Chopin, Kate. “The Storm” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Julia Reidhead. Eighth ed. Vol. C. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 557-561. Print.
Order Description
Essay Assignments
Directions:
Write a 2000 word (6-7 page) critical essay examining one of the readings from the syllabus we have covered thus far. Formulate an arguable thesis, not one that merely states a fact. Your paper should be an essay, not a report or summary of the work, and should provide some original thought by you which is backed up by research as well as the original text. You may discuss any aspect of the work, or you may compare two or more works which contain similarities. (See me if you want to discuss possible ideas). You may further research and develop any ideas we have discussed in class or in the discussion forums. I encourage you to keep careful notes and to annotate the readings so you have material to draw from for this paper.
All papers must adhere to MLA guidelines. In addition to primary sources, your paper must also include a minimum of 3 credible (academic) secondary sources such as journal articles or books. No general Internet Sources. Please use the Sherrod Library Databases for your secondary sources. Both Primary and Secondary sources should appear on your Works Cited page at the end of your paper as per MLA requirements.
Things to remember:
• The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature.
• As with any analysis, this requires you to break the subject down into its component parts.
• Examining the different elements should help you better appreciate and understand the work of literature as a whole. For instance, analyzing a short story might include identifying a particular theme (ie. the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood). Your analysis would explain how the writer reveals that theme through the point of view, tone, word choice, dialogue, etc.
• Support your thesis with textual evidence which includes summary, paraphrase, specific details, and direct quotations.
• Assume your audience has read the work; therefore, you SHOULD NOT retell the story, though brief summaries may be necessary.
• DO NOT overuse textual evidence. Keep the 80/20 rule in mind. 80% original work and only 20% textual quotations.
1. 2000 word minimum.
2. 1″ margins.
3. 12 point font only.
4. Times New Roman or Arial type only.
5. Double Spacing throughout (no skipping lines in the body of the paper)
6. Heading- per MLA.
7. Works Cited page – three Secondary Sources (minimum) + Primary Source.
8. MLA format for in-text citations and Works Cited page
