Write a critical analysis based on a close reading (approximately 2-3 double-spaced pages or 500-750 words) in response to ONE (1) of the following questions. Please see the attached Grading Sheet for exact essay format & requirements. Your response should have a coherent thesis, which will be argued throughout your body paragraphs. Make sure you support your position with direct quotations from the text you have chosen. 1.Characterization: Examine the crafting of character in any one of the stories we have studied in Weeks 1-3, and take a stance on how characterization affects/shapes/reinforces meaning in the story. Somewhere in your analysis, assess the significance of: a.Dialogue, action, and/or narration b.Whether the characters are flat or round, static or dynamic, and their role as narrator or in advancing the plot. 2.Setting: Examine the crafting of setting in any one of the stories we have studied in Weeks 1-3, and take a stance on how setting affects/shapes/reinforces meaning in the story. Somewhere in your analysis, assess the significance of: a.What specific aspects of setting are key to the story’s meaning and why: time period, culture, geographic location? b.The role setting plays in crafting the atmosphere of the story c.Setting’s influence on character and/or plot development. 3.Plot: Examine the crafting of plot in one of the stories we have studied in Weeks 1-3, and take a stance on how plot structure affects the overall story. Somewhere in your analysis, assess the significance of: a.The story’s treatment of exposition, and how this affects the story b.The conflict or tension of the rising action, and how it culminates in a narrative climax or epiphany—and how the author communicates climax/epiphany and why this matters to the story c.How the story treats falling action and dénouement (closed/open) and how this affects the story 4.Style: Examine the stylistic elements of one of the stories we have studied in Weeks 1-3, and take a stance on how style choices affect the overall story. Somewhere in your analysis, assess the significance of: a.Diction and/or sentence structure and/or punctuation b.The use of figurative language (or lack of it): metaphor, simile, synecdoche, symbol, etc. c.The use of imagery (or lack of it): language that engages the senses—for what purposes? 5.Point of View: Examine the use of point of view in one of the stories we have studied so far in this course, and take a stance on how it affects/shapes/reinforces meaning in the story. Somewhere in your analysis, assess the significance of: a.Whether the point of view is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-person and why/how this matters to the story b.The level of omniscience in the narration and why/how this matters to the story c.How the point of view helps the advancement of the plot, specifically when it comes to the climax and resolution of the narratives OR how the point of view helps to establish the tone.
