Essay Homework
In this homework, you are going to write 4 to 6 pages essay based on the short stories we have covered. The essay will be argumentative in the sense that you will present a thesis within your introduction that will make a claim that must be substantiated with evidence. Keep in mind the same kinds of principles for closed-form writing that you practiced:
Task
The short stories from which you may choose are "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates, "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck, and "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor. The page numbers of these stories are included on the Syllabus.
Your task is to choose one feature - character, theme, symbol, setting, or point of view - and compare and contrast that feature in your two stories. For example, if you choose ‘character,' you might compare the development of the narrator in "Cathedral" to that of Connie in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Or, you may prefer to write about the theme of following social conventions in "The Chrysanthemums" and in "A Good Man Is Hard To Find." What you may not do is:
o Write about more than one feature. You must choose either ‘character,' or ‘theme' or‘symbol' and discuss this and only this feature in both of your stories.
o Write about "The Storm" and "The Story of an Hour" - we have already worked enough with these two stories.
1) Layout
You will be discussing two stories, so half your essay will deal with one story, and the second half with the other story. The plan will go as follows:
2) Introduction
o Briefly Introduce the topic of the essay, the two stories and the writers
o Include a thesis statement that covers your main point in the essay, which will be about either character, theme, or symbol.
3) Summary of the first story
o In no more than 250 words, summarize the main points in the story
4) Two-to-three body paragraphs on the first story
o These paragraphs will contain whatever you want to say about the story in relation to the thesis statement. If your thesis statement said, for example, that symbolism in the two stories is used to express the feelings of the characters, then these few paragraphs would show how that was true.
5) Summary of the second story
o In no more than 250 words, summarize the main points in the second story
6) Two-to-three body paragraphs on the second story
o These paragraphs will contain whatever you want to say about the second story in relation to the thesis statement. If we had the one above, that symbolism in the two stories is used to express the feelings of the characters, then these few paragraphs would show how that was true in the second story
7) Conclusion
o You draw the essay to a close with some final comments
Format your homework according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.