For your second short essay, critically read and analyze a short story of your choice from our textbook. All the selections are excellent, but I highly recommend some of my favorites:
• “Cathedral,” Raymond Carver
• “The Shabbat” from Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
• “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin
• “The Lady With the Dog,” Anton Chekhov
• “A Pair of Tickets,” Amy Tan
For your essay, focus on one element of fiction (based on your readings in our textbook: character, plot, narration/POV, setting, symbol, etc.) and analyze it closely as it pertains to the story you have selected. Sometimes other elements may factor into your analysis, but your analysis should stay clearly focused on that primary element of short fiction.
Your essay will be no more than 2 to 2 ½ pages but must reveal critical thinking about the literary
situation. Format your essay according to MLA guidelines (like this sheet):
• MLA-style paper heading, pagination
• Times New Roman, 12-point font
• Double-spaced lines with no extra space between paragraphs
• Appropriate citation of any quoted material
• MLA-style works cited page for any cited sources
I will not grade any essay that does not observe MLA conventions; if you turn in an essay that is not MLA appropriate, I will reject it and reduce your grade by 10% for every day that it is late until you have it correctly formatted and resubmitted. The assessment rubric for this paper is based on a maximum possible score of 100:
10 pts: The essay is guided by an articulate thesis that frames the work by identifying the element of fiction being analyzed
30 pts: The essay presents a clear and critical analysis of one element of fiction in the selected literature
20 pts: The essay uses specific evidence from the chosen text to illustrate the analysis
30 pts: The essay organization guides the audience through the analysis and justifies the analysis in
10 pts: Correct MLA formatting, including the Works Cited page, in an essay of no less than 2 full pages with minimal (5 or fewer) grammar and mechanics errors
100 points total
This essay must be submitted to Blackboard on or before February 24, 2019, no later than 11:59pm. You must not procrastinate, and you must think ahead to avoid technological problems. I will not offer a grace period. Beginning at 12:00 on February 25, I will deduct 10% of your grade for every day that the paper is late. Any instance of plagiarism, whether accidental or intentional, may result in a grade of zero for this assignment and will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students. I want to hear your voice and your unique, original perspective on the literature that you select. https://gatuma.me/testingblog/order/
