"Test me, grade me! I'm ever so smart"

Just got my first paper back and apparently this Professor grades with check marks instead of As Bs or what have you. The highest grade is a check plus and I got a check. This grade was for my second assignment "What's in a name". Professor thought I was a bit long winded with the history of my name. I thought that the point of the assignment was to research your name and family history and write about it, oh well. Still no grade yet on my first assignment, "The Machine" which is what I was really interested in getting back. I did have the class tutor look at it and she said it was great but she wasn't clear on the moral of the story. The story is about the ceaseless battle between rich and poor and how their interests are similar and so far apart at once, I think it's natural that the moral was painted in more of a shade of gray than in black and white.