Little Women
Read the following extract carefully.
It takes people a long time to learn the difference between talent and genius, especially ambitious young men and women. Amy was learning this distinction through much tribulation, for mistaking enthusiasm for inspiration, she attempted every branch of art with youthful audacity. For a long time there was a lull in the ‘mud-pie’ business, and she devoted herself to the finest pen-and-ink drawing, in which she showed such taste and skill that her graceful handiwork proved both pleasant and profitable. But over-strained eyes caused pen and ink to be laid aside for a bold attempt at poker-sketching. While this attack lasted, the family lived in constant fear of a conflagration, for the odor of burning wood pervaded the house at all hours, smoke issued from attic and shed with alarming frequency, red-hot pokers lay about promiscuously, and Hannah never went to bed without a pail of water and the dinner bell at her door in case of fire. Raphael’s face was found boldly executed on the underside of the moulding board, and Bacchus on the head of a beer barrel. A chanting cherub adorned the cover of the sugar bucket, and attempts to portray Romeo and Juliet supplied kindling for some time.
From fire to oil was a natural transition for burned fingers, and Amy fell to painting with undiminished ardor. An artist friend fitted her out with his castoff palettes, brushes, and colors, and she daubed away, producing pastoral and marine views such as were never seen on land or sea. Her monstrosities in the way of cattle would have taken prizes at an agricultural fair, and the perilous pitching of her vessels would have produced seasickness in the most nautical observer, if the utter disregard to all known rules of shipbuilding and rigging had not convulsed him with laughter at the first glance.
Your Task:
Write a response explaining what you can infer about Amy’s personality and the nature of her artistic talent, or lack thereof, from this extract.
In your response, make sure to:
- Describe Amy's personality traits as shown by her artistic pursuits.
- Analyze her actual artistic talent, noting both her successes and her failures.
- Provide specific evidence and quotations from the text to support your points.
💡 Writing Tips
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To make inferences, look beyond the literal words and consider what the author is implying. What qualities does Amy demonstrate? Is she easily discouraged? What do the descriptions of her artwork suggest about her skills? Gather specific phrases or examples from the text that lead you to your conclusions about her personality and artistic capability.
📝 Sample Answer
From this extract, we can infer several things about Amy's personality and artistic talent:
Personality: Amy is highly ambitious and persistent, even audacious. The text states she was 'learning this distinction [between talent and genius] through much tribulation,' yet she 'attempted every branch of art with youthful audacity.' This shows she doesn't shy away from challenges and has a daring spirit. She also seems passionate, as she pursued painting with 'undiminished ardor,' suggesting a strong enthusiasm that wasn't easily dampened by previous setbacks (like burned fingers from poker-sketching). She also appears somewhat impractical, given the fire hazard created by her 'red-hot pokers' and the comical failure of her oil paintings.
Artistic Talent: The extract strongly implies that Amy lacks genuine artistic talent, despite her enthusiasm. While she showed 'taste and skill' in 'pen-and-ink drawing,' suggesting some basic aptitude, her later attempts are described with clear disdain by the narrator. Her paintings resulted in 'monstrosities in the way of cattle' and vessels with 'utter disregard to all known rules of shipbuilding and rigging,' which would 'convulse him with laughter.' The narrator's opening line, 'mistaking enthusiasm for inspiration,' is a direct statement about her lack of true artistic 'genius,' highlighting that her drive wasn't matched by innate skill.
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