A Good Man is Hard to Find p. 352 or p. 336
The Gift of the Magi p. 164 or 271
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas p. 252 or 229
in the Backpack Literature (Kennedy & Gioia).

Select one of the stories that you read and write an essay based on the provided writing assignment. The essay must be NO FEWER than 800 words. Essays containing fewer than the minimum word count will NOT be graded. You should not have more than 20% from outside sources (in this case the textbook). That is no more than 160 words. NO outside sources other than the textbooks should be used (no internet!).

Essay guidelines

The essay should be no fewer than 800 words.

The essay should include direct quotes and in-text citations from the text.

The essay should NOT include information from any outside sources other than your textbook. You should include both inner citations and a works cited page from the information in the textbook in MLA format.

Students should make sure that they answer the entire question and support their answers.

A Good Man is Hard to Find

n Review the steps outlined on pages 223-224 or 200-202 for writing about theme to help develop a strong thesis sentence about this storys theme. Then develop your argument into an essay, supporting your argument with evidence from the text, including quotations from the story.

The Gift of the Magi

n Write an essay analyzing the irony in this story. Discuss the various types of irony used, providing examples from the story. Explain how the author used irony to develop the story and entertain the reader. Also, discuss how the author used irony to help the reader better see the theme or main idea of the story.

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

n Write an essay discussing the use of symbolism in this short story. Does the author use a symbolic scapegoat in the story? How does symbolism affect the story? Why do you think the author used it in the story?