Length
1 4-to-5 pages, double-spaced, 10 or 12 font size (Times New Roman, please)
2 Remember: Each essay must be 4 to 5 pages, double spaced. Essays that are not 4 full pages will be penalized ten points.

Requirements
1 Title Your Essay – be sure to make your title specific to your topic and focus; also, be sure to include the name of the author and the name of the short story that you’ll be analyzing
2 Put your name, the class, and the assignment due date (all double spaced) at the top left corner of page 1
3 Insert a header with your last name and page number – (go to View, select Header, hit the tab key twice, type in your last number and a space, hit the # icon, and close the header)

Additional Special Requirements
4 10 (minimum) well-used paraphrases or quotes from the text to support your main points – be sure to include the page reference
5 Essay Time Log (see below)
6 Two (minimum) in-text citations (author and page reference) per body paragraph – be sure to include the page reference
7 You will need a minimum of five sources:
a. Two of your sources will be your short story selections from the textbook
b. Two of your sources will be literary criticisms of the short stories you selected. You may use either articles or books.
c. One of your sources will offer a non-fiction context to the short story selections (i.e. these could be historical connections, important policies passed during the time of the story, a cultural awareness about the types of communities in the works, facts or characteristics about the backgrounds of certain jobs characters hold, etc.)
8 Note: Cite all material. You must cite all materials that you use according to MLA style – both in the body of the text with in-text citation, and in a Works Cited page.

Assignment:
A personal response to literature explores your thoughts and feelings about a piece of writing. A review discusses why a particular literary piece may or may not be worth reading. A literary analysis, however, presents your thoughtful interpretation or understanding of a literary work. It is the most challenging form of writing about literature.

Choose one of the following essay questions, and write a concise literary analysis essay. Base the ideas in your analysis on a close and careful reading of the text. Make sure to connect all of your main points with specific references to the text. Also, maintain a presence of the key literary terms, as applicable, throughout the essay. Finally, present the results of your work in a carefully planned essay containing a thesis statement, supporting paragraphs, and closing remarks.

(Select two stories from our textbook and then select one of the following topics. For each of them, I want you to either note commonalities or contrasts in your analysis. For example, you may find that two stories have similar themes, though a varied approach in accomplishing it; as well, you may find two settings are symbolic for different reasons. The sun in one story might represent hope and in the other story it might symbolize intensity. Be keen about the stories you select. There should be a distinct relationship between the two. )

Topic Choices:

(1) Theme
Do certain passages – dialogue or description – seem to you to point especially toward the theme? Do you find certain repetitions of words or pairs of incidents highly suggestive and helpful in directing your thoughts toward stating a theme?

OR

(2) Setting
What is the relation of the setting to the plot and the characters? (For instance, do houses or rooms or their furnishings say something about their residents?) Would anything be lost if the descriptions of the setting were deleted from the story or if the setting were changed?

OR

(3) Character
What purposes do minor characters serve? Do you find some who by their similarities and differences help to define each other or help to define the major characters? How else is a particular character defined – by his or her words, actions (including thoughts and emotions), dress, setting, narrative point-of-view? Do certain characters act differently in the same, or in similar, situations? Why?

OR

(4) Protagonist
How would you describe the main character? Is he or she a flat or round character? If he or she evolves, does a clear path of motivation appear to be present? Also, what obstacle appears to be creating the most resistance for the protagonist? And does the protagonist overcome this antagonist or succumb to it?

WARNING
Students found to submit papers written by others, either in part or in whole, will receive zeros for plagiarism. Depending on the level of academic dishonesty, further actions may also be taken, including receiving an F in the course.

If you ever have any doubt about whether or not you’re plagiarizing, please ask me. Even if you are taking information from a source and writing it in your own words, you must still document your use of the source.

Time Log Requirement
I am requiring that you keep track of how much time you spend working on this assignment – from the invention stage to the finished, perfect essay – everything except the actual first reading of the novel. Refer to the format below for a guide of what you’ll be doing:

Essay Time Log

Date Task Time Spent Total Time Spent on Project
2/6 Brainstorming 30 minutes 30 minutes
2/7 Library Research 90 minutes 2 hours
2/8 Reviewing Journal Notes 30 minutes 2.5 hours
2/9 Rough Draft 60 minutes 3.5 hours
etc.

1 Keep track of every task you perform, the time you spend on each task, and the total amount of time you spend on the project.
2 Break it down by tasks – inventing, researching, drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, etc. Whatever you do for this assignment, mark it down as specifically and as accurately as you can on your Time Log.
3 Please include your Essay Time Log in the same file attachment as your paper; I do not want to receive multiple file attachment submissions from students.

*** Students who do not submit a time log will lose 10% of the essay’s value***

Special Instructions for Online Sections
1 Submit all Final Essays and Tests to the Assignment Board. Do not email Essays.

2 Save your file as your last name and the essay assignment – i.e., Greenessay1

3 Do not use Microsoft Works to compose your essays – Use Microsoft Word if at all possible.

4 If you do not use Microsoft Word, save your essays and tests in “rich text format” (.rtf) – When you save your document, scroll down the “save as type” box until you see Rich Text Format. If you use Microsoft Word, just save your documents as normal.

5 I do not accept late work, except in highly unusual circumstances.

6 Refer to the Syllabus’s “Weekly Calendar” for all Due Dates, including specific hour deadlines.