English paper

Length and Format: at least 750-1000 words; Standard MLA format with Works Cited Page; Failure to meet page and/or formatting requirements will result in ten points EACH deducted from your essay grade; failure to include appropriate MLA documentation will result in a zero for this assignment.

Constraints: Inductive or Deductive Reasoning; Use of at least ONE primary and ONE secondary academically credible source; Third Person POV; Literary Analysis Conventions; Failure to write in third person POV will result in ten points automatically deducted from your essay grade—even if it’s just one pronoun.

Examples to read for inspiration:

· A Devious Success in the Battle for Popularity

· A Joy that Kills

Grading: English Literary Analysis Rubric

Guidelines: In a literary analysis, you do not review the story or re-tell the plot; instead you explore a particular aspect of the story in detail, such as character, symbolism, themes, or setting. Since this is analysis of a text, you are required to use present tense when describing the story and third person point of view.

For your literary analysis, you will read a variety of short fiction for class, then choose one of the texts to write about.  You may also choose a short story or novel outside of the class collection. You MAY NOT use self-published materials or TV/Film; your chosen text must be written and formally published (i.e. not just available online). You will support your argument using the story you select and information gleaned from a secondary source.

Choose ONE of the following prompts, or develop one of your own:

1. Does heroism/villainy exist in in the story?  If so, how and why? If not, why?

0. How do the characters in the story define the heroic/villainous ideal? Focus on one or more characters. You may also argue the opposite side—how/why the characters do not define the ideal.

0. Who is the hero and/or villain of the text? Why? You may focus on one or more characters.

0. Demonstrate the hero journey present in the story.  You may also argue the opposite side—how/why the story does not follow the monomythic structure.

0. Demonstrate the archetypes present in the text.  

0. Make a case for why the text fits or doesn’t fit into one or more of Booker’s Metaplots.

DO NOT attempt to write about all of these prompts in your essay. You must choose ONE or develop your own.

To complete this assignment, first choose a short story or novel to work with; this can be a favorite story or novel or just one that you are intrigued by.  Not sure where to start? Check out these short story collections or visit the Unit 2 folder for more stories to peruse:

· “These Classic Stories Are So Short, You Have No Excuse Not To Read Them“

· “100 Great Short Stories”

· “13 Short Stories From Classic Novelists You Can Read Over Lunch”

· “Classic Short Stories”

These stories are OFF LIMITS.  DO NOT USE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING STORIES (if you do, you’ll get a zero):

· “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

· “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Checklist

Before you turn in your essay, make sure you can answer “yes” to the following questions.

· Does your essay have a specific title (other than Essay 2)?

· Does your introduction capture the reader’s attention?

· Do you include a clearly written, detailed thesis statement?

· Have you mentioned the author and title of your short story(ies) in the thesis statements?

· Does each paragraph support your thesis statement?

· Do you use specific examples from the text and secondary source(s) to develop your body paragraphs and support your points?

· Do you connect your evidence to your thesis statement through the use of commentary?

· Does your concluding paragraph bring your essay to a satisfying close?

· Is each paragraph well developed?

· Does each paragraph transition from one to the next?

· Is the essay written in third person?

· Is your essay formatted correctly? (See MLA information on eCampus)

· Do you correctly format the text title every time it is used?

· Is your essay free of grammatical errors?

· Is essay at least 750 words?

· Have you correctly spelled the text title AND the author and character names?