English 1302 Short story analysis

Assignment Five: Short Story Analysis

Instructions:

The short story analysis research essay must be at least three (3) keyboarded pages, plus a

“Works Cited” page containing at least four (4) entries. Follow MLA guidelines for

documentation and formatting.

To begin, go to “Assignment Five: Short Story” in “Assignments.” Watch the video lectures and

read the short stories at least twice. They are as follows:

 Elements of Literature with Mr. Taylor (Parts 1 andd2)

 Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily”

 Jackson, “The Lottery”

 A Discussion of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”

 “Almost a Man”

 Guidelines for Interpreting Literature

 Use Evidence and Analysis to Support a Thesis.

Next, choose one (1) of the short stories (“A Rose for Emily,” “The Lottery,” or “Almost a

Man”), and analyze one (1) of the following elements of literature:

 Major Character (Note: “The Lottery” does not have a major character)

 Theme

 Symbols

Then, using the North Lake Library databases, locate at least three (3) sources about the short

story. At least one about the author, at least one about the story, and at least one about the

element of literature (major character, theme, or symbols) you will focus on in your critical

essay.

North Lake Library Databases:

Use only information you have found in the North Lake Library databases. It

is reputable, academic, or scholarly/peer reviewed/referred. Do not use any

information found on the web (search engines).

You can find more information than you can possibly use on any one of the three short stories in

the following North Lake Library databases:

 Academic Search Complete

 Bloom’s Literature

 Omni File

 Literature Reference Center (Here, you can do a general search under the author and short story title. Also, for each of the short stories, you can type in the author, the title,

and masterplots to get excellent additional information.

In addition, you can find excellent additional information in the North Lake Library if you go to

“Research Help.” Under this heading you will find “Research LibGuides.” Under this heading

you will find “Literature” in the second column, the fourth item from the bottom of the list. This

contains research information on “A Rose for Emily,” “The Lottery,” and “Almost a Man.”

Essay Outline:

 Write your introduction. Give the background of the author, the short story, and identify/explain the element of literature (major character, theme, or symbols) you are

focusing on in your essay. State your thesis/claim. Include your critical sources and

document them.

 Develop the body paragraphs by analyzing the element of literature you have chosen to develop the short story. Include your critical sources to support your points and

document them.

 Conclude by evaluating the effectiveness of the story according to your thesis/claim.

MLA In-Text and “Works Cited” Documentation:

Introduce, that is signal, your sources and use in-text citations. Use short quotations and

summaries and document them. The “Works Cited” page will contain at least three (3) secondary

sources and one (1) primary source, that is, the short story you are analyzing.

Example of In-Text Citation and the Works Cited Entry for an Article Accessed through a Database:

Some literary critics claim that Faulkner in part based the character of Miss Emily on England’s

Queen Victoria. For example, Gary L. Kriewald claims that “At the beginning of the decade in

which [Faulkner] wrote ‘A Rose for Emily,’ a major publishing event, Lytton Strachey’s Queen

Victoria, provided such information (5).”

Works Cited

Kriewald, Gary L. “The Widow of Windsor and the Spinster of Jefferson: A Possible Source for

Faulkner’s Emily Grierson.” Faulkner Journal, vol. 19, no. 1, Fall 2003, pp. 3–10.

Academic Search Complete.

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=14099556&site=ehost-live.

Accessed 21 Apr. 2020.

Example of In-Text Citation and the Works Cited Entry for a Primary Source:

Miss Emily states emphatically to the visiting Jefferson aldermen, “I have no taxes in Jefferson.

Colonel Sartoris explained to me. Perhaps one of you can gain access to the city records and

satisfy yourselves” (“A Rose”).

Works Cited

Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” www.cje.ids.czest.pl/biblioteka/7117936-A-Rose-for-

Emily.pdf.