Go through the story/stories and mark how the author uses narrative, character, setting, symbolism, etc., to convey that theme. Then, write an analysis of the short story/stories; employ as many of the literary terms that we have studied as you legitimately can to present a thorough literary analysis of how the theme “works” in the story/stories you have selected (as if to enlighten an educated reader about the important aspects of this particular short story.) You must select AT LEAST TWO of these techniques. Some of those literary terms are:
setting
plot
characterization
conflict
symbolism
point of view
irony
tone
stereotypes
exposition
rising action
falling action
climax
foreshadowing
flashback
protagonist
Construct a thesis that indicates a) your focus, and b) the relation of that focus to the story as a whole. Also note that there is some latitude in assigning meaning to a short story. What I see as the major theme may be different than what you see. The important criterion to keep in mind is: can you prove it? Therefore, you need a thesis because you are arguing for your interpretation of the story. The thesis should not be so obvious that your reader will say “so what?” Don’t settle for trite generalizations. Instead, make a statement which indicates thought and depth, and which requires support and proof. Your goal should be to illuminate for the readers some point that they might not have noticed upon first reading the story.
Find evidence in the text to support your thesis, and organize the rest of your essay around these quotations and examples. Don’t rely on generalizations about or paraphrases of the story to convince your reader, but provide specific evidence and discuss the importance of that evidence for your thesis. Please note: you should not insert huge chunks of quotes in your paper and count that against your minimum page length. Roughly 70% of the paper should be your own words and thoughts.
Conclude your paper by summing up your argument so that the readers see that your evidence does support your thesis.
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