Read the following story and write a literary essay. Here are the guidelines given for the essay:
Length requirement: This essay must be at least 5 paragraphs in length; the essay can be longer than 5 paragraphs, but should not exceed 3 double-spaced pages. The essay should be in MLA Essay Format with an interesting and topical title, a thesis, body paragraphs, appropriate supporting material, and a conclusion that summarizes main point and adds to the reader′s understanding of the meaning, message, theme, or significance of the story.
Regarding Research: Using research to learn some possible answers about your selected story is encouraged but not required. Try to develop your own ideas about the story without using research at first. Then, if you wish, use research to get possible answers and ideas about your story that you may wish to include in your final draft. As always, if you use research, make sure to create works cited page and in-text citations in the MLA style and format.
Choose a method or approach: As you reflect on the story and consider what its topic, focus, and purpose might be, it may be helpful to review and reflect on some of the time-tested methods of literary analysis. Ideally, you will choose one of these methods and your essay′s introduction will let the reader know which method/approach is being used. The time-tested methods of literary analysis include the following:
a.) Thematic analysis: For this type of essay, your thesis will hypothesize what you consider to be the theme/meaning/message of the story and the body paragraphs of your essay will focus on supporting material that supports your thesis about the theme.
b.) Character analysis: This type of essay will develop an analytical perspective (your opinion(s) about the personality and actions of the story′s main character (or possibly two or three characters, if their actions are closely intertwined). The purpose of this type of essay is help the reader of your essay better understand why the character(s) behaved as they did; how were they changed by their actions or events of the story; what lessons did the character or the reader (or both) learn from the actions and events of the story.
c.) Plot analysis: This web-page with video explains the basics of plot analysis: Elements of Plot
d.) Setting Analysis: This type of essay focuses on analyzing the setting and/or desсrіption of the setting of the story to develop a thesis statement with the purpose of explaining how the author′s representation/depiction/portrayal of the setting contributes the development of some aspect of the story, such as it character(s), plot, conflict, theme, or message.
e.) Historical criticism: This type of essay focuses on learning about historical period in which the story takes place. The purpose of this essay is to show how learning more about the history surrounding the story and depicted in the story contributes to the reader′s overall understanding of the story.
f.) Biographical criticism: This type of essay involves doing some research about the story′s author and making connections between the author′s life and some aspects of the story (plot, character(s), conflict, plot, setting, theme, etc. The purpose of this type of essay is to show how better understanding the life of the author can contribute to the reader′s understanding of the story. To be successful, this method must both compare and contrast. Simply arguing that the story was based on the author′s life experiences is an over-simplification. It′s important to show how the author not only used life experience to write the story, but also show how the author may have transformed or changed biographical elements in the story.
g.) Reader Response-Question-based: This type of essay focuses on a question or a few related question that the reader has about the story. In the essay, the reader will explore and postulate an answer or a few alternative answers to the question(s) and in the conclusion evaluate the possible answers and attempt to explain what is the best possible answer and or answers to the question and how they contribute to the reader′s overall understanding of the story.
The following is a sample outline for the essay:
I. Introductory Paragraph:
a. Begin with an interesting quote or fact about your topic. Or open your essay with a question.
b. State your essay′s topic, purpose, analytical method, or theme
c. Perhaps include a short list of the topics and to be discussed in the body of the essay
II. Body Paragraph 1:
a. topic sentence (tells the topic and purpose of the paragraph
b. 1-2 sentences to introduce supporting material
c. 1 or more examples of the subject of this paragraph
d. Your concluding comments on this paragraph (possibly setting up a transition to the next paragraph)
III. Body Paragraph 2:
(similar to Body Paragraph 1)
IV. Body Paragraph 3:
(similar to Body Paragraph 1)
V. Concluding Paragraph:
a. Summarize main points
b. Possibly re-state your essay′s theme or thesis
c. Tell what you think was the writer′s intended meaning, message, or purpose for writing the story
c. Add any final thought or thoughts (remaining points of interest or information you want to share with the reader about your topic.
