Instructions: 1000-1250 words
Double-spaced
MLA Document Formatting MLA Document Format
Sample Thesis: In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the narrator turns into a crawling baby by the end, echoing the fact that she is placed in the nursery and treated like a child by her husband and sister-in-law.
Does this sound odd, weird even? Perhaps you disagree with it—we didn’t discuss this in class, and I’m not sure any of you would see the story in this light. But if I go through “The Yellow Wallpaper,” I can find lots of textual evidence to prove to you that the narrator is infantilized. Although it is bizarrely worded, a thesis like this could work. I want to free you to find a thesis that speaks to your experience with the stories. I do not want canned thesis statements that sound “correct” or “proper.” You will need to re-read the story/stories to get down into their depths and really figure out for yourselves what you believe in.
Using your critical reading skills, evolve a persuasive thesis based on one to three of the following aspects of your reading:
Characters—the way a character is presented and developed to cause the reader to think and feel a certain way
Plot and Structure
Setting
Theme
Point of view—the perspective from which the story is told, i.e. in the first-person (“The Yellow Wallpaper”) or the third-person (Paul’s Case) How much does the narrator know about the inner workings of the characters’ minds? In other words, how omniscientis the narrator?
Imagery/Symbolism—What is the significance of the imagery? What does it tell us about the story?
Form—The structure of the work as a whole
Tone—the feeling of the work that you perceive through the words
One helpful way to conceive of this paper is to look for patterns in the stories—look for things that stand out, and that make strong points about the work as a whole. Make a strong thesis statement, and do not shy away from speaking your truth. Develop a sense of passion about your own topic; become a true expert on one aspect of the story; show your reader how carefully you can think about words.
You will need:
1) An effective introduction with a powerful thesis statement
2) Textual evidence to support your thesis with correct MLA formatting
3) Transitions between paragraphs and ideas
4) An effective conclusion
5) An MLA Works Cited with MLA parenthetical citations
THE STORY CHOSEN IS: THE LOVE OF MY LIFE
NOT NO NAME WOMAN
