Character Analysis Essay Assignment
English 11
Mr. Lenzi
Short Story Unit – Comparison Essay
Short Story Analysis Essay Assignment
Write a 3-5 (on the 4th page) page essay analyzing two of the short stories studied in class. Your essay should be organized into paragraphs with an introduction and a conclusion. Each body paragraph should begin with a topic statement and be followed by evidence (quotes and details from the stories or outside sources) that support your topic statement.
HOW TO GET STARTED:
1) Choose the “connection” or basis of comparison that you want to analyze in your essay. Your connection should be a theme (e.g., tradition, parent-child conflict, gender politics, racism, identity, etc.) or a literary device (irony, satire, foreshadowing, flashback, symbolism, etc.).
2) Choose two stories that share that connection or basis of comparison. Find quotes and examples in each story that are relevant to or illustrate that connection.
3) Draft your thesis statement. Compare the quotes and examples that you identified in each of the stories in step 2 and craft an argument or thesis that you can prove using those quotes and examples. We will be discussing what makes a good thesis and how to write one in class, but see me if you are having trouble coming up with a good thesis.
Your essay should be comprised of close readings. A close reading is when you select a passage or quote and analyze it in detail. Take note of the word choice, sentence structure and the themes being expressed and relate the passage to your overall argument. Student writing is strongest when it is grounded in the text! Make sure to use evidence (quotes and specific details from the story) to prove your argument.
Your essay should be structured like this:
Introduction
Introduce the connection and the stories (titles and authors) you are going to discuss in your essay. Briefly explain why this connection is important to each story. End your introduction with your thesis statement or main argument. Your thesis should explain what will be shown through the comparisons you will make in your essay.
Body (3-6 Paragraphs)
The body of your essay can range from 4 to 6 paragraphs in length. Each paragraph must begin with a topic statement that is followed by relevant examples and quotes from the stories that support and prove the topic statement. To figure out what your topic statements should be, go back to your thesis and ask yourself, “what do I need to show or explain in order to prove my thesis statement?”
Conclusion
Wrap up your essay by summarizing your arguments, re-capping how you’ve proven your thesis and why the connection you’ve discussed is important in a more universal sense. (Remember, DON’T USE “I,” or refer to yourself – e.g., “my favorite” or “in my opinion” – it makes your argument less persuasive.)
Here is a list of the stories we read:
1) “The Cask of Amontillado” – Poe (Romanticism)
2) “The Birthmark” – Hawthorne (Romanticism)
3) “Hills Like White Elephants” – Hemingway (Modernism)
4) “Babylon Revisited” – Fitzgerald (Modernism)
5) “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” – Oates (Southern Gothic)
6) “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” – O’Connor (Southern Gothic)
7) “EPICAC” – Vonnegut (Satire / Science Fiction)
8) “The Veldt” – Bradbury (Satire / Science Fiction)
9) “Because My Father Always Said…” - Alexie (Post-Modernism)
10) “Victory Lap” – Saunders (Post-Modernism)
11) “Fight” – Bottoms (Post-Modernism)
Possible topics might include:
- Gender power dynamics in “The Birthmark” and “Where Are You Going…”
- Depictions of the Lost Generation in “Babylon Revisited” and “Hills Like White Elephants”
- Family relationships in “Where Are You Going?…” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”
- Technology and humanity in “EPICAC” and “The Veldt”
- The pain of childhood in “Victory Lap” and “Fight”
- The role of memory in “Because My Father Always Said…” and “Babylon Revisited”
These are just suggestions to get you started, feel free to come up with your own ideas.
*Note – You do not have to compare two stories from the same genre/movement, but it may be easier to find connections.
Your final draft must be:
- Typed
- Double-spaced
- 12pt Times Roman or Cambria font
- 1” margins
- Page numbers in the upper right hand corner with your name (Lenzi, 1)
*Note - There should be no extra space between paragraphs.
Your header should be single spaced in the upper-left and read as follows:
- Your name
- Class name and Block number
- My name
Example:
Winston Smith
Junior English – D Block
Mr. Lenzi
Essays MUST be turned in at the beginning of class. If you are unable to print, you can e-mail me an attachment of a word document by 7am the day the paper is due. I am not responsible for technology issues (if I ever receive an e-mailed assignment I will e-mail you back to let you know I have it)
Writing Rubric—The 6 Traits
Ideas/Content
• Essay contains clear, logical, arguable and insightful thesis that addresses some nuances in the text
• Essay convincingly explains importance of thesis
• Quotations are cited accurately and are elegantly integrated into the text of the essay
• Evidence is accurate, relevant and sufficient and in places particularly well-chosen
• Essay analyzes author’s language effectively, contains appropriate and sufficient discussions of opposing views or alternate interpretations
• Shows clear understanding of the text with some insight into its nuances
Well Below Slightly Below Meets Exceeds expectations
Organization
• Intro. draws reader in, establishes the topic and may contain an implicit thesis or question
• Concluding paragraph contains an element of discovery or surprise
• Multiple paragraphs develop the thesis in a well-chosen order that gradually builds in argument
• Essay consistently uses transitional phrases, clauses, and sentences to structure a coherent argument
• Body paragraphs are organized and develop one part of the overall thesis
Well below Slightly Below Meets Exceeds expectations
Voice
• Writer sometimes makes stylistic choices to make the voice distinctive
Well below Slightly below Meets Exceeds expectations
Word Choice
• The level of vocabulary in the essay is appropriate for discussing the issue or text; word choices are varied and clear; the essay uses vivid verbs and specific nouns with minimal reliance on adjectives and adverbs
Well below Slightly below Meets Exceeds expectations
Sentence Structure
• Essay avoids sentences fragments, run-ons, and comma splices, uses openers and closers for variety, and uses a variety of phrases and sentence types
• Essay uses the active voice, uses subject-verb split position for variety, uses a variety of clauses; essay deliberately uses passive voice/sentence errors as a rhetorical choice
Well below Slightly below Meets Exceeds expectations
Mechanics
• Punctuates phrases correctly, avoids subject/verb and pronoun/antecedent agreement errors, avoids errors in parallelism
Well below Slightly below Meets Exceeds expectations
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