ENC 1102
Instructor Sharon Cronk-Raby
scronkraby@atlas.valenciacc.edu
1
ENC 1102 (Composition II)
Short Essay #1: Analysis of Elements of Fiction
Review the Elements of Fiction in the textbook Literature and Ourselves:
-- Point of View: pages 9-10
-- Setting: page 10
-- Style: pages 10-11
-- Character: page 11
-- Plot: pages 11-12
-- Theme: page 12
-- Checklist of Literary Elements: pages 12-13
Your first paper will be a 500-750 word critical essay on a selected short story, to be written in
a 3rd-Person Point-of-View. You are to choose your story from the list below.
This paper is not a plot summary. Some suggested topics can be found on the accompanying
page.
Apply the standards of good writing that you have learned in ENC 1101 (Composition I),
including a clearly stated thesis statement in the introduction and a clear, logical structure using topic
sentences, developed ideas, and supporting quotes and details, ending your essay with a clear
conclusion in which your thesis statement is reworded. End with a Works Cited page.
To help with MLA style, study Part 5 in Kirszner & Mandell’s The Brief Wadsworth
Handbook. Also, review notes/handouts on documentation for matters of form. You must use direct
quotations in this short essay. Per MLA guidelines, up to 25% of your paper can be direct quotations,
while up to another 25% can be paraphrases. Remember, quotes and paraphrases are your evidence in
a literary paper. For Short Essay #1 based on The Elements of Fiction for a short literary work, you
should quote only from the reading selection in Literature and Ourselves (the primary text); do not
quote/cite outside research (secondary sources) for this paper.
Include a Works Cited page, properly citing the selected short story as “A Short Story, Play, or
Poem in an Anthology” (Kirszner & Mandell’s The Brief Wadsworth Handbook, Part 5, page 216, item
16). This same information can be found in the MLA PowerPoint posted on Atlas. You can find
additional MLA information in Literature and Ourselves, Appendix C, “Documenting a Research
Paper: MLA Format,” on pages 1149-1164. Additionally, there is an MLA student paper on pages 3439 in Literature and Ourselves.
CHOICE OF STORIES (from Literature and Ourselves):
 “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway (pages 297-301)
 “A Fable” by Mark Twain (pages 864-866)
 “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Grover Thurber (pages 866-871)
 “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury (pages 871-876)
 “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood (pages 885-888)
I suggest you read the blurb before the story, too, that gives background information about the author
and possibly of the story. I also recommend reading the questions and suggestions after each selection,
titled “Questions for Engagement, Responses, and Analysis” and “Crafting Arguments,” which often
spur ideas.
ENC 1102
Instructor Sharon Cronk-Raby
scronkraby@atlas.valenciacc.edu
2
POSSIBLE TOPICS:
1.
Characters and Theme: Select a character with an inner conflict or a set of characters in
conflict with each other. Consider the motivations, influence on the plot, individuality or
stereotyped traits, influence on other characters, and relationship to theme. Create a thesis
statement asserting the chosen character’s/characters’ roles in developing a particular
theme; include the Author and “Title” in the thesis statement (as the last sentence of the
Introductory Paragraph). Then, support your thesis statement with an analysis of the ways
this theme evolves from the character’s/characters’ actions and thoughts.
2.
Narrative Voice: Analyze the role of the narrator in mediating the story and helping the
reader understand the conflicts and themes. Identify the narrative point-of-view. Then,
mainly focus on the ways this particular narrative voice controls the other elements of the
story, such as plot and suspense, portrayal of and biases toward other characters, and
themes. Your thesis statement should be an assertion about the influence and impact of the
particular narrative voice. Your thesis statement should be the last sentence of the
Introductory Paragraph and should include the Author and the “Title.”
3.
Symbolism: Select a particular symbol or series of symbols in the reading, and discuss use
and importance of the symbolism. Sometimes a symbol is a clear allegory of something
else, and sometimes a symbol is an interpretive, changing expression of meaning,
depending on character point-of-view, among other elements, as a symbol can represent
different meanings to different characters for different reasons and different phases of life.
However, be careful to avoid far-fetched interpretations, and remember that not every
image or event is symbolic. Ground the meaning in the text. Most of all, avoid vagueness;
be specific in your analysis. Your thesis statement, as the last sentence of the Introductory
Paragraph, should clearly reference the symbolism to be analyzed, and it should include the
Author and the “Title.”
4.
Your Choice: Select a particular feature of the short story, based on our study of the
Elements of Fictions. Remember, this is not a plot summary, but rather, it is an analysis of
a short work of fiction. Your thesis statement should assert the importance of the element
you are featuring, and, being placed as the last sentence of your Introductory Paragraph, it
should also include the Author and the “Title.”
Remember to follow the Writing Process when you write!
“We have discovered that writing allows even a stupid person to seem halfway intelligent, if only that
person will write the same thought over and over again, improving it just a little bit each time. It is a lot
like inflating a blimp with a bicycle pump. Anyone can do it. All it takes is time.”
-Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
ENC 1102
Instructor Sharon Cronk-Raby
scronkraby@atlas.valenciacc.edu
3
Grading Rubric:
Writing Assignments fOR ENC 1102
For all written work completed in Composition II (ENC 1102), the following grading standards will be
used; therefore, use this information as a checklist to make sure you are not forgetting anything.
FINAL COPY:
CONTENT & ORGANIZATION:
Worth 50% of the grade for each writing assignment!!!
Consideration of Purpose (What is the point of this assignment? What is the reader to understand?)
Creative Title (fits the content of the writing)
Introductory Paragraph
Thesis Statement (last sentence of Introduction) (1 clear & strong sentence that names the main idea of the writing)
Concluding Paragraph (thesis statement reworded, anywhere in conclusion)
Body Paragraphs (as many as needed to accurately and specifically accomplish the writing task)
Each Body Paragraph starts with a Topic Sentence (in your own words; do not quote in a Topic Sentence)
Each Body Paragraph uses Specific and Accurate Details of Support (Unity & Coherence)
 Mostly in your own words
 Using and Citing information that is summarized, paraphrased, or quoted, per MLA
(as appropriate to the assignment)
Word Choice (avoid wordiness) (formal writing = no slang, no abbreviations, no contractions)
Transitions (flow of paper)
Overall Structure (follows a recognizable and logical pattern)
Quality and Depth of Thought (representative of college-level work)
MECHANICS & CONVENTIONS: Worth 50% of the grade for each writing assignment!!!
Typed (double-spaced; 12-point fonts; 1-inch margins)
Page Heading, per MLA guidelines (top left corner of first page)
Page Headers, per MLA guidelines (last name & page number)
Word Count:
(as appropriate for the writing assignment)
Properly Documented Sources, via In-Text Citations, per MLA style (as appropriate for the writing assignment)
Works Cited page, per MLA style (as appropriate for the writing assignment)
Typos
Structure of Paragraphs (indented) (no extra spacing between paragraphs)
Sentence Structure (avoid fragments, run-ons, comma splices)
Sentence Variety
Consistency of Verb Tense (past tense; present tense; future tense) (as appropriate for the writing assignment)
Consistency of Point-of-View (report writing utilizes all 3rd-Person point-of-view) (no 1st-Person; no 2nd-Person)
Agreement (pronouns; subject-verb)
Punctuation
Capitalization
Spelling
Grammar & Usage
TOTAL:
100%