Your paper should include an introduction and thesis that clearly states your interpretation of a specific aspect of “The Lazy River” by Zadie Smith, an analysis of three outside sources that help you elaborate your main claim, and a conclusion that summarizes your findings and suggests why the reader of your paper should care about them.
Aim to accomplish the following three steps in your introduction: first, present your topic by using a “hook” that draws the reader in; second, provide enough context so that the reader can appreciate the importance of your topic in your story; and third, confidently state your thesis claim.
Remember, your topic can address a theme (an overarching issue or concept) that arises in the story or explore a strategy (a literary convention or device) the author uses in the story to achieve a certain effect.
One option for your body paragraphs is to close read a scene that explains how a specific element of the story—anything from a character’s behavior to one of the narrative strategies mentioned above—illustrates your main claim.
Another option is to introduce an idea from an outside source that allows you to develop a point you are making about the story. It’s important that you ground whatever concept in the source you choose in the story by explaining its relevance.
In both cases you should either be paraphrasing the text or using signal phrases to analyze a direct citation.
n this final paragraph you’ll want to summarize the findings of your paper. You can do so by explaining how your thesis claim has evolved throughout your paper.
More specifically, what have your close reading of passages from the story and your analysis of ideas from outside sources enabled you to understand about the theme or literary device in the story you’ve chosen to focus on? What did these findings teach you about the story’s commentary on that theme or the author’s use of that device? Why might these findings be interesting to the reader of your paper?
