Elements of Fiction
Identify and explore several elements of fiction (such as plot, characters, foreshadowing, setting, point of view, symbolism, motivation, or theme) in one of the assigned short stories above. Your essay will be two pages long and must include a Works Cited page (three pages total). Focus your paper on three literary devices, making sure to document evidence of these devices from your short story. You must use proper MLA citation (parenthetical citations and a works cited page) when documenting evidence of these elements from your short story. For this assignment, you will only need one primary source: the short story you are analyzing. DO NOT USE ANY SECONDARY (OUTSIDE) SOURCES for this essay. Be sure to identify the author and the title of the short story in your introduction. Since you are using only one source, the in-text, parenthetical citation should only contain the page number(s) of the story. Again, the only source you need for this assignment is your short story from the Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter 13th edition. Need help with that entry? Refer to pg. 1981 in your book; at the bottom of the page, you will see an example for a short story in an Anthology. Change the author and title and pages to reflect your story. Remember to submit your paper in correct MLA format (Times New Roman, 12-point Font, Double-Spaced, etc.). Use the examples below to help with parenthetical citations. This essay is just like essay one, only it covers different short stories. Do not use conversational words (“a lot,” “like,” “got,” “stuff,” “fun,” or “things”). Second person (you, your) in an essay is off limits. Also, avoid first person (I, we, me, our). Use third person only. Do not use the words “in conclusion” at the beginning of your conclusion paragraph. No announcements: In my opinion, I am going to discuss or This paper is about. Titles should be punctuated correctly. Longer works (plays, books, movies, newspapers and magazines) should be italicized. Shorter works (short stories, newspaper articles, and poems) should be placed in quotation marks. All quoted material must be documented using MLA format. That means all quotes must be introduced, have quotation marks around them, and, if necessary, have the correct citation at the end of the quote. Periods go after the citation. Here are two examples: Chekhov claims, In one of the corners a young man gets up (86). Rose is a character who lacks emotion when talking to men (Williams 287). The following heading must be used on all essays on the first page. On the left hand side of the paper, using one-inch margins, double space the following: Your Name Date (Day Month Year) Use Times New Roman 12-point font, double space, and apply one-inch margins to all sides. Also, every paper should have an appropriate title after the heading. Do not use unclear pronoun references. (We bought it at the store. What is “it”?) Use the past tense when discussing historical events, and use the literary present when discussing fictional events. Examples: Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, was published in 1959. (Past tense) Hansberry writes about the hardships and goals of a family living in the Southside of Chicago. (Present tense)
