English 9- expository essay
Short Stories Essay
I have chosen four stories that share a common topic- progress. You are to
choose two of these stories and explain what the author is trying to say about
the lessons of technological progress, scientific progress, and the progression of
human rights. By reviewing the themes of each story, you will be able to
understand the link to the issues surrounding human’s pursuit of progress.
Your essay will be no more than 500 words and contain:
1. An introduction paragraph with a thesis. It will contain:
 A hook- get the reader interested in the lessons learned about progress
 Name the stories and the author
 Your thesis
2. 2-3 body paragraphs
 Explain how the stories portray the idea of progress
 No more than 2-3 lines of story summary- concentrate on story
analysis
 Focus on author’s purpose
3. Conclusion (conclusion will NOT be marked- but you have to try)
Criteria for assessment:
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Introduction (hook, thesis, preview)
Organization of your essay including the paragraphs
Evidence to support your thesis
Word choice (as practiced in the Descriptive paragraph)
Transition words (as practiced in the Descriptive paragraph)
Correct use of capitalization and commonly confused words (as
practiced in No Red Ink)
English 9- expository essay
Draft copy
Introduction
Hook- Humans are curious, yet cocky creatures. In our pursuit for
progress, we tend to forget that mother- nature still has influence
over our destiny despite our intelligence and the idea of military
progress is really just an oxymoron.
Other ways to HOOK the reader:
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Fill in some background information with some context- maybe some
historical, social or technological background?
Tell an anecdote- everyone likes a story!
Give a quotation either from the story or another relevant quote
Give statistics- the best ones to use are the alarming or fearful stats
Make and unusual or puzzling statement that draws the reader in- don’t
lie though!
Make a strong, bold statement (as outlined in mine)
Link to the thesis- Arthur Gordon, the author of the short story Sea Devil
and Liam O’Flaherty , the author of the short story The Sniper
portray/illustrate the irony of human progress.
Thesis- The story Sea Devil shows us that humans may be more
civilized due to technological progress but all that progress may be
in vain because of the power of nature. The Sniper show us that war
is not a sign of progress at all but rather a retreat from civilization and
is more damaging than anticipated.
Link to body paragraph- Despite the differences in plot, both stories
portray the pitfalls of progress. (you could add another paragraph
explaining the similarities of the stories- if you have any! You can look at the
techniques the authors use such as characterization, atmosphere, irony, point of
view, imagery, etc to show the themes)
English 9- expository essay
Body paragraphs
In the story Sea Devil, the author reminds the reader that although
humans are the superior species, nature can still dominate. In this story, “the
man” goes fishing for mullet only to be the one “fished” in the end. Instead of
catching a vulnerable, helpless fish, the fisherman’s net catches onto a massive
Florida sea ray and is almost pulled to his death. The protagonist has to use his
intellect and reason-what makes him the superior species- to defeat the sea ray
and save himself from drowning. Gordon reminds the reader about the progress
of “man” by using the imagery of the “books on the shelves”, the “twinkling
lights of the flight from Tampa to …” and “the necklace of lights on the
freeway”. Yet despite these signs of a civilized species, the primitive nature of
the sea ray almost highjacks this human.
The story The Sniper is not about progress at all. If anything, this story by
Liam O’Flaherty is about how destructive humans can be despite social,
technological and scientific progress. In The Sniper, the protagonist is positioned
on top of a building, hunting another sniper on the opposite side of the street. It
is a game of waiting and wits as the enemy soldiers fight to win in the Irish civil
war. Ultimately, the protagonist kills the other sniper by outwitting him with a
simple trick but then later realizes a horrible truth- a war is not always between
strangers. The author finishes the story with a shocking ending that leaves the
reader questioning the heroism and rewards of war.
English 9- expository essay
Concluding Paragraph
A concluding paragraph is the “high note”, the climax, the last hurrah to
reinforce your ideas. Do not leave it out and don’t leave on a minor point.
Tips on writing conclusions:
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Try and have the most important word in the final sentence at the end of
the essay. (eg. “If they fail in this task, then the students of today will
become the unemployed of tomorrow.”)
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Refer back to the thesis statement to give a sense of completion
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Ask a rhetorical question (my least favourite way to conclude)
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Give a quotation that seals your argument with the opinion of an authority
or that puts your view in more vivid or memorable terms.
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Use transition signals such as “in conclusion”, “finally”, “in summary”.
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Give a short summary- usually if the essay is quite long
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Draw a conclusion- it is not just an ending but a diagnosis, or verdict on
the subject of your essay. Your conclusion about the subject

Make a prediction- what is the future? This is a good way to “reveal the
significance”
Conclusion- The Sea Devil is a story that reminds its reader that humans
may be the dominate species with our technologically advanced
inventions and our superior reasoning abilities, but our progress only
goes so far before nature reminds of us of our vulnerability in nature.
The Sniper shows the reader the devastating effects of human’s
pursuit of military weapons. Our quest for progress may eventually be
our downfall.
English 9- expository essay
Mrs. Thomasen
The Pursuit of Progress- Be Careful!
Humans are curious, yet cocky creatures. In our pursuit for
progress, we tend to forget that mother- nature still has influence
over our destiny despite our intelligence and the idea of military
progress is really just an oxymoron. Arthur Gordon, the author of the
short story Sea Devil and Liam O’Flaherty , the author of the short
story The Sniper portray the irony of human progress. The story Sea
Devil shows us that humans may be more civilized due to
technological progress but all that progress may be in vain because
of the power of nature. The Sniper show us that war is not a sign of
progress at all but rather a retreat from civilization and more
damaging than anticipated. Despite the differences in plot, both
stories portray the pitfalls of progress.
In the story Sea Devil, the author reminds the reader that
although humans are the superior species, nature can still dominate.
In this story, “the man” goes fishing for mullet only to be the one
“fished” in the end. Instead of catching a vulnerable, helpless fish,
the fisherman’s net catches onto a massive Florida sea ray and is
almost pulled to his death. The protagonist has to use his intellect
and reason-what makes him the superior species- to defeat the sea
ray and save himself from drowning. Gordon reminds the reader
about the progress of “man” by using the imagery of the “books on
the shelves”, the “twinkling lights of the flight from Tampa to …” and
English 9- expository essay
“the necklace of lights on the freeway”. Yet despite these signs of a
civilized species, the primitive nature of the sea ray almost hitchhikes
this human.
The story The Sniper is not about progress at all. If anything, this
story by Flaherty is about how destructive humans can be despite
social, technological and scientific progress. In The Sniper, the
protagonist is positioned on top of a building, hunting another sniper
on the opposite side of the street. It is a game of waiting and wits as
the enemy soldiers fight to win in the Irish civil war. Ultimately, the
protagonist kills the other sniper by outwitting him with a simple trick
but then later realizes a horrible truth- a war is not always between
strangers. The author finishes the story with a shocking ending that
leaves the reader questioning the heroism and rewards of war.
The Sea Devil is a story that reminds its reader that humans may
be the dominate species with our technologically advanced
inventions and our superior reasoning abilities, but our progress only
goes so far before nature reminds of us of our vulnerability in nature.
The Sniper shows the reader the devastating effects of human’s
pursuit of military weapons. Our quest for progress may eventually be
our downfall. (470 words)