Short Fiction Essay
For this essay students must select 2 short stories which we have covered in class from Other Voices, Other Vistas and compare both the main themes of the story as well as the main characters.
Discuss both the similarities and differences between the stories and characters and how this affects how we understand the stories themselves.
5-7 pages, double spaced, MLA format. NO external sources allowed. Please include a Works Cited page listing the text itself.
What to do:
1) Select 2 stories that you would like to work with:
my choices are:
1- Abe, "The Magic Chalk"
2- Kawabata, "The Moon on the Water"
OR
1- Abe, "The Magic Chalk"
2- Borges, "The Book of Sand"
2) Make a list of the main themes and the main characters of the 2 stories: what do they have in common and how are they different?
3) Decide how to organize your essay. You could talk about the main themes and characters of one story, then the second story, and then compare/contrast them.
You could also compare and contrast the themes of both stories and then compare and contrast the main characters of the 2 stories with a general concluding paragraph. The important thing I want to know is how do you think these 2 stories are alike and how are they different? I really want to know what you think about the stories.
4) Now you are ready to write! I have changed the due date of the essay so that we have time when we come back from Thanksgiving to work on them together in class. In an ideal world, you will bring some kind of rough draft with you to class that day (11/27).
5) You don't need and aren't allowed to have any outside sources in this paper. However, you will need to have a Works Cited listing the two stories you are comparing.
6) Remember that I am happy to read drafts and give you feedback, but you must give me at least 3 days before the paper is due to read them.