This essay assignment requires you to analyze an element of fiction in one or more short story.
You are NOT writing a summary of the story. You are NOT simply to tell what happens in the story. Instead, you are writing an analysis. For this type of essay, you will find an element of fiction we have discussed (narrator, setting, theme, symbolism, etc.) and pull that out with examples from the story, the primary source. You will also support your ideas with information you find from secondary sources like journal articles, books, and information from academically-based websites.
To understand this process, you first need to read over Chapter 43 in the tiny Writing volume of your textbook. **Do not read the Explication section as you will be writing an analysis.
We will use the essay over “The Tell-Tale Heart” in your Writing volume and also these sample essays:
Sample Essay: John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”: A Woman Bound by Society
Sample Essay: Characterization and Symbolism in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”
Sample Essay: The Existential Theme in Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
They will give you solid examples of the paper you should write. The documentation might be off a bit, but stick to what I explain on the next few pages, and you will be fine. Read over them all carefully before continuing, and next, we will discuss the process of writing such an essay.
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