short story essay

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https://www.d.umn.edu/~csigler/PDF%20files/oates_going.pdf

Here is the link to the short story

Read, analyze, evaluate, and connect to Joyce Carol Oates’ short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" After digesting the story, taking notes, and considering the critical interpretations that follow the story, find an issue (theme) that you would like to develop in a 2 -3 page essay. For example, is this a story of reality versus illusion? Is it about an adolescent’s desire for attention and the harm that could come from being noticed by the wrong person? Does it illustrate what happens when teenagers do not have close bonds with their immediate families? You must decide which of the critics most align with your own ideas about the story. Therefore, there should be at least three items on the Works Cited page: the story itself plus two or three articles. Be sure to include parenthetical references within the essay itself. Remember to develop the discussion of your thematic focus, NOT provide too much plot summary.

Requirements:

 Your essay must be 2 ½-3 pages in length, double-spaced. (not including the Works Cited page)

 Include at least two correctly documented direct quotations from the story AND from the critical interpretations.

 Third person point of view ONLY—no "you’s" or "I’s," etc.

Objectives of this Writing Assignment:

 To integrate reasonable and varying evidence from experience, knowledge, and the reading selection.

 To evaluate critical interpretations of the reading selection.

 To write an essay that is thoroughly developed and logically organized.

 To achieve a tone that is both personable and academic.

 To utilize the writing process – inventing, writing, revising, and editing – from start to finish.

Criteria for evaluating written assignments

 clear controlling idea or thesis

 sufficient evidence (supporting details) including selection of quoted passages

 effective organization of paragraphs and supporting ideas and clear transitions as needed

 proper grammar (sentence skills), spelling, and word usage

 correct documentation of sources (according to MLA)

 thoroughness in analyzing and following directions of assignment