Short Story Analysis

In this assignment, you are required to write a short literary analysis of ONE of the short stories. Your analysis must be about 1250-1500 words (4-5 double spaced pages). Part of your writing task can include research of your subject, consisting of historical or thematic information, biographical information about authors, or literary criticism. All your citations (from the literature and from your academic sources) must be documented in MLA style. Think about your purpose. You must offer an interpretation of the literature, so you will need to examine a significant issue or theme represented in the text you choose to write about. When composing your essays, think about how the authors raise concerns about important social and moral issues, and how the texts reflect certain values and attitudes from the culture and historical contexts surrounding them. In your analysis, you will need to explain how these issues are represented and expressed through narrative point of view and symbolism, through conflicts between characters, and through conflicts between characters and the social settings they inhabit. As discussed in class, these conflicts typically have to do with issues of race, class and privilege, politics, family and gender, as well as with issues of obligation and responsibility. These are just suggestions for ways to analyze the literature, so feel free to create your own ways to focus and develop your essay topics. Most of the evidence for your analysis should be derived from citing examples from the literature in support your own interpretations.