Assignment #2
5-6 pages
Double spaced
At least 3 outside sources (NOT including the story you are writing about)
Analytical essay
analysis
noun: the detailed examination of the elements or structure of something (in this case, a short story)
The short stories we have read this semester all use the content of their plots, which ranges from the mundane to the fantastical, to make broader claims about topics including family, gender roles, culture and society, religious faith, and even questions of aging and death. For this assignment, you will use the close reading techniques we worked on earlier this term to explore how one of these stories goes about achieving this
First, select a story and, in your thesis statement, identify one of its possible major themes: that is, what broader concern are the plot, characterizations, setting, diction, tone, and/or figurative language used by the author as a vehicle for exploring? For example, “The Metamorphosis” tells the relatively simple story of a character transformed into an insect, but in our discussions we explored how it addresses abstract problems such as alienation, obligations to one’s family, and even social class.
* It may be helpful to consult the “Strategies for Reading Fiction” section of Literature: the Human Experience on Canvas.
Next, defend this position. This will require you to go beyond a summary of the plot; rather, you should analyze the author’s language to demonstrate how it connects the particular events of the story to a broader concern (for example, how does Kafka use the description portrait of Gregor’s father to convey ideas about Gregor’s place in the Samsa family?)
YOU MUST INCLUDE A CLOSE READING OF A PASSAGE OF YOUR CHOOSING FROM YOUR STORY. YOU WILL BE DOCKED POINTS IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS. DO NOT USE THE PASSAGE FROM THE PREVIOUS ASSIGNMENT.
Finally, you should incorporate secondary scholarly sources into your argument, either as support of your interpretation, or as counterclaims that you can acknowledge and refute. These sources can be: analyses or interpretations of the story itself, studies on the author and her style/concerns, or works of research that can offer relevant contextual information about elements of the story (for example, an article on food insecurity in rural China in the 1920s might provide context for “No Name Woman.”) These should be either peer-reviewed or journalistic. NO Shmoop, Gradesaver, Sparknotes, Wikipedia, etc.Assignment #2
