This essay requires you to develop an argument based on close analysis of a passage or selection of no more than three passages from one of the short-stories that weve read for this week.
Raymond Carver Cathedral pp. 261-67
James Joyce Araby pp. 220-23
Katherine Mansfield Miss Brill pp. 135-37
Guy de Maupassant The Necklace
http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/646441/vantt/The%20necklace.pdf
ZZ Packer Buffalo Soldiers 105-107
What this means is that you have to read a representative part of the text closely explicate the language (i.e. what is it saying and why it is important) and ultimately place it in the context of the story as a whole. Youll need to identity what the author is doing in this particular passage and why. The effectiveness of your argument will depend on the way in which you analyze interpret and discuss textual evidence to substantiate your claims. To ensure youre not merely summarizing the story consider the difference between the sets of questions below.
Refer to the document Questions for Close Reading a Literary Passage inUnit 2 Course Materialsfolder for more specific guidelines additional resources and examples of close reading. The same folder also includes a close reading of selected passages from The Empty Family a short-story by Colm Tibn.
You must includea minimum of five (5) short but significant carefully selected details(key words or phrasesnot long lines) from the primary source. Format the first page and in-text citations according to the MLA style. MLA formatting makes attribution easier. The References section should follow APA which is the desired format for your discipline. You are not required to do outside research for this assignment but if you choose to go for it and remember to cite all secondary sources appropriately. Use the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) for assistance with proper documentation. Also see resources in our Course Materials folder and useSmarthinking.
Your essay must be2+ pages (700+ words)and follow APA format. Submit your essay in Turnitin by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday November 27. See syllabus for our course ID and password.
REQUIRED: You need to submit your essay in two places: V-Camp Dropbox andTurnitin. In Turnitin paste a copy of thegrading rubricbelow at the end of your document (immediately following the References page/entries). Failure to do so will result in loss of points.
For ease of pasting the grading rubric a Word document of the Close Analysis Essay Criteria is located in theUnit 2 Course Materialsfolder. The grading rubric along with Turnitin tools will allow me to provide you with extensive detailed commentary on your writing.

Write an essay that discusses why and how specific symbols are used to depict one or two of the themes from Unit 2 in a particular way. Your essay should incorporate details and quotes from the story (using parenthetical documentation with the author’s name), and you should use your own words to elaborate on the meanings of the details and quotes you use as evidence. The themes to choose from are:

• Love (Romantic, Platonic, or Filial)
• Alienation/Otherness
• The American Dream/Nightmare
• The Quest for Identity/Coming of Age
• Conformity/Rebellion

Stories To Choose From:

• Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
• Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”
• Tobias Wolff’s “Powder”
• Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains”

Instructions:

When writing your essay, the goal is to demonstrate what spin the story has on a particular theme. Be specific about the ways the theme is used and how the story’s use of symbols develops a deeper meaning to the theme. Provide details, including cited direct quotes from the story, but don’t forget that you must comment on the quotes you use to explain why they are significant.

As an example, one student might focus on how in Chopin’s “The Storm,” the passion between Calixta and Alcee is represented by the symbol of the rain storm and makes a social commentary on the theme of love. Love is a very general term, so this student should note that s/he is focusing on forbidden, or adulterous, romantic love in particular and comment on how that refines the broader theme. One appropriate thesis statement for this particular topic would be something similar to the following:

“Although Calixta loves Bobinot, she willingly has a passionate affair with Alcee in order to demonstrate that passion, represented by the storm, is ultimately a symbol for her own female independence.”

Then, you would contrast Calixta’s relationship with Bobinot with her relationship with Alcee in order to show that Calixta could simultaneously function as an efficient housewife and passionate lover to her husband if society at the time would allow such a woman to exist.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. Please ask if you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism. Your words and your ideas must be your own.

Formatting and Style

Be sure to maintain an appropriate academic tone (no slang, second-person [“you,” “we”], contractions, etc.)

Your essay should be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins, and numbered pages. Include your name, my name, the title of the class, and the date in the upper left hand corner of the first page. Center your title (you do not need to underline or italicize it) and place it above the body of the essay. Do not include a title page.