English 111
Short Fiction Essay
Question:
When a character in short fiction experiences a dramatic moment so intense that it cannot be avoided or ignored, what happens to the character? What happens when that character adapts or does not change at all? Write an essay about a character from one of the stories on the reading list, delving into the problem of how a character faces a potentially life-altering event. Show why the character is put in the presence of that event and who or what forces the character into that position.
In the environment of an academic setting, what can we say we are trying to work out for ourselves by reading fiction?
Technical:
1500 words, MLA style (see owl.purdue.edu for MLA handbook and formatting guide). Word count is min/max; you must come reasonably close to this word count to avoid penalty. Define all your terms in your paper (with context and explanation, not dictionaries!). Address the assignment fully by considering what parts of the question serve as subordinate questions to the main demand of the assignment. Due on Turnitin.com by the deadline. Be sure to submit drafts as you write the paper. You must submit the paper on time to Turnitin and get a digital receipt.
When you answer a question, explain the implications of the question and your answer. Use “because…” clauses a lot; in other words explain why all the time. Your job in academic essays is to explain (this is the foundation of expository writing, the kind of writing we do in this course). Always drive toward explaining how and why in your writing; consider how you may be wrong, and address questions you anticipate getting from someone reading your paper critically.
Good writing is straightforward, direct and precise, and when it cannot be precise it explains why.
Choose only from the short stories on our assigned reading list under Assignments.
Story of an Hour, 95; Shiloh, 254; Sonny’s Blues, 29, The Chrysanthemums, 459, Everyday Use, 480
Required Texts
Anthology: The Seagull Reader (3 book set)
Novel: Grief Is the Thing With Feathers (Max Porter)
Play: M. Butterfly (Hwang)
