Short Stories Through a Critical Lens: Summative Assessment
Paragraph 1: The Introduction
Following the model of a good writer, begin a literary analysis with a hook or lead-in* that captures the reader’s
attention and shares the subject to be covered in the paper. Then narrow the focus of your thinking so that the
reader has a more focused idea of what is to come. Finally, your introduction should conclude with the thesis
statement, highlighting what you plan to say/prove in relationship to the writing prompt.
*Often writers use a well-known quote, an interesting statement or fact, an anecdote, or a universal truth to hook their
readers.
General Pattern:
1. Hook/Lead-in
2. Narrow Focus: provide background information on subject
3. Thesis Statement: subject (title, author, text type), assertion about main idea/theme (relate to prompt, use
an action verb), any key terms related to the prompt
Note how the sample below follows this model:
With so much turmoil in the world, innocence does not last forever. This is a truth experienced by the main
character in Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “American History.” Elena, a Puerto-Rican teenager from an immigrant family
living in Paterson, New Jersey in the 1960s , is often the target of bullying and belittlement and naively struggles in
a world seemingly predestined to be against her. In the fictional narrative “American History,” Judith Ortiz Cofer
employs the craft tools of symbolism and dialogue to illustrate the disparity and isolation often experienced by
immigrants.
Paragraphs 2 & 3: The Body
Once you have your thesis dialed into the prompt, you’ll know exactly how many body paragraphs you’ll need to
write. Since the thesis statement above lists two craft tools symbolism & dialogue, the writer will have at least two
body paragraphs. Each body parpagraph should identify, exemplify, explain/elaborate.
General Pattern:
1. Topic sentence (identify subject, assertion, & craft)
2. Transition into first example (quoted piece of text or paraphrase)
3. Explanation & elaboration that connects example to theme/main idea
4. Transition to next example (quoted piece of text or paraphrase)
5. Explanation & elaboration that connects example to theme/main idea
6. Concluding sentence (link the two text examples together, connect to theme/main idea)
Note how the sample below follows this model: Notice that the first two body paragraphs are about symbolism
because the thesis lists this craft tool first and the writer had a lot to ssay about this. The third body paragraph,
therefore, should be about dialogue. (The third body parapgrah only includes a topic sentence, two sentence
starters, and a concluding sentence.)
Cofer uses two main symbols, a door and the snow, to represent the struggles that immigrants, as well as
young people, often face. For example, at the climax of the story, Elena is “turned away from the green door,” the
door to Eugene’s house that Elena describes as “painted a deep green: verde the color of hope, I had heard my
mother say it: Verde-Esperanza” (green hope), and Elena hears the door close gently behind her. The door is a
symbol of hope and, more specifically represents Elena’s hopes and dreams. Elena has peered down from her
tenement building on this house, the only one with a yard and trees, for years and dreamed of entering it and
sitting with Eugene drinking coffee and talking about books at the kitchen table. The closing of the door symbolizes
the end to Elena’s dream. Not only will she not study with her teenage “crush” Eugene, but also it seems that Elena,
representing all immigrants, will not have easy access to the opportunities and privileges that the white
community seems to have.
Another symbol Cofer provides is the snow. The story is set on a “cold day…that warns of early snow.”
Snow is referenced again when Elena describes driving to the suburbs “where children made snowmen in the
winter from pure white snow, not like the gray slush” in her city. Finally, at the resolution of the story, Elena looks
up at a streetlight and sees the “white snow falling” but she does “not look down to see it turn gray as it touched
the ground below.” The white snow represents a better life, one that includes owning a home and relaxing on the
weekends, the American dream. The gray slush symbolizes the harsh reality of her immigrant life and the
discrimination with which she was just confronted. Even though Elena had just been turned away from her dreams
at Eugene’s door, she seems to have the strength of character to hold onto the purity of her dream.
Cofer also employs the use of dialogue to enable the reader to feel the desperate situation of immigrant life.
For instance, Eugene’s mother says…. The implications behind the use of the words “you people”… Dialogue
enables the experience to come to life, and the reader hears the type of subtle judgments that are made on young
immigrants.
Paragraph 4: The Conclusion
Once you’ve analyzed the content and craft of the text you’ve chosen, your last job is the concluding paragraph.
Remember, this is the last impression you’ll leave the reader, so make it a good one! Consider returning to your
opening ideas and thesis to help give the essay a sense of cohesion. Your introduction went from a broad idea to a
narrow one (the thesis), so your conclusion will go from a more narrow idea to a broader idea.
Ask yourself: What is the overall point I want to leave my reader?
Note how the sample below follows this model:
Judith Ortiz Cofer uses two specific symbols and poignant dialogue in “American History” to reflect and
convey the experiences of a Puerto-Rican immigrant teenage girl. As immigrants struggle to obtain the American
dream, they often are confronted with discrimination and pre-conceived judgments that seems difficult to
overcome. While it would be nice to live in a world that is always accepting and treats everyone equally, the reality
is that it is not. Sooner or later, this reality confronts everyone, and who we are as human beings is reflected in how
we handle it.