Write a 4-6 page essay (minimum 1200 words) where you explore the theme or idea from your selected essay prompt. Your essay should have a clearly stated thesis and support that thesis with solid evidence. “Solid evidence” is going to be specific evidence from the text or your secondary source material (see below for minimum number of secondary sources). In addition, make sure you include literary terms as part of your vocabulary in this essay.
PROMPT: Write an essay on the ending of one of the following stories, determining wether it is happy, unhappy, or indeterminate and how the type of ending helps define the story as an example of commercial or literary fiction:
a. Wolff, “Hunters in the Snow”
b. Carver, “Neighbors”
c. Chopin, “The Story of an Hour”
d. Jackson, “The Lottery”
Once you brainstorm, you can then work to organize your ideas in a way that makes sense to both you and your audience (consider your audience to be other college students who have read the story you chose). If you are comfortable, use the 5 paragraph essay format for this essay in the drafting process, but since you will likely have more to say your essay can exceed 5 paragraphs (i.e., you can have more than 3 body paragraphs if necessary).
A basic (but very limited) outline might look like this:
-Paragraph 1: Introduction that illustrates the topic and has the thesis near the end of the paragraph.
-Paragraph 2: Further discussion of your topic / First paragraph proving your thesis with specific examples from the text and secondary sources.
-Paragraph 3: Second paragraph proving your thesis with specific examples from the text and secondary sources.
-Paragraph 4: Third paragraph proving your thesis with specific examples from the text and secondary sources.-Additional body paragraphs: Continue to prove your thesis with specific examples from your text and your secondary sources.
-Paragraph 5: Thorough conclusion that puts a good final stamp on your essay.
In addition to your own analysis of the work, you must use at least three secondary sources that you incorporate into your argument.
The primary source does not count in this number, but you must cite it on your works cited page (in other words, you will have at least 4 entries on your works cited page: 1 story from the textbook; 3 secondary sources).
These sources must be viable, legitimate academic sources that analyze the work or an issue of significance.
The dictionary can be used on the paper, but it won’t count toward the minimum number of sources.
Remember to use MLA documentation when documenting your sources.
Make sure you are following the Approved Research Material Policy from the Syllabus
At all costs, avoid writing a plot summary of the text. -> Assume the reader has read the text.
Format:
your essay must…
Have an interesting title
Be at least 1200 words long. Remember that you will not be able to revise your essay if you do not meet 90% minimum. However, there is no maximum word count on any essay in the course.
Be double-spaced and in Times New Roman, 12-pt font, 1” or 1.25” margins, and proper MLA format. Follow the formatting guidelines on your syllabus or this sample MLA paper from OWL Purdue: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_sample_paper.html
Have page numbers and your last name in the upper right corner of every page. Please do not have a title page.
Have a thesis that answers the “So What” question. This is discussed on the thesis statement power point.
Use carefully chosen detail and evidence from your short story or your secondary sources to prove your thesis. If you need definition of a secondary source, please go to: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/HistSciInfo/secondaryBe clearly and logically organized
Be free of grammatical and mechanical errors
In language appropriate to an academic essay (formal prose, avoids conversational language and slang, does not use the 2nd person, etc.)
