Mingfeng's fate in Ba Jin's Family is one of the most discussed episodes in the novel, and it is also one of the hardest for students to write about. A young servant who chooses death rather than be given to an older man as a concubine forces readers to confront coercion, class, and despair in a single scene. Teachers who assign essays on this episode need to think carefully about how to grade the writing while remaining attentive to the students producing it.

The first decision is framing. An essay prompt that asks how the novel represents the powerlessness of servants invites analysis of social structure, while one that asks students to judge Mingfeng's choice can lead to uncomfortable personal opinions. Choosing the first approach keeps attention on the text and on what Ba Jin is criticizing, which is easier to evaluate fairly.

Teachers should also tell students before they begin writing that the material is difficult and that they can talk to the teacher or a counselor if it affects them. A short note in the assignment sheet is enough. That small gesture signals that analysis of painful literature is expected, and that students are not alone with it.

Grading the Analysis, Not the Emotion

A student can write movingly about Mingfeng and still produce a weak essay if the writing never moves beyond sympathy. The rubric should reward attention to how Ba Jin constructs the scene, including what the reader knows beforehand, how other characters react afterward, and what the household's indifference reveals. These are analytical features that can be scored, unlike the intensity of a student's reaction.

• Explains how Mingfeng's lack of power is built into the household's structure
• Connects her story to the contrasting treatment of Jue Hui and other young masters
• Avoids treating her choice as a simple plot event or a moral verdict
• Uses textual evidence from before and after the episode
• Maintains a respectful, analytical tone without graphic detail

When an Essay Signals a Student Needs Support

Occasionally an essay on a difficult scene contains language that reads as personal rather than analytical. A student might shift from discussing Mingfeng to describing their own hopelessness, or write about the character's decision with unusual detachment or approval. Teachers should treat that as information about the student, not just the paper, and follow their school's procedures for checking in with a counselor.

This is one place where human judgment cannot be replaced. An AI grading tool can score the thesis and evidence, but the teacher reads the whole essay and notices when something is wrong. Many teachers find it useful to let automated feedback handle structure and rubric alignment so they have more energy for that closer reading.

Writing Feedback Comments That Stay Professional

Comments on sensitive material should be measured and specific. Instead of writing "powerful point," a teacher might note that the student has identified how the household's silence after the event reinforces its power, and then ask what other scenes show the same pattern. That response affirms the thinking without turning the margin into a conversation about the student's feelings.

It is also worth avoiding comments that evaluate Mingfeng's choice as right or wrong. The novel invites readers to see it as an indictment of a system, and feedback should steer students toward that structural reading. Consistent language across an entire class set helps students feel that they are being assessed on the same terms.

Setting Classroom Norms Before the Essay

A brief discussion before drafting can prevent many problems. Teachers might establish that the class will talk about the scene as readers of a literary work, that graphic description is unnecessary, and that peers should respond to each other's ideas with care. These norms take ten minutes and make the essays safer to write and easier to read.

Norms also help with grading, because students know the expectations in advance. If the rubric and the classroom conversation both emphasize structural analysis, the papers will cluster around the kind of thinking the teacher wants to reward. That makes scoring more consistent and the whole unit more humane.