Writing Task
You have read “Examination Day” a short story about a twelve-year-old boy named Richard “Dickie” Jordan who takes a government intelligence exam to see how smart he is. Write an essay describing a characteristic of the government and how it is revealed throughout the story. Be sure to use specific evidence to support your response.
Student Response
“The Jordans never spoke of the exam, not until their son, Dick, was 12 years old.” This line from the short story “Examination Day” is written by Henry Slesar where he tells the story of twelve-year-old children being forced to take a government exam. Slesar describes how Richard Jordan takes the intelligence test and is executed because he exceeds the government regulated IQ level. Through Richard Jordan’s death, the author demonstrates the government’s control. Throughout the story, the government’s controlling characteristic is revealed.
At the beginning of the story, the author portrays the government as controlling through each of the character’s thoughts and actions. The author begins the story by explaining to the audience that there is a government test as it is stated in paragraph six, “It’s just a sort of Government intelligence test they give children at the age of twelve. You’ll be taking it next week. It’s nothing to worry about.” Dickie has turned twelve and has to take this intelligence test and his parents do not want to talk about it much to Dickie because they are so nervous. They know he cannot go above a certain score in order to abide by the government’s regulations. The parents mentioned that Dickie is not like the other kids at school which makes them even more nervous about him taking the test.
By the end of the story, the government’s control over people is even more apparent when they decide to kill Dickie. The parents are very upset that their son is not coming back to them as the government coldly says, “You may specify by telephone…whether you wish his body interred by the Government or would you prefer a private burial place?” The government called the parents and asked them if they wanted to bury their own son. The government took control of their child and killed him because he exceeded their arbitrary regulations on how smart he should be. This execution further reveals the amount of control this government has over its people.
When one considers the mandatory government exam and the execution of twelve-year-olds, it’s clear that the government has controlling characteristics. Twelve-year-olds do not deserve to die because their IQ level is too high. They are young and have a whole life to live. The government fears if someone has more power than them then they may overthrow the government. No government should have that much power.
Writing Details
After reviewing student writing after their “Flowers for Algernon” assessment, I felt students needed more instruction. I decided to give more help on introduction and conclusion paragraphs since we had already spent a decent amount of time on body paragraphs and what that entails.
After breaking down the fundamentals of the introduction and conclusion paragraphs, one of my 8th Graders gave this response.
This is a high-quality response by one of my 8th Grade 2020-2021 students. Follow me on Twitter or Instagram for other student examples, articles of the week, or blog posts.
