Name:
PAPER REQUIREMENTS
DUE DATE: The paper is due at the beginning of your class period on September 24 (NO EXCUSES) with a turnitin receipt. If you are absent that day, the paper is still due at the beginning of your class period. If the paper is one day late, 25% will be deducted from the final grade. Thereafter, 50% will be deducted from the final grade.
LENGTH: Your paper must be a MINIMUM of five (5) complete, typed, double-spaced pages, excluding the Cover
Sheet and Works Cited page.
SUBJECT AND SCOPE: You will analyze ONE of the following short stories (all of these stories are located in your
Norton Introduction to Literature book):“The Country Husband,” p. 74“ Do You Love Me,” p. 143; “Bartleby, the
Scrivener,” p. 164; “The Lady with the Dog,” p. 250; Interpreter of the Maladies,” p. 325; “The Blind Man,” p. 423;
“A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” p. 451; “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” p. 491; “Boys and Girls,” p. 509;
“Araby,” p. 519; “The Jewelry,” p. 634; “The Jolly Corner,” p. 645; “A Jury of Her Peers,” p. 678; “Bliss,” p. 692;
“Flowering Judas,” p.70; “Barn Burning,” p. 711; “The Garden of Forking Paths,” p. 722; “King of the Bingo Game,” p. 729; “The Lady with the Pet Dog,” p. 735; “Shiloh,” p.747; “Scarlet Ibis,” p. 757‘ “In Broad Daylight,” p. 769;
“The Prophet’s Hair,” p. 777; “Dressing Down,” p. 786.
DIRECTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS: This essay requires an analytical focus.
Trace one or more elements of fiction (characterization, point of view, setting, foreshadowing, symbolism, tone, etc.). Tell how these elements contribute to a theme in the story. Your paper must incorporate a minimum of four (4) secondary sources. In researching your topic, examine what other writers have to say about the story, the author, and the use of the elements you have chosen. Also consider the historical, social, or psychological context of the story, if appropriate. Do not use The Norton Introduction to Literature as a source. The emphasis of this paper should be on establishing and proving analytical claims (see “Writing the Paper” on page 3). Do not merely compile the background and comments of other writers in one section of the paper; rather, integrate information from secondary sources as it applies to the analytical claims you make in the paper. The great majority of the paper (three fourths) should be your own analysis of the story. Material from sources should account for no more than one fourth of the paper.
STEPS TO WRITING THE PAPER
1. Read the story completely through one time without annotating. Ask yourself “What is the main topic of this story?” Then ask yourself, “What is the author trying to argue, or what point is the author trying to make, about the main topic?” This is the theme of the story. EXAMPLE: In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin posits that even in the happiest of marriages, one or both partners are oppressed in some way.
2. Make a copy of the story. The second time you read, annotate it, paying particular attention to literary elements (characterization, plot, setting, point of view, tone and shifts in tone, imagery, irony, symbols, etc.).
Also look for patterns of ideas and shifts in the patterns. Underline key elements. Just as you have done in your in-class analysis, off to the side, write why these elements are important. Try to find connections between these ideas and the theme.
3. Research one or both of the following: a. Literary criticism on the elements of this short story. Some resources are the following:
· Short Stories for Students
· Twentieth Century Literary Criticism
· Literary journals such as Studies in Short Fiction and Explicator
· Online databases accessible through the Hamilton library (I will give you a handout on how to access the databases).
Also, in Google, type the name of the short story in quotation marks, the name of the author in quotation marks, and the words “literary criticism.” EXAMPLE: “The Story of an Hour” “Kate Chopin”
“literary criticism”

AND/OR – You can choose either 3.a or 3.b OR you can work with both 3.a and 3.b b. The author’s background and how that background contributes to the author’s writing style. DO NOT include information about the author that is not relevant to his writ-ing style. For example, do not include that the author had a wife and three children if those facts do not contribute to the characterization, etc. in his short stories.
4. You must use a minimum of four (4) sources, in addition to the story that is chosen. Be sure to use parenthetical citations with all quotes and with all ideas that are not your own. You may NOT use information from The Norton Introduction to Literature or from Wikipedia. You may use Wikipedia as a resource to find other sources, but not as a source. Remember that information posted on the web varies in quality and reliability.
5. You must staple photocopies of all articles (the entire article) and passages from books and other sources that are used in the paper, including those you find in library databases, to the paper. Do not include your selected story.
WRITING THE PAPER
1.
2.
Give the paper a significant title (not just the name of the short story).
The first paragraph should contain the name of the story (in quotation marks), the author’s name, a BRIEF synopsis of the story (no more than two sentences long), and a thesis statement that makes an assertion about the focus of your analysis (the elements around which the paper revolves and your theme).
3. To write the thesis: a. Look at the annotations on your paper. What literary elements stand out the most? How would you describe the elements? EXAMPLE: sympathetic characterization, oppressive imagery, etc. b. Combine these literary elements with the theme you have chosen (see #1 in Steps to Writing the
Paper on page 2). EXAMPLE THESIS: In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin, through sympathetic characterization and stifling imagery, posits that even the happiest marriages can be oppressive to one
4. or both partners in the relationship.
Body paragraphs a. Start with an analytical claim. EXAMPLE: Through Chopin’s characterization, Mallard transforms quickly from grieving widow to emancipated woman. b. Support the claim with a short quote (no more than one sentence long) or specific examples from the story. c. Comment on the quote. Tell why it is important, what effect it has, and/or how it connects to the theme. d. From your research, find a relevant idea or quote from either the literary criticism or the author’s background that supports the claim. e. Comment on the research and tell how it supports the claim.
Arrange your paragraphs in a logical sequence and use transitions within and among paragraphs.
5. Closing paragraph
The closing paragraph should bring a sense of completion to the paper but should NOT just repeat what you have said previously. Address thematic implications of your analysis. Talk about why the story continues to resonate with readers. Think of the closing as the “so what” section of the paper. It should amplify the significance of your previous assertions.
GRAMMATICAL CONSIDERATIONS: PROOFREAD. Read your paper out loud to someone else to see if it makes sense. Do not just rely on spell check, grammar check, etc. Papers with multiple grammatical errors will be returned to the student with a zero “0” grade. The student will then have a chance to make corrections, and the highest possible grade on the rewrite will be an 80. Consistently use literary PRESENT TENSE throughout the paper. Use third person. DO NOT use first or second person—“I think,” “in my opinion,” “you,” “your,” etc.

Name:
Date:
Carr / ___
AP English 12
Short Story Research
Short Story Title: ___________________________________________________________________
Short Story Author: _________________________________________________________________
Date of Short Story Publication: ________________
Rubric:
Quality and depth of
180-200
Essay clearly shows evidence of extensive
160-179
Essay clearly shows evidence of
140-159
Essay shows some evidence of
0-139
Essay shows little evidence of analysis.
100 points
Effectiveness of supporting quotes, examples, etc.
60 points
Format
20 points
Conventions
20 points research, synthesis of the writer’s ideas and those of other analysts and reviewers, sophisticated and/or fresh insights about the short story, strongly and effectively supported with evidence (quotes, examples, etc.) from a variety of reliable sources
MLA format, correct parenthetical citations,
Bibliography AND Works
Cited pages, at least four secondary sources. Well organized with a clear sense of beginning, middle, and end; each paragraph could stand alone as its own essay
Few, if any, grammatical or usage errors.
Conventions used creatively for effect
(dashes, hyphens, ellipses, etc.) research, some synthesis of the writer’s ideas and those of other analysts and reviewers, mature insights about the short story, effectively supported with evidence (quotes, examples, etc.) from at least three reliable sources
MLA format, correct parenthetical citations,
Bibliography AND
Works Cited pages, three to four secondary sources.
Organized with a sense of beginning, middle, and end
Some grammatical or usage errors.
Some creative use of conventions research, little synthesis of the writer’s ideas and those of other analysts and reviewers, few insights about the short story, too little or ineffective support or evidence
(quotes, examples, etc.) from 1-2 sources
Errors in MLA format, parenthetical citations,
Bibliography and / or Works Cited pages, one to two secondary sources.
Some sense of organization
Many grammatical or usage errors. research, little or no synthesis of the writer’s ideas and those of other analysts and reviewers, little or no insights about the short story, ineffective or no support or evidence
(quotes, examples, etc.) from 1-2 sources
Errors in MLA format, parenthetical citations,
Bibliography and / or Works Cited pages, weak secondary sources.
Little sense of organization
Errors impeded understanding