Love

ENG1B

PROMPT #1

PROMPT Write an essay focused on Raymond Carver’s short story collection, What We Talk

About When We Talk About Love. What is a central theme you see working

throughout the stories in the book? Explain how that theme is present through the

elements of Character, Setting, Point of View and Imagery. Draw from at least four

stories from the collection.

NOTES AND

SUGGESTIONS - Remember that the elements of a short story include the following: Plot,

Character, Setting, Point of View, Imagery, Language, and Theme.

- One strategy for determining a theme is to look at the stories that drew a strong

response from you; not necessarily the ones that you liked, though that’s fine,

but also the ones you found confusing or strange or that resonated with you.

- When drawing up a theme for Carver’s stories, avoid overly broad and vague

statements like “The stories are about love” or “The stories are about the

problems of adultery.” A theme should be a specific claim about a topic the

stories present.

- Draw from the stories themselves for specific textual support, namely quotes.

Like any 1A paper, you are critically analyzing the work and need to support

any claims, observations, and interpretations you make with concrete evidence

from the stories.

- Avoid summaries of the stories; assume your reader is already familiar with the

stories themselves, so what you are responsible for it explaining and supporting

your argument about Carver’s collection

REQUIREMENT

S Essay Length – 5-6 pages

Introduction – Must contain full name of author and full title of work so readers

know what you are focusing on.

Theme – Located in the introduction (usually at the end) and states the central

argument of your essay.

Body Paragraphs – Make sure you explain and clarify the connection between

the topic of the paragraph with your theme.

Conclusion – Restate the thesis using different words and end on some kind of

final observation, thought, opinion that encapsulates the stories you focused on

FORMAT Header – Top left corner; double-spaced; includes Name, Class, Instructor, Date

Title – Centered; one return after the Header; essay begins one return after Title

(Every essay must have a title that gives the reader an idea what it’s about; note

that it doesn’t clarify anything to a reader to re-state the title of the essay you are

summarizing)

Spacing – Everything, including the Header, is double-spaced

Margins – Left/Right = 1”; Top/Bottom = 1”

Font – Type = Times New Roman; Size = 12pt

Page #s – Top right hand corner, INSIDE the Header Space

DUE DATE