Alex Ashley

May 13, 2019

McFadden
Extended Definition Essay
Criteria of a Memorable Text
Although one’s idea of a good text is subjective, the quality of one isn’t. From my perspective,
the quality of a text is established through its memorability. The theme and/or message is then used to
dictate how memorable a text is. The message is the foundation of an author’s story, and therefore the
driving force of a text. Due to the importance of a theme within a text, it is therefore a vital component in
determining as to whether a story deserves to be classified as a good text. However, it may be difficult to
determine the quality of a theme, which is why it is also necessary for a good piece of literature to include
the development of strong characters, vivid imagery, and structure. With the inclusion of all of these
criteria, one can properly deduce as to whether a text is in fact a good one.
The first criterion to look for in order to determine a good text is the development of strong
characters. In any text, characters are used as a tool to convey the author’s intended message. In this way,
the creation and development of strong characters merely strengthens the central theme of the story. With
this criterion, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is a good text because Brontë uses her characters to
convey the racial prejudices that existed during that time period. Through the development of the
characters, Brontë conveys the theme that race does not define who a person is. After Mr. Earnshaw
brought Heathcliff home, Mrs. Earnshaw asked “how he could fashion to bring that gipsy brat into the
house when they had their own bairns to feed and fend for” (Brontë 36). Although any mother would be
overwhelmed to welcome a third child into their home, for Mrs. Earnshaw her largest objection was
concerning the race of the orphan, Heathcliff. Even though Heathcliff was degraded throughout the
entirety of his childhood, he ended up on top when he became the owner of Wuthering Heights (Brontë
102). Through the strong development of Heathcliff and downfall of other characters, Brontë is able to
effectively convey the theme that race does not define who a person is, indicating that Wuthering Heights
is a good text. In contrast, a text that lacks strong characters and therefore is not a good text is The
Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. In this story, other than Offred, the protagonist, the characters are
vaguely described. Oftentimes it becomes confusing as to which character is being described because of
how similar their names are. Only the thoughts and opinions of Offred are shared throughout this novel
making it difficult for the reader to form a relationship with the other characters in the novel. Overall, the
characters are very weak, typically described based on their job and color of clothing, making the reader
disinterested. Due to the dull characters portrayed throughout this story, The Handmaid’s Tale is not a
good text.
The next criterion that should be identified in order to determine whether a text is good is the
utilization of vivid imagery. Imagery is a way in which the author can convey a tone or mood through the
use of words that allow the reader to visualize what is being conveyed. With a visual description, the
reader is able to attribute certain emotions to the event that is being depicted, furthering the theme of the
story. Moreover, imagery is a tool that allows for the reader to better understand what is taking place
within a certain scene and primarily the message of the story. A text that exceptionally demonstrates this
criterion is How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Alvarez utilizes imagery
throughout her work in order to reinforce the theme that being a multicultural individual is conflicting.
This is apparent when Alvarez uses visual imagery; the delivery of the message is more effective as it
evokes emotion from the readers and illustrates the struggles one faces as a multicultural individual. This
becomes evident when Alvarez uses visual imagery to describe the dancing doll, “The little figure rose,
her arms swiveled. Then she stopped, stuck, halfway up, halfway down” (Alvarez 274). In this way, the
doll is used as an allusion to reference the feeling of those who are multicultural. Specifically, the
description of the doll allows for the reader to effectively visualize how many multicultural individuals
feel, somewhere in the middle of both cultural ideals. Conversely, A Streetcar Named Desire by
Tennessee Williams does not utilize imagery in a way that conveys a thought-provoking theme. Although
it conveys a theme, it does not utilize imagery to in order to effectively strengthen this theme and
therefore is lacking and cannot be classified as a good text.
The last criterion one must observe in order to determine whether a story is a good text is the use
of structure or organization. Again, going back to the theme, the structure or organization of a story
effects the way in which a theme is conveyed throughout a text. The reader interprets the story based on
how it is structure, so if the author were to organize the text in a different way the reader may interpret it
differently. The easiest way to analyze this criterion is to observe the plot, how and when are characters
introduced, when is the problem explained, and when is the problem resolved. With this criterion, M.
Butterfly by David Henry Hwang is a good text because of his choice to reveal the downfall of Gallimard
at the beginning of the play. This is apparent when Hwang describes Gallimard in his prison cell when he
states, “Lights fade up to reveal RENE GALLIMARD, 65, in a prison cell” (Hwang 1.1.). This stage note
intentionally explains to the reader that M. Butterfly is a tragedy and that Gallimard is the protagonist that
experiences a tragic downfall. Although this takes away the suspense for some readers, the structure of
this play is unique because although we, as readers, know Gallimard experiences a downfall, we do not
know as to how he came to his downfall. In this way, Hwang actually creates suspense for the reader and
makes them want to continue reading to discover how the events took place. On the other hand, a text
whose structure fails to create suspense and exemplify a thought-provoking theme is Macbeth by William
Shakespeare. Although this play is also a tragedy, the way in which the plot is organized makes the
climax very predictable. Overall, the structure or organization of this work does not develop a central
theme and therefore does not meet the requirements of a good text.
As seen throughout many pieces of literature, a theme that is memorable is noted as the
foundation of a text. As explained throughout this essay, everything is dependent upon the theme.
Without a strong foundation(theme) one cannot build a strong house(text). In this way, the criteria used to
establish whether a text deserves to be classified as good is necessary. Identifying whether a story uses the
development of strong characters, vivid imagery, or structure to further the central theme determines its
classification of a good text. With this list of criteria, one can now effectively determine the quality of a
text.
 Works Cited
Alvarez, Julia. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1991.
Brontë Emily. Wuthering Heights. Barnes & Noble Classics, 2004.
Hwang, David Henry. M. Butterfly: with an Afterword by the Playwright. Plume, 2006.