Contrast the character of Jimmy Valentine before and after his reformation in “A Retrieved Reformation”. Use details from the text in support of your response.

Jimmy Valentine is a hardened criminal who immediately returns to safecracking when he is released from prison; however, after he unexpectedly falls in love, Jimmy changes his behavior and attitudes and becomes an honest businessman. But, later he must return to his former self, although it is only briefly.

Explanation:

The protagonist of “A Retrieved Reformation,” Jimmy is a safecracker and thief living in the American Midwest in the early 1900s. When first introduced, the well-connected Jimmy is being released from prison after serving just ten months of a four-year sentence for robbery. Jimmy initially responds to his freedom with disregard, quickly resuming his life of crime. It is clear that Jimmy has not been rehabilitated; his punishment was a sham and he has no intention of working an honest job. Yet despite Jimmy’s criminal lifestyle, he remains a kind and likeable character. Indeed, Jimmy is witty and compassionate, and he is undeniably a dedicated and skilled safecracker. After a succession of burglaries, Jimmy attracts the attention of Ben Price—the very police detective who had arrested him in Springfield, resulting in his incarceration in the first place. After then traveling to the town of Elmore in search of fresh safes to crack, he falls in love with Annabel Adams, the daughter of a local bank owner. His love for Annabel changes Jimmy, and he adopts the identity of Ralph D. Spencer, an honest shoe salesman. As Ralph, Jimmy finally lives the straight life, wins the heart of Annabel, and gains the respect of her family and the entire town. He even decides to gift his suitcase of burglar’s tools to an old friend in Little Rock, convinced that he “wouldn’t do another crooked thing for the whole world.” On the surface, Jimmy has been rehabilitated by Annabel; however, since Jimmy is not who he pretends to be, their relationship is based on a lie and therefore on shaky ground. It is not until he sacrifices his identity as Ralph, by saving Agatha, Annabel’s niece, when she becomes accidentally locked in Mr. Adams’s safe, that Jimmy is fully redeemed for his past sins. Through cracking the safe, Jimmy, in part, betrays his true identity—risking his relationship with Annabel in the process. He sacrifices Ralph D. Spencer so that Agatha may live, thereby using his criminal trade for good. In that moment, Jimmy is wholly reformed.

Explanation:

what: when quoting a source, use the author’s words verbatim, or word-for-word. this means you shouldn’t change any grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. put quotations around the words to tell your reader where the quote begins and where it ends.

you also need to acknowledge the author. for example, if using mla format for your research paper, you should have in-text citations with the author’s name and page number listed at the end of each quote.

when: use quotations to provide concrete examples to support your claims. using direct quotations is a great way to build your credibility on the subject. it’s also a good idea to quote your source when the author states things in a powerful way. if you think he or she said it best, then use the exact words to share the ideas.

example: in the short story “a jury of her peers”, mrs. hale compares mrs. wright to her caged bird, saying “she—come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself. real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery. how—she—did—change” (glaspell).

paraphrasing

what: paraphrasing differs from quoting because you restate the passage in your own words. since you don’t use the author’s words, you don’t need to use quotation marks. however, you still need to acknowledge the author for his or her ideas.

when paraphrasing a text, you should communicate the full meaning of the text; don’t change the meaning. it can be a condensed version of the text, or it could end up being longer than the source it’s paraphrasing.

when: you use paraphrasing when you take notes, or explain a chart or diagram to someone. paraphrasing highlight the important parts of a larger text. it also allows you to simplify the ideas for your readers.

example:

original: “it was no ordinary thing that called her away–it was probably further from ordinary than anything that had ever happened in dickson county. but what her eye took in was that her kitchen was in no shape for leaving: her bread all ready for mixing, half the flour sifted and half unsifted” (glaspell).

paraphrase: as mrs. hales walks around mrs. wright’s home, she notices that the kitchen is in disarray as if she was in the middle of baking bread (glaspell).

i don't understand : /