Assignment 2: First Analytical Essay on Short Fiction

By Tuesday, February 14, 2017, submit your essay as a Microsoft Word document in an attachment to the Discussion Area at the bottom of the page.

By Wednesday, February 15, 2017, comment on at least two of your classmate’s submissions using the peer review questions provided below.

Write your analysis focusing on one of the following elements from one of the assigned short stories:

• Character
• Theme
• Symbolism
• Imagery
• Setting
• Point of view

In a 4-page (1,200-word) literary analysis, write an in-depth analytical essay using your own ideas plus supporting evidence from the text, such as quotations, paraphrases, and summaries, remembering that quoted material should never exceed 25% of the essay.

Note: Next week you will have an opportunity to incorporate into your essay scholarly source material that further substantiates your argument. You may include such information in this week’s essay, but it is not required at this point.

Start by selecting one of the short stories assigned by your instructor this week. Brainstorm to identify a literary element in the text that you would like to explore, such as character, theme, symbolism, imagery, setting, or point of view. Then, develop a preliminary thesis that offers a specific interpretation of this element.  

If you have trouble coming up with a focus or thesis, contact your instructor, who will help you brainstorm.

Next, develop an introduction that states your original thesis (main claim) and briefly describes the story and author you will be discussing.  

The body of your essay should support and defend this thesis with specific evidence taken from the text that you discuss thoroughly and thoughtfully. Remember that no more than 25% of the essay can consist of direct quotations.

Your essay should end with a concluding paragraph or two, summarizing the key points of your paper and explaining the significance of your interpretation. When finished, the paper should be at least 1,200 words long (approximately 4 double-spaced pages).

Apply APA rules of style to source citations as well as the overall formatting of your essay. Be sure to include a title page and a References page.

Use this APA Citation Helper as a convenient reference for properly citing resources.

This handout will help guide you in the details of formatting your essay using APA style.

You may create your essay in this APA-formatted template.

When responding to your peers please answer the following questions:

1. Locate the paper’s thesis. Is it obvious or unclear? Does it establish an interpretation of a key theme from the story? Is the thesis as specific as it needs to be?
2. Is each paragraph organized around one key point? Do topic sentences clearly indicate the focus of each paragraph?
3. Does the author support each main point with direct quotations from the story that are analyzed and explained? Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
4. Where do you disagree with the author’s analysis? What aspects of the story are left unexplained?