2017 MCAS
Grade 7 English Language Arts
Question 10
Idea Development - Score Point 5
The essay fully develops the central idea of how the lives of immigrants are portrayed in both the poem and the article. The introduction addresses how the immigrant's lives "were filled with many challenges, but also the hope of a better life in America." Relevant selection of evidence is used to support the central idea and explain how the challenges and conditions faced by the immigrants were outweighed by the prospect of "a better life." For example, the essay states that "the list of challenges that could force any of the immigrants to give up was almost endless. However, the hopes of change overtook 'the lack of sanitation' (Boelter), and many immigrants were able to see the Statue of Liberty and feel the sensation of freedom when the boat arrived in New York Harbor." Rich expression of ideas is present along with skillful organization as each paragraph reaffirms the purpose that "the great challenges faced by immigrants were often easier to [persevere] through with the help of hope for a better life."
Standard English Conventions - Score Point 3
The essay demonstrates consistent control of grammar, usage, and mechanics in a variety of complex sentence forms as in this example: "Both passages illustrate the difficulties that ship-traveling posed for immigrants coming to America in steerage. Par[a]doxically, both passages also show the hopeful anticipation of immigrants coming to the United States." The few minor errors do not detract from the meaning. The essay demonstrates consistent control of Standard English conventions with proper grammar, usage, and mechanics, relative to length and complexity.
![Answer for Idea Development Score Point 5, and Standard English Conventions Score Point 3
The lives of immigrants, specifically those who had to ride the long ship-journey to the United States in steerage, were filled with many challenges, but also the hope of a better life in America. In both the poem "Steerage", by David Citinio and the article?Voyage of Hope, Voyage of Tears", by Mimi Boelter, these challenges that immigrants had to face, along with the hope of change, are described. Both passages illustrate the difficulties that ship-traveling posed for immigrants coming to America in steerage. Parodoxically, both passages also show the hopeful anticipation of immigrants coming to the United States. In the poem, "Steerage", the author, David Citino, uses figuritive language and a photograph to add meaning to the idea of the hope immigrants felt, even when facing the challenges of the specfic part of the boat.
"Steerage" by David Citino portrays the hope that immigrants felt as they rode in the steerage part of ships. The lives of the crowded groups of immigrant families are described as on the verge of change. Immigrants were leaving their home country to be "free from poverty's dirty fire" (Citino). They wanted a better life, and they felt hope that they would be able to achieve their goal, dispite the challenges that they faced, such as riding in steerage. Additionally, the immigrants in steerage were "going from dark to days / of light..." (Citino). Immigrants' lives were drastically changing from the hardships they faced in their home country, to the promise of freedom in the United States. Similarly, in the article, "Voyage of Hope, Voyage of Tears", by Mimi Boetler, the entire journey, including many of the challenges immigrants faced, are described.
The article, "Voyage of Hope, Voyage of Tears" demonstrates the great perserverance of immigrants as they pushed through many difficulties in the challenging conditions of steerage. In the article, immigrants' lives are portrayed as full of challenges that are outweighed by the prospect of a better life in America. The steerage part of the ship where many immigrants lived was dark, dismal, and disease-ridden. "Many children died when contagious illnessess...broke out onboard ship" (Boelter), "keeping clean was difficult" (Boelter), and "cleaning up vomit [was] impossible" (Boelter); the list of challenges that could force any of the immigrants to give up was almost endless. However, the hopes of change overtook "the lack of sanitation" (Boelter), and many immigrants were able to see the Statue of Liberty and feel the sensation of freedom when the boat arrived in New York Harbor. Moreover, in both the poem, "Steerage", by David Citino, and the article, "Voyage of Hope, Voyage of Tears", by Mimi Boelter, the great challenges faced by immigrants were often easier to perservere through with the help of hope for a better life.
Ultimately, the immigrants riding in steerage on their journey to America faced many challenging problems, but the hope of a better life in America was often the solution. In, "Steerage", by David Citino, the hope of immigrants in steerage is protrayed in a poetic, metaphoric way, while Mimi Boelter focuses on facts about difficult challenges immigrants had to face, and the heroic efforts immigrants made to survive, in the article, "Voyage of Hope, Voyage of Tears". Both passages descriptively portray the lives of immigrants, specifically those riding in steerage. Therefore, both authors detail the almost-impossible challenges that immigrants had to face, and the practically-unstoppible immigrants who survived these challenges with valiant strength and the power of hope.](/mcas/student/2017/17r07e10-5.gif)
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