Paper 1
worth a possible 100 points

fiction: the short story

This first paper (3-5 full pages) will be worth up to 100 points; it must be in MLA format and incorporate supporting/illustrative quotations and parenthetical citations from the story. Be sure you have read and understand the Writing About Literature lecture and the general information on the Writing Assignments page. Also read the stuff in the sidebar (the pinkish box to the right).

Read one or more of the short stories from Stories for Paper 1 in the Resources section on Etudes. Reading more than one will give you more choices of topics to write about, of course, and I recommend you take some notes (as discussed in Lecture 2).

Then select one of the four topics below to write your paper about.

but first

Since you absolutely must read closely, quote relevant (often very brief) sections of the story, and document those quotations parenthetically, you will need to know how to cite correctly. Instructions on citing fiction can be found here: How to Cite Fiction.

now the choices

1. How is setting used in Kate Chopin's "The Storm"? There is, of course, a literal storm that drives certain plot elements, but the storm is also use symbolically (to reveal character, to parallel action--this is called sympathetic fallacy, and to suggest the author's idea (theme) about what takes place in the story.

TIPS:

• consider where and when the story takes place and what the place descriptions suggest, what background details suggest, what character descriptions suggest.

• consider that a storm is not something that humans can control (well, there is the HAARP project)

• remember the story reveals the author's ideas; these may not agree with your ideas, but your job is to explore and explain the story, not your personal opinions.




2. Bonnie Jo Campbell's "The Sleepover" and Sandra Cisneros's "Pilon" are both considered short-shorts (stories in around 250-500 words long). Even though they are short, they pack some interesting, surprising ideas if you red them very closely. Choose just one of the two and explore how the one you have chosen has a lot of suggested/symbolic words, references, moments that help lead the reader to a particular idea or theme. Be sure to clarify what that theme is and how the details of the story lead to that conclusion.

CLUES:

• in "The Sleepover" why the unusual reference to the old black-and-white Frankenstein movie (which seems an unlikely thing the girls would be watching)?

• in "Pilon" be sure to look things up and locate peculiar descriptions and comparisons (for example, what is suggested by the two rivers mentioned in the story and the unusual way they are described, and why are there weird contradictions about things that happened but never happened?)

• Special Consideration if you Choose this Topic: keep in mind your paper may be even longer than the original story, so you have to read very, very closely and interpret as many small passages (which you will quote/document) as you can; since there's a bit more to it, "Pilon" might be the easier of the two to write about.




3. "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" seems fairly complex, so why does Gabriel Garcia-Marquez subtitle the story "A Tale for Children"? Of course there are some plot elements that you might find more often in a children's story than a story written for adults, but the language, the situation, the density of the style--these are all clearly written at an adult level.

HINTS:

• consider that this story is, on one level, a religious satire (that is, it mocks some people's inability to really think about, challenge, and discern their religious beliefs; they may just follow what they find convenient or what is told them rather than exploring some of the deeper foundations of their religions); after all, we do have references to an angel and a priest here

• also consider the nature of Magical Realism and how elements of this literary movement pepper this story




4. Even though there is a lot of foreshadowing in William Faulkner's "Rose for Emily," how does he manage to keep the reader in suspense, maybe even surprised at the ending?

CLUES:

• consider whose point of view the story is being told from (it is an unusual point of view); is it a reliable narrator? why or why not?

• thinking about that narrator again, how does it affect the plot (order of events) in the story, and is it done logically/reasonably?




5. Akutagawa's "In a Grove" is like a murder mystery, but this mystery has a twist: three potential suspects actually claim to be the lone killers. Make a case for one of the three versions--the bandit's, the wife's, or the samurai's.

SUGGESTIONS:

• consider why each would claim credit for the killing if he/she were not guilty

• also consider some of the other testimony in the case; does it help support one version, or does it confuse things even more, and if it confuses things, why can't we trust the testimony of the other characters?

REMEMBER, late papers are penalized 10%; since this is a fairly short class, I recommend getting things done early whenever possible.