Analysis of Sympathy and Tragedy in 'On the Sidewalk Bleeding' by Evan Hunter

Essay planning

‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’

by Evan Hunter

Choosing an essay question

•

Score out / put a cross beside any that are not

suitable.

•

Tick / circle any that are.

•

Decide which question best fits the text and

your quotations.

Essay questions

•

1. Choose a novel or short story in which you feel

sympathy 

or

 admiration 

or

 pity for the main

character.

•

Explain how the writer achieves the effect and

discuss how it contributes to your appreciation of the

text as a whole.

•

2. Choose a novel which is set during a period of

social or political change.

•

Discuss how important the writer’s evocation of the

period is to your appreciation of the text as a whole.

PROSE

Essay question:

      Text:

Topic 1:

Topic 4:

Topic 3:

Topic 2:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Essay question: 

Choose a short story

in which you feel 

sympathy

 for the

main character.

     Text: 

‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’

Topic 1:

Topic 4:

Topic 3:

Topic 2:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Essay question: 

Choose a short story

in which you feel 

sympathy

 for the

main character.

     Text: 

‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’

Topic 1:

Andy has been stabbed

Topic 4:

He want to be

remembered as Andy

Topic 3:

He does not have a

future

Topic 2:

Nobody helps him

Quote:

Quote:

Quote: 

Quote: 

Essay question: 

Choose a short story

in which you feel 

sympathy

 for the

main character.

     Text: 

‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’

Topic 1:

Andy has been stabbed

Topic 4:

He does not have a

future

Topic 3:

The weather is against

him

Topic 2:

Nobody helps him

Quote: 

“The knife entered just below his

rib cage and had been drawn across his

body violently, tearing a wide gap in his

flesh.”

Quote: 

“Someday he would marry Laura.

Someday he would marry her, and they

would have a lot of kids, and then they

would get out of the neighbourhood.”

Quote: 

“He lay on the sidewalk with the

March rain drilling his jacket and drilling

his body”

Quote: 

“I don't know. I don't know. I

don't want to get mixed up in this. He's a

Royal.”

Essay question: 

Choose a short story

in which you feel 

admiration

 for the

main character.

     Text: 

‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’

Topic 1:

Topic 4:

Topic 3:

Topic 2:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Essay question:

     Text: 

‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’

Topic 1:

Event 1 – Start

Topic 4:

Event 4 - The end

Topic 3:

Event 3 - An event from

the middle/nr the end

Topic 2:

Event 2 - An event from

near the start/middle

Quote 1:

Quote 2:

Quote 1:

Quote 2:

Quote 1:

Quote 2:

Quote 1:

Quote 2:

?

Key incidents

•

Start

– Andy has just been stabbed by a member of a rival

gang at the start of the story

•

Drunk doesn’t help Andy

– 

the drunk man thinks Andy

is drunk and doesn’t call the cops

•

Couple don’t help Andy 

– 

are too scared to help Andy

/ remind him of Laura

•

Takes off jacket

– Andy realises he was stabbed just

because he was wearing the jacket and struggles to take it off

•

Dies

– Andy dies and Laura finds him

•

End 

– the policeman records his death as a gang incident

Key terms

•

Character –

•

Setting –

•

Plot –

•

Theme –

•

Conflict –

•

Symbol –

•

Key incident –

•

Climax –

“He lay on the sidewalk with

the March rain drilling his

jacket and drilling his body”

Word choice

Metaphor

Symbolism

Repetition

Can you identify the techniques?

“He lay on the 

sidewalk

 with

the 

March

 rain 

drilling

 his

jacket

 and 

drilling

 his body”

‘On the Sidewalk

Bleeding’

Writing a critical essay

•

Choose a novel or short story in which

you feel sympathy 

or

 admiration 

or

 pity

for the main character.

•

Explain how the writer achieves the

effect and discuss how it contributes to

your appreciation of the text as a

whole.

Essay task

•

Choose 

a novel

 or short story in which

you feel sympathy 

or

 admiration 

or

 pity

for the main character.

•

Explain how the writer achieves the

effect and discuss how it contributes to

your appreciation of the text as a

whole.

Essay task

Structure

1

3

2

Introduction

Main body

Conclusion

•

Let’s start by looking at the main body.

•

We’ll come back to the introduction later.

Main body

Structure your essays like this:

Introduction

Conclusion

MAIN BODY

P

a

r

a

g

r

a

p

h

1

-

T

o

p

i

c

1

P

a

r

a

g

r

a

p

h

2

–

T

o

p

i

c

2

P

a

r

a

g

r

a

p

h

3

–

T

o

p

i

c

3

P

a

r

a

g

r

a

p

h

4

–

T

o

p

i

c

4

Structure your essays like this:

Introduction

Conclusion

MAIN BODY

P

a

r

a

g

r

a

p

h

1

-

E

v

e

n

t

1

P

a

r

a

g

r

a

p

h

2

–

E

v

e

n

t

2

P

a

r

a

g

r

a

p

h

3

–

E

v

e

n

t

3

P

a

r

a

g

r

a

p

h

4

–

E

v

e

n

t

4

Writing a paragraph

•

P

•

E

•

A

•

R

Paragraphs should always follow this

formula:

•

P = point

•

E = evidence

•

A = analyse

•

R = response / link back to essay question

P

E

A

R

Point =

•

Topic sentence

     +

•

Introduce quotation

P

E

A

R

•

This is the sentence that starts every new

paragraph.

•

In it you summarise what the paragraph is

going to be about.

It should have 

two

 pieces of information:

1.

What the 

task

 is

2.

What the 

topic

 of that paragraph is

Topic sentence

Topic sentences

Topic sentence

•

Topic = 

The weather is against Andy

•

Task = 

Choose a short story in which you feel

sympathy

 for the main character.

“One way...”

“One event that…”

T + T

•

One way in which 

sympathy for the character

of Andy 

is created is when the author suggests

the weather is hurting Andy

.

Topic

Task

Introduce the quote

•

“He lay on the sidewalk with the March rain

drilling his jacket and drilling his body”

•

Location in the story?

•

What character(s) are involved?

•

What has just happened at this point?

Quote

Introduce the quote

•

Near the start of the story imagery is used to

describe the unpleasant weather:

•

“He lay on the sidewalk with the March rain

drilling his jacket and drilling his body”

•

P

 (TS) 

One way in which sympathy for the

character of Andy is created is when the

author suggests  the weather is hurting

Andy. 

(IQ) 

Near the start of the story

imagery is used to describe the

unpleasant weather:

Point – should look like this:

A colon is used to

Introduce the quotation.

Evidence

Evidence =

•

This is the quotation you are going to use.

•

Leave a line before and after the quotation

and remember to use quotations marks.

P

E

A

R

One way in which sympathy for the character of

Andy is created is when the author suggests  the

weather is hurting Andy. Near the start of the

story imagery is used to describe the unpleasant

weather:

“He lay on the sidewalk with the March rain

drilling his jacket and drilling his body”

(Start your analysis here.)

Analysis

•

This is where you look at the quotation more

closely.

Analyse

- to examine

in detail in order to

discover meaning,

essential features, etc.

Analysis =

•

Analysis

–

mention any techniques

•

Evaluation

–

explain why they are effective

P

E

A

R

Analysis + evaluation

•

The word ‘drilling’ is repeated which emphasises

how strong the rain was. This is also a metaphor

as the rain is being compared to a drill. Just as a

drill easily cuts holes in wood, so too it feels like

the rain is, effortlessly, making holes in Andy’s

flesh. This is a violent image that suggests the

rain is so hard it is hurting Andy. In addition, the

word ‘March’ is word choice. The connotations of

this word are of the start of spring and baby

animals being born. This contrasts with what is

happening in the story and highlights the fact

that Andy is dying too young.

Response =

•

Your evaluation will lead you back to the essay

question

•

Clearly explain how the quotation you have

analysed relates to the essay question

•

Relate this to the short story’s theme(s)

•

If you haven’t already, address the second part

of the question

–

Explain how the writer achieves the effect and

discuss how it contributes to your appreciation of

the text as a whole.

P

E

A

R

Response

•

Through his effective use of techniques, Hunter uses

the weather to create sympathy for Andy. Not only is

he in a large amount of pain because of the stabbing,

but the rain is adding to his misery. This contributes

to my appreciation of the text as a whole because, if

the author did not create sympathy for Andy, then

we would not care about his death. It is important

that the reader cares about Andy so we can

understand the story’s theme, that gang violence is

futile.

•

Put it all together and it looks like this:

One way in which sympathy for the character of Andy is created is when the

author suggests  the weather is hurting Andy. 

Near the start of the story

imagery is used to describe the unpleasant weather:

•

“He lay on the sidewalk with the March rain drilling his jacket and drilling his

body”

The word ‘drilling’ is repeated which emphasises how strong the rain was.

This is also a metaphor as the rain is being compared to a drill. Just as a drill

easily cuts holes in wood, so too it feels like the rain is making holes in

Andy’s flesh. This is a violent image that suggests the rain is so hard it is

hurting Andy. In addition, the word ‘March’ is word choice. The

connotations of this word are of the start of spring and baby animals being

born. This contrasts with what is happening in the story and highlights the

fact that Andy is dying too young. 

Through her effective use of techniques,

Duffy creates a vivid and disturbing picture of the concentration camps –

from the vast numbers of dead bodies that lie in piles, without an attempt

at treating them with dignity, to the mindless cruelty of the Nazi soldiers. It

is these techniques that skilfully drive home the poem’s themes and make

this a poem that sets out to do more than just entertain. Duffy urges us to

remember horrifying events of the past and, more importantly, to learn

from these mistakes.

P

E

A

R

One way in which sympathy for the character of Andy is created is when the

author suggests  the weather is hurting Andy. Near the start of the story

imagery is used to describe the unpleasant weather:

•

“He lay on the sidewalk with the March rain drilling his jacket and drilling his

body”

The word ‘drilling’ is repeated which emphasises how strong the rain was.

This is also a metaphor as the rain is being compared to a drill. Just as a drill

easily cuts holes in wood, so too it feels like the rain is making holes in

Andy’s flesh. This is a violent image that suggests the rain is so hard it is

hurting Andy. In addition, the word ‘March’ is word choice. The

connotations of this word are of the start of spring and baby animals being

born. This contrasts with what is happening in the story and highlights the

fact that Andy is dying too young. Through her effective use of techniques,

Duffy creates a vivid and disturbing picture of the concentration camps –

from the vast numbers of dead bodies that lie in piles, without an attempt

at treating them with dignity, to the mindless cruelty of the Nazi soldiers. It

is these techniques that skilfully drive home the poem’s themes and make

this a poem that sets out to do more than just entertain. Duffy urges us to

remember horrifying events of the past and, more importantly, to learn

from these mistakes.

Introduction

•

The introduction should not be too long.

•

I

t should focus on the task right from the

start

.

Introduction

•

Identify the 

text

 and 

author

•

Use words from the essay 

task 

to explain what

the essay will be about.

•

T

•

A

•

T

•

S

Use this formula to help you:

•

T – title

•

A - author

•

T – task (this is in the essay question)

•

S – summary (a 

short

 summary of the plot)

TATS

•

T

(title)

•

A

(author)

•

T

(task)

•

Essay title = 

Choose a short story in which you feel

sympathy

 for the main character.

Complete the list below for your essay:

•

Change the task into a statement which

includes the author’s name and the title.

•

Write a short summary of what happens in

the short story.

•

Look at the examples of introductions and

highlight the following things (if they are

there):

•

T – title

•

A - author

•

T – task (this is in the essay question)

•

S – summary (a 

short

 summary of the plot)

Exercise

On the Sidewalk Bleeding is a really boring story

about a boy called Andy who stabs a drunk man.

The short story was written by Evan Hunter and

not much really happens in it apart from Andy

kicks the bucket and his girlfriend starts bawling

greeting. Then it ends.

TATS?

Strengths?

Weaknesses?

‘

On the Sidewalk Bleeding

’ is a poem which takes

place in a part of New York where rival gangs are

at war. Sympathy is created for the main

character, Andy. In many ways. In this essay I will

discuss how the author creates sympathy. And

look at the techniques. He uses.

TATS?

Strengths?

Weaknesses?

‘

On the Sidewalk Bleeding

’ by Evan Hunter is a

short story 

in which you feel sympathy for the

main character. The main character is Andy and he

is stabbed in an alley at the start of the story

because he is in gang. Different characters enter

the alley but nobody helps him. With the last of

his strength he takes off his jacket as it is a symbol

of the gang he joined. At the end, his girlfriend

finds him and a cop records his death.

TATS?

Strengths?

Weaknesses?

Remember to include:

•

T = ‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’

•

A = Evan Hunter

•

T = 

Choose a short story in which you feel

sympathy

 for the main character.

•

S = 

Short plot summary

Your turn

•

Swap and peer assess the introductions you have

written.

•

Copy this table and tick the boxes if you can identify

them in the introduction.

•

Write a comment underneath which says:

–

One thing they did well

–

One thing they should work on to improve next time

Peer assess introductions

Conclusion

•

The conclusion is a 

summing up

 of the essay.

•

The conclusion is a brief summary of all the

points raised in the main body of the essay –

use the essay question and your topic

sentences.

Conclusion

•

Remember, you should never add anything new in the

conclusion.

•

The conclusion should sum up what you have written

and 

prove that you have answered the question

.

•

Quotes relating to 

new points

 should not be used in

the conclusion.

•

R

estate your personal opinion (demonstrating your

engagement with the short story).

•

All the conclusion needs is three or four strong

sentences which do not need to follow any set

formula. Simply review the main points and go

back to your introduction/the essay question

– have you answered it?

•

It should be more than one sentence.

•

In conclusion, Evan Hunter makes the reader feel

sympathy for Andy through his skilful use of

techniques, such as imagery and word choice. I felt

sympathy for Andy at the end of the story because

there were so many things that he wanted to do.

Although the policeman saw Andy not as a person but

just as another victim of gang conflict, Hunter helps us

to see Andy as real person and one way he does this is

by describing his hopes and dreams – dreams we

know will never come true.

Conclusion

•

Start with the words “In conclusion…” or “To

conclude..”

•

Refer back to the words of the question

•

Sum up the main points of the essay and your

feelings about the text.

•

Identify the a part of the story that made you

feel particularly sympathetic towards Andy.

Do

End with a bang not a whimper

•

End with a detailed point or example

•

Be negative about the text.  Whether you

enjoyed reading the text or not, your text was

chosen because of its literary merit, you

should appreciate this.

Don’t

Don’t bring in any new points

•

Use this acronym to help you:

•

S – Summarise (what the essay has been about)

•

T – Task (refer back to the task)

•

O – Opinion (give your personal opinion)

•

P – Positive (make sure your opinion is positive)

STOP!

•

Swap and peer assess the conclusions you have

written.

•

Copy this table and tick the boxes if you can identify

them in the introduction.

•

Write a comment underneath which says:

–

One thing they did well

–

One thing they should work on to improve next time

Peer assess conclusions