Prof LOverman
English 355
Essay 1 Short Story
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Late assignments Will Not be Accepted
Scratch Outline/Thesis Due in class Thursday 2/18-must be TYPED and peer reviewed
for credit. No makeups!
Essay 1 Due uploaded in Turnitin.com via Moodle Tuesday,1155pm 2/23 for credit.
Extra Credit LRC visit w/ proof: 10 extra credit points given ONCE for attending LRC
during this essay’s drafting process, but you may go as many times as you need to. Must
include proof of visit attached to your final draft.
(Note: Instructor will only review rough drafts one-on-one during an appt. you make with
her)
In a well-organized essay – 2 ½ - 3 pages, typed, double spaced, 12-pt, font (excluding Works
Cited page) – observe MLA requirements as discussed in class and in your text.
Writing Task:
Explain how your close reading of a short story reveals the relationship between significant
parts of the story and the whole.
More specifically, select one short story from the list below and identify its theme. Then explain in
detail how the elements: plot sequence, characters, point of view, tone, and/or setting contribute
to and reflect the theme of the story.
NOTE: Not all stories develop these aspects equally; thus, do not attempt to address them all. It
is best to focus on 1-2 aspects at the very most, allowing you to go into detail and provide several
textual examples of how these specific parts make significant contributions to the creation of the
whole.
Select ONE story from the following list to analyze:
“Dead Man’s Path” (543)
“Two Kinds” (639)
“Happy Endings” (545)
“Accident” (131)
“Barn Burning” (328)
“Bullet in the Brain” (496)
This is NOT a research paper. Do NOT go to outside sources for “ideas”;
everything you need to know is in the text. Your purpose is NOT to come up with a
unique, innovative interpretation of these selections of literature. Your purpose is
to show that you recognize the elements of fiction and to illustrate how they are
important to the overall understanding of the work.
YOUR PURPOSE IN WRITING THIS ESSAY:
• Demonstrate your understanding of short works of fiction.
• Make a point about the work by communicating clearly and with sufficient detail.
• Illustrate your knowledge of various elements of fiction and the terms used to describe them.
• Illustrate your ability to recognize these elements at work in short stories by finding specific
examples in the text and correctly citing them using MLA format.
• Demonstrate your ability to organize details in a logical, persuasive fashion as to effectively
prove your point.
• Exercise the skill of writing well-crafted sentences utilizing standard edited American English.