The Moths by Helena Maria Viramontes Essay

Revision Activity due 4/4 Saturday before midnight

Final Essay due Sunday 3/5 in Module Three Submission Folder

“The Moths” (304-307)

Compose an original title and develop an eight paragraph essay in which you interpret the author’s purpose in Helena Maria Viramontes’ short story “The Moths.” (Introduction with thesis, expository paragraph 2, four body paragraphs with one or more quotations in each, the concession and refutation paragraph 7 with one or two quotations, and a conclusion. Include all eight paragraphs to demonstrate your knowledge of the formal outline and the essay requirements. Include the author’s name and title of the story in your introduction as well as a narrowed topic culminating in your thesis sentence. The complex, argumentative thesis at the end of your introductory paragraph should state your narrowed topic and argumentative claim about the purpose of the story and the four subtopics that you will develop. Be sure to include a minimum of five quotes from the story to support your argument. You may select longer passages (limit to one or two sentences), particular word choices, or even sentence structure or punctuation to add specific details to your argument. Document all quotes with in-text citations in MLA style, and add a work cited page. You are required to refer to your hard copy of the textbook pages from our Canvas website so that you can include quotations as evidence to support each of your subtopics.

Choose one of the following topics.

Essay Topic One:

Throughout “The Moths,” the narrator’s character develops as she grows closer to her grandmother or abuelita. Discuss the influence of her grandmother on her transformation. Select four scenes in the story that reveal the relationship between the narrator and her grandmother and its influence on her inner strength or spirituality. In the final scene, what does her reaction to Abuelita’s death and the magical real image of the moths demonstrate about her character?

Essay Topic Two:

Gender stereotypes lower the narrator’s sense of self-worth throughout “The Moths.” Discuss the stereotypical outlook of her sisters, her father, or her mother and how the grandmother enables her to triumph over these limited views. How does the magical real image of the moths in the final scene relate to the narrator’s new identity and her relationship with her abuelita?