Required: Select one work from the list below and use 1-2 outside, scholarly, literary sources, in addition to the literary work chosen, to help prove your claim and support the analysis. Book reviews, dictionaries or encyclopedias, and other student papers or websites that sell student papers are not acceptable.
Point Value: 1st draft: 15, final draft: 100
Writing Assignment:
Choose one of the following works of literature listed below and analyze the authors use of literary elements/devices to convey the overall meaning (thesis) the piece. You cannot realistically cover all aspects of the piece, so choose one to three elements from the following: characterization, plot, setting, symbolism, point of view, and sarcasm, irony, or humor. The devices you select will depend on which of the literary works you select.
Include detailed explanations of the authors utilization of these devices in your essay, and use specific examples from the literary work as your support or evidence. Analysis is not just announcing what the piece is about, and it goes beyond the literal/obvious. For example, saying Kate Chopin uses irony in The Story of an Hour is obvious, and saying Mrs. Mallard died of heart disease is literal. Instead, analyze the role Chopins use of irony plays in the short story to help communicate the meaning of the piece. What is the impact of this ironic twist on the characters in the story? On readers? Please refer to the Notes on Fiction lecture for definitions of literary elements and the Purdue Owl Power Point presentation about literary analysis.
Your thesis/judgment should be clearly stated in either paragraph one or two, and it should include your overall judgment or point about the piece in terms of the literary elements used by this author and how effectively the author uses these literary devices help the reader understand the overall meaning of the piece, which you will need to explain as well.
DO NOT just summarize the piece or give a list of literary devices used. Doing so will result in a low score.
MLA format: in-text citations and complete works cited page, both in MLA format, are required in order to earn credit.
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
Play: Trifles by Susan Glaspell PDF
Poem: The Unknown Citizen W.H. Auden p. 458
Essay: I Want a Wife Judy Brady PDF
Short story: The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas by Ursula Le Guin p. 461
Checklist for literary analysis:
1. a plausible interpretation
2. a clear claim (thesis or judgment)
3. clear reasons that explain why
4. specific literary devices
5. sufficient discussion & illustration of chosen literary devices
6. relevant examples from the works to support your reasons and thesis
7. a clear introduction to both pieces
8. a concluding paragraph with closure
9. paragraphs that contain topic sentences and supporting points that actually prove or illustrate that topic sentence
Check for: 1. clear, grammatically correct sentences
2. organized paragraphs linked by transitions
3. correctly used and spelled words
4. careless typographical errors
5. no run-ons, fragments, or mixed construction sentences
6. consistent verb tense (use present VT)
7. clear pronouns and no shifts to you
5. correct MLA format for works cited page and in-text citations (both are required)
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