Short story outline

Assignment #3-Short Story Analysis

Rough Draft Due:

Final Draft Due:

Description of Assignment:

Analyzing a short story is fundamentally different than analyzing a poem because the

short story allows for detail, complexity and story arcs that are often not the focus of poetry,

which is closer to distilled language, highly stylized and condensed. The short story uses prose

to create contradiction, conflict, subtlety and fully realized characters.

For this assignment, answer these questions about your short story: What are the big

ideas at work? What does this story tell us about human nature? What are the principles this

story asks us to contemplate? Use the literary devices outlined on pages 2-3 of The Dictionary of

First Concepts handout to analyze the techniques used to create meaning in your story.

Organization:

The introduction should give some key background on the story and where it fits in the

canon of the author’s works. Any historical details concerning the author or the circumstances

surrounding the story’s creation should remain in the introduction or conclusion. The thesis

should indicate the theme (big idea, principle or overall message of the story) and which literary

devices you will use to analyze the story.

The body will identify where, how and to what effect your chosen literary devices work in

your short story. Use quotes (but none longer than 2-3 lines at a time), paraphrasing and

outside sources to root your essay in textual analysis. Organize the body so your analysis builds

on each previous paragraph, giving us the basics first and ending on whichever element you feel

is the culmination or unifying element of all the rest.

The conclusion should restate your thesis and examine any new understandings about

the literary devices and themes that arise from analyzing the short story. What should we take

with us about this subject? What have you uncovered in the short story that is worth

remembering?

Requirements:

• MLA formatted with in-text citations and a works cited page.

• 3 pages (about 1000 words plus a works cited page), typed, double-spaced, 12pt font,

Times.

• Three college-level sources in addition to your story, ​either from a printed source or the college’s online databases.​ If you are unable to find sources this way, please contact me.