Name_____________________________________
ENGLISH I:
MAJOR WORKS OF LITERATURE
AND EXPOSITORY WRITING 2013-14
Mr. Norment
Revision Assignment for Short Fiction Essay
Due: MONDAY, OCTOBER 14
TH
.
Length: 1 ½ to 2 full pages, typed, in MLA format
Process
Read my comments on your essay. Make sure you understand what I am asking you to work on for this revision. You will begin by working on the global issues – the “big picture” elements of your essay.
Step 1: Revise your thesis statement.
(the main idea of your entire essay)
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Look at your thesis and make sure it conforms to the template.
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Revise your thesis as necessary, making sure that you have a clear Point I and Point II.
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Keep working on it until you feel satisfied that it is better.
1.
Analyze the plot of Mark Twain’s “The Californian’s Tale.”
How does he create suspense?
For this essay, you should provide specific and detailed examples of the exposition, rising action, and climax of the story. Finally, analyze the effect of the plot. That is, explain why Twain used this particular plot, describing the effect this plot had on you, the reader. Do not provide a plot summary. Provide an analysis. Remember: a specific example is worth pages of wan woolgathering.
Template:
In “The Californian’s Tale,” Twain uses ________
I ___________and _____ II __________
(adjective and lit term) (adjective and lit term) to create a ____ (Descriptive Adjective that captures your take on the plot) ______ plot.
2.
Analyze the character of the mother in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “Tuesday Siesta.”
For this essay, you should describe the character of the mother, and you should describe, how, exactly,
Marquez creates the mother’s character. How do her actions help us understand her character?
How do Marquez’s descriptions help us understand her character? Remember: a specific example is worth pages of wan woolgathering.
Template:
In “Tuesday Siesta,” Marquez reveals the ___
(Descriptive adjective that captures the essence of the mother’s character) through the use of ______ I ___________ and _____ II _________.
(adjective and lit term) (adjective and lit term)

3.
Analyze the imagery used in Sandra Cisneros’s “The Monkey Garden.” For this essay, you should provide specific and detailed examples of the imagery (descriptions that appeal to one or more of the five senses). Finally, analyze the effects of these images. That is, how does the imagery help us understand the characters? The setting? The theme? The symbolism? Remember: a specific example is worth pages of wan woolgathering.
Template:
In “The Monkey Garden,” Cisneros uses __
(Descriptive adjective that shows the type of imagery used in the story) to ________ I _________ and to ________ II _________.
(Verb and lit term) (Verb and lit term)
Step 2: Revise your topic sentences.
(the first sentences of your paragraphs)
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Look at your topic sentences.
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Do they match up with the I and II in your thesis?
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Do they mention a literary term or technique and an effect?
Rewrite them so that they connect to your thesis and meet the above requirements.
Step 3: Make sure you have actual examples from the story you are discussing. These should be quotations that you include in your essay .
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Do you have any quotations?
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Do you have enough quotations?
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Go back to the story, re-reading it if necessary.
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I would try to include at least three quotations in each body paragraph.
Step 4: Revise the explanations for each quotation you use.
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You need to write at least two or three sentences that explain each of your quotations.
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For example, if you claim in your topic sentence that the mother’s actions in “Tuesday Siesta” help us understand her proud character, when you provide a quotation for the story, tell us why this quotation proves that idea.
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Make sure that you do this for all of the quotations in your essay. This is the most important part of your essay, for this is where you show me your ability to analyze.
Step 5: Revise the end of each paragraph.
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Look at the end of each or your body paragraphs.
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Do you have a sentence that re-states the main point of this paragraph?
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If not, write a clincher sentence that tells me what your paragraph has just proven.
Step 6: Revise your conclusion.
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Write a thorough conclusion.
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Re-state your main ideas (but do not simply rewrite your thesis word-for-word. Give me the same ideas but with different language.
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Think about why . Tell me why this essay helps us better understand the story. Why is the mother’s character so crucial? Why does Twain create so much suspense? Why does Cisneros use some much imagery?