final and reflection
RUNNING HEAD: LITERARY ANALYSIS. 2
LITERARY ANALYSIS. 2
Literary analysis
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Literary Analysis Prewriting
I have chosen the short story by Neil Gaiman, How to Talk to Girls at Parties. I chose this short story because it is indulging and vividly describes the plot losing focus.
Summary
The story follows Enn, a shy boy who goes to a party with his crazy friend Vic. Enn recounts the story thirty years later. Enn and Vic arrive at a party and are greeted by a girl, Stella, with whom Vic begins flirting instantly. Vic attempts to get Enn to approach at least one girl at the party. He runs into Wain's Wain, who leaves as Enn gets water. The second girl Enn met claimed to be a tourist but was interrupted by Vin. He then meets the third girl, Triolet, who says a poem to Enn in a foreign language. Vic angrily pulls Enn away as they leave after something happens between him and Stella. Enn does not seem to remember the poem.
Literary elements
For my short story analysis, I will use the following literary elements; Point of View, Plot, setting, and them ( Yoon, 2018). Neil illustrates these components in the book.
Judgment on each subtopic (positive or negative)
1. Subtopic #1: Point of View.
i. Judgment: Positive Judgement.
ii. Evidence from Text: ‘ I don’t know how to talk to girls.’ Says Enn.
iii. Explanation: It is a short story narrated in singular first person by Enn. He relates their encounter with Vin in the present tense. However, he also says that the events were from 30 years ago. First-person tense allows Enn to describe what happened with authority since it is his story. Gaiman gives readers an experience of the party along with Enn.
2. Subtopic #2: Plot
i. Judgment: Positive Judgement
ii. Evidence from Text: ‘I went back to the kitchen and poured myself another Coke… I walked into the living room across the hall from the room where the people were dancing….'Enn narrates.
iii. Explanation: The story gives a strategic sequence of the different events.The main characters are introduced, Vin and Enn. They have to tackle the problem, which is allowing Enn to know how to talk to girls by going to a party which eventually happens. He is, however, cut off by Vin at the climax of the story.
3. Subtopic #3: Setting
i. Judgment: Positive Judgement.
ii. Evidence from Text: We walked the backstreets that used to twine in a grimy maze behind East Croydon station…
iii. Explanation: The setting gives a vivid picture to the reader of the time and places in the story where activities were taking place. Enn and Vic had just been told of a party in this example. Enn was contemplating whether to attend the party or not as Vic pushed him to go.
4. Subtopic #4: Theme
i. Judgment: Positive Judgement
ii. Evidence from Text: "It'll be brilliant," said Vic, for the hundredth time. "Girls! Girls! Girls!" He grinned with white teeth.
iii. Explanation: Understanding Others is the theme in this short story that I chose to use. Neil shows Enn’s desire to know how to talk to girls and understand them. This desire is often surrounded by guilt, fear of failure, rejection and not being enough. Enn views Vic as a strong person and barely understands how he manages to woo girls. Vic tells Enn to go to the party with him to boost his confidence. Vic shows he understands Enn and chooses to help him get through being shy.
Thesis Statement Draft
How To Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman tells of Vin and Enn. These two boys are 15-year-olds looking for a party where they can meet girls. The short story illustrates extensive use of literary elements throughout the book. The elements used in this paper are the point of view, plot, setting and theme. The subtopics indicate a favourable judgement with examples from the story.
Reference
Yoon, B., & Uliassi, C. (2018). Meaningful learning of literary elements by incorporating critical literacies. Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, 67(1), 360-376.