Paragraph response
to literature
A response to “Little Things” by Raymond
Carver
FIVE MINUTES--prewriting
Write for five minutes about the
different implications and ideas
presented in the short story “Little
Things.” What is the author’s purpose
or broader significance? Jot down any
and all thoughts for five minutes.
STEP 1
Write a sentence from the story
that best captures the main
idea. Remember to put
quotation marks around it with
a page number in parenthesis.
STEP 1 Example:
“…it was getting dark. But
it was getting dark on the
inside too” (Carver).
STEP 2
After the quote, write in your own
words the significance of the quote
in reference to the story. This is
where you can explain it in relation
to the theme or events that follow.
STEP 2 EXAMPLE:
“…it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on
the inside too” (Carver). The story’s imagery of
light and dark reveals an internal conflict and
foreshadows the physical struggle at the end.
The darkness indicates a threatening tension
brewing between the couple. While the reader
may wonder the source of the fury, he or she is
more likely to focus on the battle that quickly
turns violent.
The conversation…
If you want your writing to make a point, you
must do more than make a statement: You
must also indicate what larger conversation
your point is responding to. This is the context
for an argument or circumstances leading to
your response. You may want to indicate this
BEFORE you make your point, because this
is how your reader processes information.
STEP 3:
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Scroll up to the quote. You will now write
BEFORE the quote.
Introduce the purpose of the quote or
introduce the speaker or narrator.
Tell WHAT the narrator is trying to achieve
and HOW.
STEP 3 Example:
The narrator uses imagery to introduce both the
setting and mood of the story. “…it was getting dark.
But it was getting dark on the inside too” (Carver). The
story’s description of light and dark reveals an internal
conflict and foreshadows the physical struggle at the
end. The darkness indicates a threatening tension
brewing between the couple. While the reader may
wonder the source of the fury, he or she is more likely
to focus on the battle that quickly turns violent.
STEP 4
Is there another line in the reading that says
something similar to the first quote? If so, put
this quote at the end of all the writing you
have done so far.
OR
Is there another line in the reading that further
shows the point of the first line?
STEP 4 Example:
The narrator uses imagery to introduce both the setting and mood
of the story. “…it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the
inside too” (Carver). The story’s description of light and dark
reveals an internal conflict and foreshadows the physical struggle
at the end. The darkness indicates a threatening tension brewing
between the couple. While the reader may wonder the source of
the fury, he or she is more likely to focus on the battle that quickly
turns violent. “The kitchen window gave no light. In the neardark he worked on her fisted fingers with one hand and with
the other hand he gripped the screaming baby up under an
arm near the shoulder” (Carver).
STEP 5
After the second quote or
example, write a short
explanation of HOW it relates
to the first quote and WHY it
is significant to the story.
STEP 5 Example:
The narrator uses imagery to introduce both the setting and
mood of the story. “…it was getting dark. But it was getting
dark on the inside too” (Carver). The story’s description of
light and dark reveals an internal conflict and foreshadows
the physical struggle at the end. The darkness indicates a
threatening tension brewing between the couple. While the
reader may wonder the source of the fury, he or she is more
likely to focus on the battle that quickly turns violent. “The
kitchen window gave no light. In the near-dark he worked on
her fisted fingers with one hand and with the other hand he
gripped the screaming baby up under an arm near the
shoulder” (Carver). The light and dark imagery further
indicates the escalation of the conflict. The bleakness is
apparent by the dimming of the light represented in the
environment and symbolic of the couple’s temper. The
reader is left with little hope for a happy outcome.
STEP 6
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Read through your paragraph so far….Think
about the main idea. Do you see a general
theme or idea in your message?
Write one or two sentences that grab the
general idea of the paragraph. Your sentence
should be large enough to cover both quotes
and ideas, but small enough for your audience
to have a good idea about the paragraph. This
paragraph MUST support your thesis from the
introduction.
STEP 6 Example:
Raymond Carver’s short story “Little Things,” focuses on themes
of marital discord and the children who are ultimately torn apart
during divorce. The narrator uses imagery to introduce both the setting and
mood of the story. “…it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the
inside too” (Carver). The story’s description of light and dark reveals an
internal conflict and foreshadows the physical struggle at the end. The
darkness indicates a threatening tension brewing between the couple. While
the reader may wonder the source of the fury, he or she is more likely to
focus on the battle that quickly turns violent. “The kitchen window gave no
light. In the near-dark he worked on her fisted fingers with one hand and
with the other hand he gripped the screaming baby up under an arm near the
shoulder” (Carver). The light and dark imagery further indicates the
escalation of the conflict. The bleakness is apparent by the dimming of the
light represented in the environment and symbolic of the couple’s temper.
The reader is left with little hope for a happy outcome.
STEP 7
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Read the entire paragraph…does it make
sense? Is it clear? Does it support your main
idea?
Compare it to the paragraph you wrote the
first time. What are some differences?
Make any revisions necessary.
STEP 7 Example:
Raymond Carver writes about marital discord and the consequences of
divorce in his short story “Little Things” Carver focuses on the effect divorce has
on the children who are ultimately torn apart. The theme is supported by the
setting description in which the narrator uses imagery to introduce both the
setting and mood of the story. “…it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on
the inside too” (Carver). The story’s description of light and dark reveals an
internal conflict and foreshadows the physical struggle at the end. The darkness
indicates a threatening tension brewing between the couple. While the reader
may wonder the source of the fury, he or she is more likely to focus on the battle
that quickly turns violent. “The kitchen window gave no light. In the near-dark
he worked on her fisted fingers with one hand and with the other hand he gripped
the screaming baby up under an arm near the shoulder” (Carver). The light and
dark imagery further indicates the escalation of the conflict. The bleakness is
apparent by the dimming of the light represented in the environment and
symbolic of the couple’s temper. The reader is left with little hope for a happy
outcome.
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I
Say: The Moves That Matter In Persuasion.
N.p.: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc, 2005.
Print.