Case 5 A Love Triangle Located in Opelousas, Louisiana (population 15,000), Maison de Fontenot is a 100-bed nursing home, the only such facility in the greater Evangeline Parish area. The facility’s large activity center is sometimes made available for meetings to some of the local civic organizations. On these occasions, members of the community also take the time to interact with the residents; several visit with family or friends living in the facility. Some of them also volunteer at the facility. Joseph Vidrine Joseph is a 66-year-old resident of the facility. He was admitted to Fontenot a little over a year ago after he had suffered several minor strokes. He requires close monitoring and some assistance with dressing and bathing, but is able to get around independently. Joseph is from Mamou, a rural community that has limited long-term care services. Hence, his sister decided that Fontenot would be the best place to meet his needs. Joseph never married but had a few long-term relationships over the course of his life. He participates in several activities and helps out with minor chores at the facility. He also enjoys transporting residents in wheelchairs to and from the dining room. Joseph is personable, outgoing, and friendly. Phyllis Landry Phyllis was born and raised in Opelousas and has never lived anywhere else. She is an attractive and vivacious 70-year-old woman who has been living in the nursing home for the past 5 years, ever since she was widowed. Her husband died of complications in the aftermath of an automobile accident. Phyllis is a severe diabetic and has some cardiac issues resulting from her diabetes that had remained uncontrolled before she was admitted to Fontenot. Otherwise, she is alert, oriented, and mobile. She needs assistance with her insulin injections, monitoring of her heart condition, and treatment of occasional minor bruises. After the loss of her husband, she had no source of income and had to go on Medicaid. She is alone, with no children or relatives living nearby. Phyllis is an outgoing individual. Many of the male residents find her attractive, but she has not expressed an interest in other men since her husband’s death. She does miss having a man to take care of her, though. Before moving into Fontenot, Phyllis was an active member of the community. Now she enjoys helping out at birthday parties and other social activities held at the nursing home. Joseph and Phyllis became friendly during BINGO games when Joseph would pay more attention to her game than his own and make her win. Gradually, they found themselves physically and emotionally attracted to each other. Joseph feels that Phyllis needs him because she had once stated that she liked men who take charge, which reminded her of her late husband. Joseph and Phyllis have started spending more and more time together. Now they commonly refer to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. From time to time they get into arguments when Phyllis feels he is ...

1. Case 5
A Love Triangle
Located in Opelousas, Louisiana (population 15,000), Maison
de Fontenot is a 100-bed nursing home, the only such facility in
the greater Evangeline Parish area. The facility’s large activity
center is sometimes made available for meetings to some of the
local civic organizations. On these occasions, members of the
community also take the time to interact with the residents;
several visit with family or friends living in the facility. Some
of them also volunteer at the facility.
Joseph Vidrine
Joseph is a 66-year-old resident of the facility. He was admitted
to Fontenot a little over a year ago after he had suffered several
minor strokes. He requires close monitoring and some
assistance with dressing and bathing, but is able to get around
independently. Joseph is from Mamou, a rural community that
has limited long-term care services. Hence, his sister decided
that Fontenot would be the best place to meet his needs. Joseph
never married but had a few long-term relationships over the
course of his life. He participates in several activities and helps
out with minor chores at the facility. He also enjoys
transporting residents in wheelchairs to and from the dining
room. Joseph is personable, outgoing, and friendly.
Phyllis Landry
Phyllis was born and raised in Opelousas and has never lived
anywhere else. She is an attractive and vivacious 70-year-old
woman who has been living in the nursing home for the past 5
years, ever since she was widowed. Her husband died of
complications in the aftermath of an automobile accident.
Phyllis is a severe diabetic and has some cardiac issues
resulting from her diabetes that had remained uncontrolled
before she was admitted to Fontenot. Otherwise, she is alert,
oriented, and mobile. She needs assistance with her insulin
injections, monitoring of her heart condition, and treatment of

2. occasional minor bruises. After the loss of her husband, she had
no source of income and had to go on Medicaid. She is alone,
with no children or relatives living nearby. Phyllis is an
outgoing individual. Many of the male residents find her
attractive, but she has not expressed an interest in other men
since her husband’s death. She does miss having a man to take
care of her, though. Before moving into Fontenot, Phyllis was
an active member of the community. Now she enjoys helping
out at birthday parties and other social activities held at the
nursing home.
Joseph and Phyllis became friendly during BINGO games when
Joseph would pay more attention to her game than his own and
make her win. Gradually, they found themselves physically and
emotionally attracted to each other. Joseph feels that Phyllis
needs him because she had once stated that she liked men who
take charge, which reminded her of her late husband. Joseph and
Phyllis have started spending more and more time together.
Now they commonly refer to each other as boyfriend and
girlfriend. From time to time they get into arguments when
Phyllis feels he is ignoring her or when Joseph believes she is
not following his advice.
Nancy Leblanc
Nancy, a 36-year-old female, was admitted to Fontenot about 4
months ago after being in and out of the hospital a few times
because of complications from her AIDS diagnosis. She was
assigned to share the room with Phyllis. Nancy has four
children between the ages of 3 and 15 who live with Nancy’s
mother in another state.
Jealousy and Tensions
Joseph has been frequently visiting Phyllis and Nancy in their
room. Phyllis, however, feels that he pays more attention to
Nancy, which then leads to arguments between Phyllis and
Joseph and creates tensions between all three. During the
arguments, Joseph innocently points out that he is only helping
a new resident better adjust to the nursing home environment.
At times, Joseph has been found sitting outside on the swing

3. with Nancy or helping her mark off her cards at the BINGO
games. More recently, Joseph has been inviting her to join him
during snack time. Nancy too likes Joseph’s company and
enjoys her walks with him on Fontenot’s grounds where flowers
are in full bloom.
Joseph has told some of the staff that Phyllis is too controlling
and that they have broken up their relationship. Phyllis,
however, still refers to him as her boyfriend and accompanies
him to some of the activities and social events. Joseph and
Nancy, on the other hand, have said to the staff that they are
just friends and like to hang out together.
Just Friends?
The other day, a CNA on her lunch break saw Nancy sitting in
the garden with her legs crossed over Joseph’s lap, but she did
not think much of it. Another resident told the social worker
that she “caught them” sitting in a “lovers’ position” and they
were startled. Two members of the Kiwanis Club also saw
“something” and were a little taken aback and mentioned it to
the administrator. One resident told the activity director that he
thought Joseph and Nancy “go a little too far” in their public
displays of affection. Another resident was amused when he
recounted, “Just the other day Joe was grabbing at her as they
walked down the hall.”
Spillover and Commotion
Phyllis accosts the administrator in the hallway and asks, “What
kind of a place is this? Isn’t it against nursing home rules?” She
has also commented to some other residents, “They both need to
be thrown out of this place.” When Phyllis confronts Nancy
about her relationship with Joseph, Nancy adamantly denies
there is anything romantic and states that they are just friends.
When she confronts Joseph, however, he retorts, “You have
been giving me a hard time, Phyllis, and I have news for you—
Nancy and I are gonna have a baby, and we’re gonna get
married.” Phyllis could not believe it. She seems devastated,
and the social worker has to calm her down. But, when asked
why she was so upset, she simply refused to talk.

4. At the next resident council meeting, Phyllis makes a bold
appeal that both Joseph and Nancy are a disgrace and must be
ousted from the facility. In response, Joseph barked at her, “Just
shut up.” The president of the resident council told the activity
director that there were some real bad feelings between Joseph
and Phyllis just because Joseph liked Nancy.
Later the same day, in a fit of rage, Phyllis throws Nancy’s few
belongings out into the hallway and curses incessantly for
several minutes. Several staff members, a few residents, and
two visiting volunteers gather at the scene to witness the
commotion. The social worker, activity director, and
administrator are called to the scene; they take the three
residents apart to calm the situation. The social worker, activity
director, and administrator together hold counseling sessions
with the three residents who are threatened with eviction for
disrupting the facility’s living environment. The social worker
is adamant that Nancy and Phyllis should no longer stay in the
same room, but both residents have refused to separate.
Mother, I Am Pregnant
Approximately a month later, Nancy’s children and mother,
Colette, arrive at the nursing home to visit Nancy. With great
enthusiasm Joseph announces to them his plans to marry Nancy.
Taking Colette aside, Nancy quietly whispers, “Mother, I am
pregnant.” Nancy’s mother and children are shocked and
infuriated. Without saying a word, Colette heads straight to the
administrator’s office and demands answers. The administrator
is equally shocked at the news, and the meeting does not go
well. Colette wants to know why the facility has failed to fulfill
its responsibility to protect its residents. She declares that she is
ready to meet with a lawyer to sue the facility. Finally, in a
burst of anger, she screams out, “Who will take care of this
baby? You?” She stomps out of the administrator’s office.
Taking her grandchildren, she leaves the facility.
What to Do Now?
The administrator could hardly believe what she just heard. She

5. calls an emergency meeting with the director of nursing, social
worker, and activity director. For a moment they all sit stunned
after the administrator recounts what had just transpired.
LITERARY ANALYSIS RUBRIC
GRADE
Intro Paragraph / Thesis
Body Paragraphs / Organization
Literary Analysis
Language Style / Voice
Mechanics
A
(excellent)
Engaging opening introduces the essay’s general topic and
inspires thinking about that topic; logically proceeds to thesis;
thesis is an easily identifiable, well-phrased argument that
assesses the text and addresses a specific idea to be analyzed
and proven in the essay; the idea offered in the thesis reflects
sound critical, analytical thinking; title and author of work are
appropriately referenced
Each topic sentence clearly connects to the thesis and offers an
identifiable, well-phrased idea to be proven in the paragraph;
concrete details are well-chosen and incorporated; paragraphs
are well-organized to create a coherent, carefully developed and
supported argument; transitions between ideas are logical and
each idea builds on the preceding; writer maintains focus and
control of argument so that the point of each paragraph is
always clear
Writing reflects a critical, analytical understanding of the text;
through clear reasoning, writer draws sophisticated, insightful
inferences from concrete details to support the connected ideas
of the TS and thesis; inferences are developed so that all claims
and points made are well-supported and persuasive; analysis
focuses on both thematic and stylistic elements of the text,
demonstrating writer’s ability to interpret the function of

6. literary devices in the service of thematic meaning; appropriate
balance of quotes & writer's analysis; writer is clearly engaged
with and moved by his/her thinking process
Writing is academic in tone, demonstrating a clear sense of
purpose and audience; writer's voice is evident -- confident and
sophisticated; vocabulary and phrasing are academically
appropriate, persuasive, and sophisticated without being
pretentious
Essay includes a variety of sentences marked by varying
opening words and structure; effective syntax and grammar
demonstrate a mastery of writing conventions and serve the
author’s purpose; absence of misspellings, punctuation errors
B
(good)
Generally engaging opening; areas to be strengthened may
include: presentation of general topic; development of transition
between general opening and specific thesis statement; thesis
statement is phrased as an argument but may be strengthened
through clarification of the main idea being offered
Each topic sentence generally connects to the thesis but in one
or more TS the main idea may need to be clarified; concrete
details are generally well-chosen though some may be irrelevant
or insufficient as evidence to effectively support the thesis
and/or TS; paragraphs are generally well-organized, although
some transitions may be awkward and there may be gaps in the
development of ideas; focus and control of argument may need
improvement because the point of a paragraph may not always
be clear
Writing generally reflects a critical, analytical understanding of
the text but is uneven; inferences demonstrate interpretive
ability but could be developed further to better explain
significance of detail and support thesis and/or TS; some claims
may be vague, generalized, or lacking in support; analysis could
be stronger through focus on stylistic elements that create
thematic meaning; some imbalance of quotes and writer's
analysis

7. Writing is generally academic in tone; writer’s voice may not be
consistently persuasive but is discernible; writing demonstrates
an awareness of the purpose to persuade; vocabulary in some
places may be simplistic or ineffective
Essay’s sentences generally effective but may lack appropriate
variety (some repeated opening words and structure); syntax and
grammar may be awkward in places (but not distracting); a few
misspellings (but not distracting).
C
(satisfactory)
Opening is functional but too brief and/or simplistic, essay’s
topic is apparent but needs to be developed to engage the
reader; abrupt transition from first sentences to thesis
statement; paragraph may be incoherent, jumping from one
point to the next without developing a smooth progression of
ideas; thesis may be too general, vague, or imprecisely phrased;
thesis may not directly address the prompt (though still an
argument that assesses the text)
Topic sentences are present but more than one is weak in the
following areas: main idea not discernible; a fact about the text
is summarized; unclear connection to thesis. Concrete details
are present but weak because they provide insufficient evidence
to support TS and/or are irrelevant because they do not support
an insightful inference. Lack of coherent organization of ideas
within individual paragraphs or from one paragraph to the next;
abrupt transitions impede smooth flow of ideas; essay lacks
consistent focus and control of argument; paragraph(s) may lack
clear point(s); content of paragraphs does not consistently
support or connect with thesis.
Writing demonstrates basic comprehension of the text but not a
critical, analytical understanding of it, as reflected by one or
more of the following: lack of focused, developed idea guiding
essay; interpretive analysis inconsistent or unsubstantiated;
frequent summary of plot details that retell the story; writer
restates the content of cited concrete details rather than draws
significant inferences about sub-textual meaning; little or no

8. analysis of how stylistic elements of the text create meaning.
Writing marked and weakened by frequent generalizations,
unsupported claims, assumptions, vague statements.
Writing tends to be mechanical in tone; writer’s voice is not
discernible in the essay; writing demonstrates inconsistent
awareness of the purpose to persuade; vocabulary tends to be
simplistic, marked by instances of informal or imprecise diction
Essay sentences lack variety (frequently repeated opening words
and sentence structure); awkward syntax and grammar confuse
writer’s point and distract reader; misspellings, contractions,
fragments, referring to “you” diminish academic nature of the
writing and distract reader.
D
(marginal)
Opening is ineffective, poorly organized, and undeveloped
(inappropriately brief); thesis may summarize plot point rather
than present argument about text; thesis may not address the
prompt at all; author and/or title of text may not be referenced
properly (i.e. only author's last name, title incorrectly
formatted)
Topic sentences absent or consistently lack focused ideas, either
offering general, irrelevant comments or stating facts about the
text; there is no discernible argument or point guiding essay;
concrete details are absent or ineffective/ insufficient;
consistent lack of coherent organization of ideas within
paragraphs and from one paragraph to the next; points of
paragraphs are unclear
Writing demonstrates some awareness of text details but not a
critical, analytical understanding of the text; points made are
vague and unsubstantiated; essay lacks focus; no literary
analysis present
Writing is mechanical in tone; writer’s voice is not discernible
in essay; writing demonstrates no awareness of purpose to
persuade; vocabulary is simplistic and/or inappropriate
Frequent syntax, grammar, misspelling errors that distract the
reader; lack of adherence to MLA guidelines undermines

9. integrity of essay; inaccurate Work Cited page compromises
integrity of essay
F
(unacceptable)
Fails to fulfill the requirements of the assignment
Fails to fulfill the requirements of the assignment
Fails to fulfill the requirements of the assignment
Fails to fulfill the requirements of the assignment