‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’ Critical Essay

Choose a novel or short story which has a turning point or moment of

realisation for at least one of the characters.
Briefly describe what has led up to the turning point or moment. Go on
to show what impact this has on the character(s) and how it affects the
outcome of the novel or story.

Answers to questions in this section should refer to the text and to such
relevant features as: characterisation, setting, language, key incident(s),
climax/turning point, plot, structure, narrative technique, theme, ideas,
description . . .

In the above task, you are being asked to do several things:

 Check that the story fits the question. (It does!)
 Give a short account of the plot.
 Explain what the moment of realisation is.
 Explain the impact it has on Andy.
 Explain the impact it has on the other characters.
 Refer to the text – that means quote!
 Discuss the author’s techniques.

Introduction.
Use the words of the question to help you write an introduction to your essay.
You must also include the name of the story (in single inverted commas) and
the author’s name. Next, write a sentence explaining what you will discuss in
your essay – this is called a statement of intent.

Summary.
Give a short summary of the plot of the story up until the point where Andy
has his moment of realisation.
Ok, now we’re moving on to the more difficult part of the essay, but it’s also
the part that counts the most. Each point in this section should follow the
same structure:
 Begin with a topic sentence - a sentence which explains what your
paragraph will be about. E.g. Before he was stabbed, Andy was happy
to be a member of The Royals. This is your POINT.
 Now, include a quote from the story that shows that your point is true.
A quote should be introduced by a colon and should have inverted
commas around it. This is your EVIDENCE.
 Now, explain what your evidence shows. This is where you look at the
writer’s techniques, such as word choice or symbolism, and explain
how they are used in your evidence. You should be discussing how
well the author makes his point here too. This is your ANALYSIS.
 Finally, you should link what you have written back to the task. This
stops you from writing things that are not relevant to what you have
been asked to do. This is when you RELATE your work to the task.
 You should follow this PEAR (Point, Evidence, Analysis, Relate)
structure for every section in the analysis part of your essay.

Analysis.
Point 1.
Explain what Andy was like before he reached the moment of realisation.
Think about him being a member of The Royal, his pride in the jacket, his
enjoyment of gang activities etc. Follow the PEAR structure.

Point 2.
Explain when Andy has his moment of realisation and what he realises. Think
about how his attitude to The Royals and the jacket has changed. You might
also want to consider how the young couple react to him. Follow the PEAR
structure.
Point 3.
Explain the impact that this realisation has on Andy. (You will need more than
one paragraph for this part.) Think about his attitude to the couple, to the
people passing, to the drunk man and to Laura. Follow the PEAR structure.

Point 4
Explain the impact Andy’s realisation has on the other characters. Think about
Laura and the policeman specifically here. Follow the PEAR structure.

Point 5.
Discuss the outcome (the end) of the story. Does Andy manage to achieve
what he wanted? You should discuss the symbolism of the jacket and the
author’s message here. Follow the PEAR structure.

Conclusion.
Use the points you have made in your topic sentences to explain clearly why
‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’ is a story that is suitable for this task.

Now, check your spelling, punctuation and paragraphs.

Does your work make sense?
Does it answer the task?