Write an 800-word essay about “A Cask of Amontillado.”
Discuss Poe’s use of irony or point of view in “A Cask of Amontillado.” What is revealed about Montresor’s character by the use of either device?
To do well on this assignment, you need to be very familiar with the following documents, all of which are presented on the Brightspace Week 1 Activities page:
Short Story Terms
Top Secret Tips on Writing a Good English Paragraph
Thesis Statements
Guidelines for Writing a Good English Essay
The Elements of Fiction
MLA Documentation
Focus on one element of fiction, such as point of view, plot, or irony.
Have a thesis which you support by argumentation and by citing your text. (Use MLA citation style; see the MLA handout I provided or the MLA section of The Little Seagull Handbook .) Please review the handouts on developing thesis statements and creating good paragraphs. Also review the Essay Guidelines document.
In your analysis, you need to analyze how an author uses a specific literary device or element of fiction to achieve a certain effect. For example, it is not enough to simply say Faulkner presents the events in “A Rose for Emily” out of chronological order. What did he achieve by doing so? You must connect your element or device to something larger. Certainly, O’Connor and Poe use a great deal of irony, but so what? You need to show why their use of irony matters. In these cases, I suggest showing how irony says something about the characters in these stories.
Avoid grand generalizations. Generalizations must be earned by close analysis of the text. Lately, for some strange reason, I’ve been seeing many essays that are extremely heavy on beautiful generalizations but also extremely light on specific analysis. I care much more about quality analysis than sweeping but empty generalizations. Do the work. Focus on the text. Use quotes, brief summary, and reasoning to illustrate your points. Under no circumstances can you analyze a piece of fiction without close attention to the text.
Here is a conceptual formula you can use in constructing your thesis:
X uses Y to achieve Z,
where X=author, Y=element or literary device, and Z=what is achieved.
