Reference no: EM132313269

Literary Analysis Essay - Short Fiction

Purpose:

After considering several examples of fiction which explore human relationships to the sea as their common theme, you will demonstrate your powers of literary analysis by applying them to one of these stories:The Old Man and The Sea.

Task:

You will compose an essay in which you examine why and how your chosen story communicates its theme. You will find a more specific theme within human relationships to the sea by reading the story contextually - you will focus on how the story reflects gender or class roles in the author's life or society. You willconsider the story's content and its form, and you will refer to at least two secondary sources.Your essay, which develops your thesis with thoughtfully chosen evidence of literary elements and devices,your own thorough explanations of that evidence, and properly formatted citations, should be5-6 double-spaced pages/about 1000 words.

Process:

First choose the story you want to explore. Then read more about it, its author, or its social and historical contexts. Go past Wikipedia, Shmoop, and Biography.com. Secondary sources are not encyclopedias or other general reference materials, but rather other detailed analyses, usually written or published by academics. You may choose to also reference other primary texts (other stories, songs, or poemsby the same author or regarding the same context) to enhance your argument, but that's optional, and won't replace the two required secondary texts.

Both your in-text citations for direct quotes and paraphrases, and a works cited list with at least three entries at the end of your essay, must be included, and formatted according to MLA guidelines.

Record the details that captivate you from the story you are analyzing and from these other sources. Then reflect on those details, and compose a thesis about what you think is the story's specific theme and how you think the details illustrate that theme. The goal isto focus on something as specific as you can.Once you find what you want to focus on, organize your notes about all the significant parts of the story that you might be able to use as evidence-list all the key literary elements and devices, the scenes you want to summarize, the images and dialogue you want to quote, etc. in order to support your argument. Include page numbers, and details from outside sources. If you have been annotating or note-taking as you read, you've already started this process; use what you have already written to discover your focus for this essay.

Structure:

An analysis essay opens with a general impression of the topic, an overview. Then it provides the essay's necessary context,and then it narrows into a thesis statement, your specific argument about the story. A thesis is not a just statement of what the story is about, but of how YOUthink it works or why it matters - what is the most important aspect of the story to you?
The body of the essay should summarize the texts being examined-starting with the primary text(s), and later addressing any secondary texts that will boost your credibility and complicate your argument. Each paragraph shouldanalyze, in as much detail as possible, one element from those texts which most precisely support your argument. Don't justdrop in passages from the texts themselves, but includethorough explanations of why those details are included.

After key pieces of evidence have been thoroughly explored, the essay should close with a reiteration of the essay's central argument, and then a more general picture of where this argument fits within the bigger picture, the original or contemporary readership, the world, etc...

Outcomes:

Your essay will be graded according to how thoughtfully you demonstrate these outcomes:

o Responsiveness -thoroughly addresses the specific task (in this case, focuses on a specific theme in one of the three stories) and follows all of the essay conventions described above

o Power-maintains sharp focus and clear explanation via supporting details (3 sources)

o Risk-pushes analysis beyond the first layer, acknowledges complexity and connections

o Presentation-is soundly structured and error-free; clear, even eloquent in transitions, syntax, diction.