Essay Outlines
There was some improvement!
Things that improved . . .
Most of you stuck to one longer sentence to
state your claims.
Most of you created a map in your thesis
that led me to each claim statement.
Most of you developed you introductions
with more than “these were the stories and
these men wrote them.”
Most of you attempted to tell how style
influenced tone.
Some good examples . . .
Thesis: The similarities and differences in
the short stories revolve around the authors’
uses of dialogue, imagery, and word color,
word sound. This style reveals the overall
tone towards the main characters.
– Claim 2: The authors’ uses of imagery create a
tone of hope for Sarty and despair for Dave.
Thesis: Both authors use diction, use of
dialogue, and syntax to portray a common
tone towards Dave and Abner and Dave’s
father and Sarty.
– Claim 1: Faulkner and Wright use dialogue to
portray a shameful tone in Dave and Abner as
well as developing the two characters to be
irresponsible.
Thesis: By using juxtaposition, diction, and
syntax, Wright and Faulkner show the tones
toward the characters Sarty and Abner in
“Barn Burning” and Dave and Mister
Hawkins in “The Man Who Was Almost a
Man.”
Claim 1: Faulkner uses juxtaposition to define
the nature of his characters Sarty and Abner
by endowing the former with extreme
courage and the latter with extreme
cowardice—the son and father serve as
foils.
What is wrong with these thesis
statements?
In “Barn Burning” and “A Man Who Was
Almost a Man,” the tone and style is
portrayed through the characters, but there
are also opposites in both stories in terms of
writing and roles.
Through the use of tone and style, both
Wright and Faulkner convey similar themes
but utilize different literary elements to
portray them.
Through the use of conflict, symbolism and
setting, Richard Wright’s “A Man Who Was
Almost a Man” and William Faulkner’s “Barn
Burning” come together with the same style.
The style and dialect between the two sons
and the two fathers. The story “A Man Who
Was Almost a man” the dialect is very
different from “Barn Burning.”
Good Claims . . .
Through the use of dialogue Wright shows
the relationship with Dave and his mother.
Faulkner uses dialogue in the same light
except he uses it very little to show the poor
relationship between Sardie and his father in
“Barn Burning.”
In both “Barn Burning” and “A Man Who
Was Almost a Man,” symbolism is used to
develop tone toward Dave and Abner.
Through the use of gothic imagery, Faulkner
expresses the farm of the Sartoris family as
chaos and confusion causing underlying
rebellious tension between the Sartoris
family and their neighbors.
Dave and Sarty are both young and for this
considered inferior; although the author’s
diction for the characters portrayed different
maturity levels.
Some not-so-good examples . . .
The Burning Barn and Blazing gun in the
two stories depict the rebellion and
frustration that Abner and Dave harbor in
their quest for control.
Syntax between the stories is very different.
Faulkner is more focused on narration and
Wright more toward dialogue.
Cowards run away where people like Sarty
stand up; the over theme of making right
decisions aren’t always the best decisions
prove true to both Dave and Sarty’s lives.
The use of point of view develops how Sarty
and Dave think and how thoughtful they are.
Common Errors! These can be fixed
easily with care and effort.
Misspelling of Sarty (Sardy, Saurty, Sordy)
Misspelling of Wright (Write, Right)
Misspellings in general
– Betrayel
– Writing
– Simmular
– Simularites
Mispunctuation of works (deduct 5 points for
this)
– “Barn Burning” not Barn Burning
Writing in fragments
Dialect is the NOT the same as archaic
language!