English 102:  Short Story Analysis Essay

Primary Objectives:

Write a two page (minimum) [2003 MLA formatted] essay in which you analyze
either character, theme, or point of view in one short story.  You must provide
evidence from the story as support for your thesis (this is a subjective approach);
hence, you must include parenthetical citations, minimum of four (see sample essays). 
You may also
include the critical comments of other writers, but these are not mandatory. 
If you
do decide to use critical commentary, you are required to (1) have an MLA formatted
Works Cited page and (2) submit a copy of any page from which you borrow information
with the quoted passage(s) highlighted and numbered in the order in which they appear.
These will be submitted in a separate envelope,
much like you did for the other two essays.

You may use any story from the text except "The Most Dangerous Game,"
which is commercial fiction.  If you use a story that is from another book,
please make me a copy of it (if I do not have one), and submit it with your essay.
Remember, you cannot use a novel for your analysis.

To help you as you compose, I suggest the following pages from your
Story and Structure textbook: (selected from the Appendix entitled
“Writing about Fiction”)

"Analysis, not explication"               p. 492
"Focus on a Single Story"
               p. 493

"Proving Your Point"                         pp. 495-96
"Writing the Essay"                           pp. 497-99
"Principles and Guidelines"             pp. 501-06 (using quotations)
"Grammar, Punctuation,                   pp. 518-22
& Usage"

If time permits, you might also read the sample interpretive essays
on 523-25 and/or 525-28, which may be valuable to you even though
they differ in purpose from yours.  The first is strong, but is an example of
explication; the second is analytical.



Please be sure that you use literary present tense for most of

the verb forms which describe the action in the plot.  For example,

For example: At the roadhouse, Frank makes Tub sit down at a table and then requests
"[. . .] four orders of pancakes, plenty of butter and syrup (40).  Here the reader sees Frank
as an enabler, allowing Tub his food indulgences--an act unconsciously designed to
make Frank feel better about his sexual ones regarding the fifteen year old Roxanne Brewer,
with whom he is in love. (all boldface mine)

Do not use past tense as in the following:

Frank made [. . .] requested [. . .].  Here the reader saw [. . .] with whom he was in love


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