12AP
Marking Period 1
Short Stories Presentation Project
1. Form a group and choose one of the short stories in the Discovering Literature textbook to present to the
class.
a. “Wants” by Grace Paley
“He had a habit throughout the 27 years of making a narrow remark which, like a plumber’s
snake, could work its way through the ear down the throat, halfway to my heart. He would then
disappear, leaving me chocking with equipment.”
b. “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
“…on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming…”
c. “Say Yes” by Tobias Wolff
“His heart pounded the way it had on their first night together, the way it still did when he woke
at a noise in the darkness and waited to hear it again – the sound of someone moving through the
house, a stranger.
d. “ Hills like White Elephants” by Earnest Hemingway
“You’ve got to realize,” he said, “that I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to. I’m
perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you.”
“Doesn’t it mean anything to you? We could get along.”
“Of course it does. But I don’t want anybody but you. I don’t want any one else. And I know
it’s perfectly simple.”
e. “Araby” by James Joyce
“I did not know whether I would speak to her or not or, If I spoke to her, how I could tell her of
my confused adoration. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like
fingers running upon the wires.”
f. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
“I’ve got out at last,” said I, “in spite of you and Jenny! And I’ve pulled off most of the paper,
so you can’t put me back!” Now why should that man have fainted?”
g. “Stalking” by Joyce Carol Oates
“Her face is attractive. But there is a blunt, neutral stillness to it, as if she were detached from it
and somewhere else uninterested.”
h. “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker
“Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” she said. “She’d probably be backward enough to put
them to everyday use.”
2. Your classwork and homework will require you to read these stories and take notes on them.
3. In your presentation, provide
a. a SUMMARY of the story and
b. DISCUSS
i. Diction (language) and Syntax (sentence structure)
ii. Literary elements/devices/techniques (imagery, symbolism, allusion, metaphor,
characterization, POV, setting etc.). Explain the significance of these items to the work
as a whole. [What is added to the understanding of the story by the implementation of
these devices?]
iii. Theme
iv. Tone
Be sure to support your argument of theme and tone with textual evidence from the story.
4. Looking at the quote from your story, explain what the quote is literally addressing in the story AND
how the quote illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Be sure to use character names, discuss
the importance of the diction of the quote, and anything else you feel is relevant.
5. Each person in the group must speak during the oral presentation, as each person will be graded
separately.
Presentations will begin on
.
EXTRA CREDIT [10 points]:
1. Find an article of literary criticism (use the library databases: Bloom’s notes or Short Stories for
students),
2. Read it, summarize it for the class and identify the author’s thesis (assertion, central idea, argument)
and relevant supporting details
3. State whether you agree or disagree with the author’s position, providing textual support [from the
short story itself] for your opinion.