Essay ENG 130: Literary Response for Setting
This assignment focuses on your ability to: learn how to interpret the literary device of setting
and how it affects the character of the story/poem.
The purpose of completing this assignment is: as a student, in your career, and individual
lives, you will often need to look beyond the plot and summary of what you are reading and put
a different spin on it. An example of this might be interpreting data and the varying components
of how that data was created, as well as what to do with the data as you move forward.
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Prompt (What are you writing about):
Choose one of the readings from this unit and in a well-crafted 2-page essay, respond to the
following prompt:
Choose one of the stories/poems in Units One or Two. Analyze the setting place and setting
mood and how this setting and mood shape the story?
Instructions (how to get it done):
Read through all of the instructions of this assignment.
Read all of the unit 1 and 2 resources.
Select one of stories or poems to write about.
Your audience for this essay is people who have read the stories/poems.
Use text examples to support your answer.
Your essay will have the following components:
o A title page
o An Introduction
o A thesis at the end of the introduction that clearly states how setting shapes the
story.
o At least two supporting sections that defend your thesis/focus of the essay
o Text support with properly cited in-text citations
o A concluding paragraph
o A reference page with the short story citation
Requirements:
Length and format: At least 2 pages.
The title page and reference page are also required, but they should not be factored into
the 2-page length of the essay.
The paper should be double spaced with 1-inch margins. Choice of fonts: 11-point
Calibri, 11-point Arial,12-point Times New Roman. Essay should conform to APA
formatting and citation style.
Use the third-person, objective voice, avoiding personal pronouns such as I, you,
we, etc.
Please use the short story sources and any outside sources you need to create a
properly formatted APA reference page.
Use APA format for in-text citations and references when using outside sources and
textual evidence.
Skills to be assessed with this assignment: creating effective thesis statements,
incorporating text, responding to literature.
Please be cautious about plagiarism. Make sure to use in-text citations for direct
quotes, paraphrases, and new information.
Mini lesson on thesis statements:
Questions to ask yourself:
o What is the setting of my chosen story? What is the place? What
is the mood created by the author? How do the place and mood
affect the story for the reader?
o For example, it is apparent that in Whitmans I Hear America
Singing you would devote a supporting section to the locations of
his poem and a supporting section to the mood he creates through
the setting.
Translate that into a thesis:
o After you have made connections to these two areas of setting
you will then form your thesis.
o Here is a example template for your thesis. You are welcome to
use this template for your essay:
In Walt Whitmans poem I Hear America Singing, it is
apparent that the setting place and location shape the poem
through the obvious American workers locations and the
tone of triumph and hopefulness.
