Assignment:Write a 750-1000 word essay making an overall point, such as exploring a significant issue in society (in the past and/or present), exploration of a concept (philosophical, psychological, etc.), among many other focus possibilities.  Feel free to run any topic ideas by me before drafting.
This point should be proven using the elements of fiction, such as conflict, point of view, setting, symbolism, theme, and so on, in any short story or novel that we have read for class so far (the two short stories and Beloved).  You can discuss more than one of our primary sources (such as the two stories, or a combo of a story and the novel, and so on. You can also use other works you are familiar with (stories, novels, TV shows, movies, etc.) in comparison with a story or novel we have read if youd like, but the focus should stay on one or more of our works read for class. 
In your argument, you will need to go beyond our class discussions; your paper should not be merely a rehashing of the issues already presented.  You can, however, use them as a springboard for your own original ideas, expanding and elaborating on them with your own twistthat is one of the points of the discussions.
There is an option to write ONE of the two required papers for the course as a creative work, utilizing the texts we have readsee the Creative Paper Option handout for details.
See the resources in the paper module for help with literary analysis and topic suggestions.
Objectives:
Analyze how the elements of fiction (characterization, symbol, theme, etc.) work in a short story, and/or novel, to reveal a strong overall point.
Make a strong argument through interpretation of a short story and/or novel
Practice MLA documentation when using quotations from a story and/or novel as evidence
Demonstrate college-level writing skills
Expectations:
See paper format guidelines in the syllabus.
Use MLA in-text (parenthetical) citations and an MLA style Works Cited page.
Use quotes, paraphrases, and summaries of the text(s) as support.
Include a clear thesis and maintain focus of the thesis throughout the essay.
**A thesis is a definite assertion or argument you make based on your topic. Although you may not have a clear thesis when you write the first draft of your paper, by the time you have your thoughts together, one main idea, or assertion, should emerge. This main idea, the thesis, should become part of the first paragraph in the final draft of your paper.
Organize your essay logically, using paragraphs effectively with transitions and topic sentences that clearly connect to your thesis statement.
Use an academic tone and third person only in literary essays: No second person (you, we) or first person (I, me, my); Dont say I think or I believejust make the statement.  Dont say I think the story is about guilt; just say The story is about guilt.
Discuss the text in present tense (not Cathedral was about stereotyping, but Cathedral is about stereotyping).
Include a very brief summary of the story/play/poem in your introduction, BUT be careful to avoid an essay that is all plot summary: You should demonstrate a clear understanding of how the element(s) you are discussing function(s) in the text to create meaning through insightful analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.  Also avoid defining the elements of fiction, drama, or poetry, as well as merely listing the elements of a particular story or poemgo into WHY and HOW.  Instead of merely saying A Rose for Emily is written in the first person plural, discuss WHY it is written from that perspective, what that contributes to the MEANING of the work as you see it.
Do not use any outside research for this essay.  However, feel free to utilize the resources given you by the instructor and the students in the modules and presentations.  If they are used, be careful to document correctly.
Suggestions:
Refer often to the Valencia Library website for questions about use and documentation of textual support, thesis statements, grammar, etc.
Consider visiting the Writing Center
Consider getting peer feedback from your classmates
Write your paper as soon as possible, and spend time on revising, editing, and proofreading carefully.
Purpose of Literary Interpretation: To present an idea about what the work means. This is your interpretation. Your task is to make your reading plausible and convincing based on a close and thoughtful reading.
Literary Essays Should Have:
A. A thesis statement–a central focal point from which the argument will follow
B. A convincing argument
C. Evidence from the story to support the argument and thesis
–examples, quotations, summaries, paraphrases of passages in the story followed by explanations of the meanings of each passage in light of the thesis
Annotate the work as you re-read for essay, to underline important passages and make marginal notes. The following are some aspects of the story to look at while reading:
Consider (for short fiction):
Character
Setting–imagery and symbolism
Plot
Point of View
Traditional Literary Motifs and Themes
Character
Character(s)
Name
Physical appearance
Personality
Mannerisms
What characters say, do, think, feel
What the narrator says about the character(s)
What other characters say about each other
The significance of images and symbols associated with characters
What each character might stand for
What role each character plays in the story
Look for ironies in what characters say about themselves or about others
Compare what they say to what they actually think, feel, and do
Compare what they think of themselves to what others think of them
Look for ambiguities and contradictions
How would the story change if narrated by a different character?
–Psychological Approach
Interpret characters’ motivations, inner conflicts, and doubts, whether they change or learn from experience
Focus on their relationships
–Ethical Approach
Consider characters’ virtues and vices, beliefs and values, how their actions correspond to their words
Setting
How does the setting comment on the action, affect moods, and heighten tension?
You might interpret the setting historically or culturally.
You might interpret the setting metaphorically or symbolically.
Does the setting represent how one of the characters thinks and feels? What does it tell about a character’s state of mind?
Time
Place
Scene Changes
Visual and Sensory Details
(shape, smell, color, texture, sound)
Weather
Season
Time of Day
Patterns of Opposition
o light/dark
o warm/cold
o sound/silence
o open/closed
Figurative Language
o similes
o metaphors
o symbols
o image patterns
o repeated or related words

Plot
How does it build?
What are the complications?
What is the conflict?
How is the conflict resolved?
Is there a subplot?
Is the plot realistic or surrealistic (dreamlike)?
Consider-foreshadowing
Framing, flashbacks, flashforwards
Point of View
Who’s telling the story?
Is she a character?
What does she know and how does she know it?
Does the narrator have access to all the characters’ thoughts? To one character’s thoughts?
To no one’s thoughts?
Is the narrator reliable? Can we trust what she says? Is she biased or blind?
How would the story change if narrated by a different character?
Traditional Literary Motifs and Themes
Rite of Passage
Heroic Quest for Truth or Salvation
Clash of Cultures
Clash of Genders
Clash of Generations
Fall from Innocence
The Making of the Artist
Conflict between Reality and Illusion
Hope and Disillusionment
Head and Heart
Beauty and the Beast
Nature and Society
Free Will and Fate
Past and Present
Chaos and Order
Justice and Injustice
The Individual and Community