Instructor: Dr. Regina L. Golar ENG 102 Fiction Essay
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Fiction Essay Guidelines
For this essay, you will apply ONE literary device to ONE short story. Your three-point thesis will state
the three things you are arguing about the short story. Be sure to argue a thesis statement that goes
beyond the obvious and is worth proving. (Note: This paper is worth 200 points toward your overall
grade.)
DIRECTIONS: Write a five-paragraph literary analysis on ONE of the following short stories.
(Remember, you are not summarizing or describing what happens in the short story. You are analyzing.)
Each short story was categorized with a specific emphasis; however, you do not have to analyze the short
story based on that particular emphasis. For example, “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner was
categorized with an emphasis on character; however, you may choose to analyze “Barn Burning” based
on plot, setting, symbol, etc.
The literary devices are the following: plot, narration, point of view, character, setting, symbol,
figurative language, and theme.
The literary works are the following:
“Sonny’s Blues” p. 91
“The Cask of Amontillado” p. 173
“Barn Burning” p. 217
“A Pair of Tickets” p. 293
“The Birth-Mark” p. 385
“A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” p. 451
Within your literary analysis, be sure to provide at least one direct quotation for each body paragraph,
which means you will have a minimum of three direct quotations for this essay. (Note: View page 5 of
this document to learn how to cite your direct quotations correctly. The page is typed in green-colored
font.)
Sample Thesis Based on Amy Tan’s “A Pair of Tickets”
The theme of family relations is used throughout “A Pair of Tickets” to demonstrate the importance of
avoiding lifelong regret, understanding one’s identity, and remaining faithful to family even beyond
death.
Note: Students cannot use “A Pair of Tickets” to write about theme because it is used as an example.
However, students can use “A Pair of Tickets” for other literary devices (such as plot, character, setting, etc.).
Also, students cannot use any part of the thesis statement provided here.
Commented [GR1]: Students cannot use “A Pair of Tickets” to write about theme because it is used as an example. However,
students can use “A Pair of Tickets” for other literary devices (such
as plot, character, setting, etc.). Also, students cannot use any part
of the thesis statement provided here.
Instructor: Dr. Regina L. Golar ENG 102 Fiction Essay
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Fiction Essay Guidelines
Sample Body Paragraph of Analysis Based on Amy Tan’s “A Pair of Tickets”
First, the theme of family relations is used to illustrate the regret that plagues an individual when he or she
does not value family. The story opens with Jing-Mei on a journey to meet her family members in China.
However, in actuality, her journey began long before. In a conversation with Auntie Lindo, Jing-Mei tries
to explain why she is hesitant about meeting her twin half-sisters. Their mother has died, but the twins
(who were abandoned when they were babies) are unaware. Tan notes, “They’ll think I’m responsible,
that she died because I didn’t appreciate her” (296). One who does not understand the underlying
theme of family relations would consider this statement to be absurd. One would wonder how someone
could die due to being unappreciated. However, Tan writes, “And Auntie Lindo looked satisfied and
sad at the same time, as if this were true and I had finally realized it” (296). This exchange between
Jing-Mei and Auntie Lindo is provided to provoke the reader to examine his or her own treatment of
family. The look of satisfaction on Auntie Lindo’s face confirms Jing-Mei’s fears. The implication that
underappreciating a family member will quicken his or her death is heart-wrenching. The use of theme
compels the reader to appreciate his or her family in order to avoid the plague of regret that is sure to
come after the death of family members. A simply reading of this short story would compel one to value
family. However, a closer look at the short story’s theme emphasizes the consequences of not valuing
family—lifelong regret upon their deaths.
Note: Students cannot use any of the information provided here within the example.
ESSAY SUBMISSION: The complete submission should include only one document: your final draft.
Essays should be submitted to Canvas. Each student will have only one opportunity to submit an essay to
Canvas by the deadline. Therefore, students should be sure to submit the CORRECT draft of the
assignment when they submit.
SOURCES: You will NOT use any outside literary resources to help you write this essay. You will rely
on your own reading of the short story, form your own analysis, and construct your own argument. In
other words, sparknotes.com, cliffsnotes.com, and all other cheat sites are prohibited!!! You will study
the short story and provide your own interpretations based on evidence from the short story. (Note: An
outside source can be used ONLY for the hook. See page 4.)
Commented [GR2]: The information typed in blue is summary. (You may include a few sentences of summary, but the majority of
the paragraph should be analysis.) You have to go beyond summarizing the story. You have to explain to the reader what he or
she should understand that is not stated in the story. Analysis goes
beyond the words that are written in the pages of the short story. If your paragraph has only what is written in the pages of the short
story, then you are not analyzing. Until you write something that is
not found in the story, you have not analyzed.
Commented [GR3]: The words typed in green are analysis. Here, the paragraph goes beyond Amy Tan’s words. It analyzes the
effect of Amy Tan’s words on the reader and on the reader’s life. Why should the reader care about the direct quotation? You have to
explain why you have chosen a direct quotation. What impact does it have on the reader? What impact does it have on someone’s
understanding of the story? Remember, your audience has already
read the short story. When you quote a passage, analyze the
passage, and explain why it has significance beyond what the
author has written in the short story.
Instructor: Dr. Regina L. Golar ENG 102 Fiction Essay
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Fiction Essay Guidelines
FORMAT: The essay is to follow MLA guidelines for format and documentation. (Note: View page 7
of this document to learn correct MLA format. The page is typed in orange-colored font.) A Work
Cited page is required for this essay. (Note: View page 6 of this document to learn how to format your
Work Cited page correctly. The page is typed in red-colored font.)
You will follow five-paragraph essay structure. All components of an essay are required: hook, three
sentences of background, three-point thesis, transitional words, topic sentences, the thesis restated in the
conclusion, and five sentences minimum per paragraph. (Note: View page 4 of this document to learn
five-paragraph essay structure. The page is typed in blue-colored font.)
The essay should be formatted as a Microsoft Word document so that it can be graded within Canvas.
Essays that are not formatted properly will not be graded, and re-submissions will be subject to a late
penalty. If you do not have Microsoft Word on your personal computer, then load the essay onto a jump
drive/flash drive or email it to yourself as an attachment. Once you get to campus, you may then open the
document on one of the computers and convert the file to Microsoft Word.
Do not use your cell phone to upload documents. There is a glitch that occurs between the systems.
RECYCLING ESSAYS: Recycling essays is the practice of re-submitting essays for one class that
originally were submitted to another class. Recycled essays will not be accepted—even if the essays were
submitted in a previous semester for the same class with the same instructor.
ESSAY REVIEW POLICY: If students desire feedback, they are welcomed to email the first two
paragraphs (introduction and body paragraph A) of an essay to the instructor for review before the essay’s
due date. However, if a student wants the instructor to review a larger portion of an essay before its due
date, then the student should schedule a face-to-face conference with the instructor before the essay is
due.
RESOURCES: (1) The SOAR Institute, which is located on Shelton State’s Martin Campus, should be
open for free tutoring before this essay’s due date. (2) Smarthinking (an online, 24/7 tutoring program)
should be available before this essay’s due date. (3) As always, I am here to help.
***I ABSOLUTELY ENCOURAGE you to email your thesis to me in advance to ensure you are on
the right path BEFORE you write the entire essay.***
Instructor: Dr. Regina L. Golar ENG 102 Fiction Essay
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Five-Paragraph Essay Structure
Note: Each paragraph should have a minimum of five sentences.
Paragraph One: Introduction
Hook – interesting statement that grabs the reader’s attention. The hook should be the very first
sentence(s) of the essay. Here are some ways to create an interesting hook to begin your essay:
o Begin with a quotation from a piece of literature. (Be sure to cite the source!)
Example: In “Roman Fever,” novelist Edith Wharton writes, “So these two ladies
visualized each other, each through the wrong end of her little telescope” (119).
o Begin with a quotation from someone famous. (Be sure to cite the source!)
Example: Actress and singer Reba McEntire states, “To succeed in life, you need
three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone” (www.brainyquote.com).
o Tell a personal short story. (Keep the story short, and do not get TOO personal!)
o Ask an interesting question. (Make sure the question is actually interesting!)
o Define a word. (The word should be important to the topic of the essay!)
Example: Merriam-Webster dictionary defines heroine as, “the principle female
character in a literary or dramatic work” (“heroine”).
Background information – provides information about the topic of the essay. The background should
be a minimum of three sentences in length. The background is NOT the hook, and it is NOT the
thesis. The three sentences of background are separate from the hook and the thesis.
Thesis – main idea of the essay. The thesis should have three points that you plan to discuss in the
essay (point A, point B, and point C). The thesis is never a question; it is a one-sentence statement.
The thesis is the last sentence of the introduction.
Paragraph Two: Point A from the thesis
The first sentence of the paragraph is the topic sentence.
o Topic sentenceprovides the main idea of the paragraph.
Be sure to use a transition in the topic sentence.
o Examples of transitions: To begin, First, Second, Next, Also, Last, Furthermore, etc.
Be sure to use a keyword from the thesis.
o Keywordthe main word(s) stated in point A of the thesis.
Paragraph Three: Point B from the thesis (See notes above about Point A.)
Paragraph Four: Point C from the thesis (See notes above about Point A.)
Paragraph Five: Conclusion
The conclusion provides the final thoughts about the topic. Here are ways to create a conclusion:
Review the main ideas of the essay.
o Restate the thesis. Note: Do NOT restate the thesis word-for-word as stated in introduction;
change the wording and the sentence structure just a bit.
OR
o Summarize main points of the essay. To summarize the main points, take the three points
from the thesis and turn them into three separate sentences.
Note: Be sure that the conclusion has at least five sentences (just like the other paragraphs should have at least
five sentences).
Instructor: Dr. Regina L. Golar ENG 102 Fiction Essay
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Quoting Literature within Your Paragraphs
As you analyze the short story, you will need to quote certain sentences from the short story as
evidence.
Below is a brief review of how to incorporate direct quotations:
1. Include a signal phrase. [Example: Douglass writes, ] 2. State the actual direct quotation. Remember to enclose the borrowed language in
quotation marks. [Example: “--------------” ]
3. Provide a parenthetical citation, which is the page number enclosed in parenthesis. [Example: (75)]
Be sure to vary the verb that you use in your signal phrase. (See below for a list of verbs that can
be used in a signal phrase.)
acknowledges claims disagrees observes
admits comments disputes points out
Remember that you do not have to follow the 1, 2, 3-model above. You can also follow the 2, 1,
3-model.
Sample
(1) signal phrase: Douglass writes, (2) direct quotation: “I never saw my mother—to know her as such—more than four or five
times in my life; and each of these times was very short in duration, and at night”
(3) parenthetical citation: (14). 1, 2, 3 model:
Douglass writes, “I never saw my mother—to know her as such—more than four or five times in
my life; and each of these times was very short in duration, and at night ” (14).
2, 1, 3 model:
“I never saw my mother—to know her as such—more than four or five times in my life; and
each of these times was very short in duration, and at night,” Douglass writes (14).
The FIRST time you mention a source:
Remember, the FIRST time you mention a source, you should include title of the source, a brief
introduction to the author, and the author’s full name:
In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, well-known American abolitionist Frederick
Douglass writes, “I never saw my mother—to know her as such—more than four or five times in
my life; and each of these times was very short in duration, and at night” (14).
NOTE: The title of the short story should be enclosed within quotation marks—not
italicized. The titles of books and plays should be italicized.
Instructor: Dr. Regina L. Golar ENG 102 Fiction Essay
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Work Cited [SAMPLE]
Tan, Amy. “A Pair of Tickets.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Shorter 13th ed., edited by
Kelly J. Mays, W.W. Norton & Company, 2019, pp. 293-306.
***********************************
Explanation of the Information Above:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Short Story.” Title of Anthology, edited by Anthology
Editor’s First Name Last Name, Publisher, Date, pp. #.
***********************************
Note 1: The title does NOT say “Works Cited” because there is only one short story. Do not
include [SAMPLE] as you type your Work Cited page.
Note 2: This example is what you follow when you have only one short story to cite.
Note 3: Our textbook is called an anthology because it is a textbook that has different poems,
stories, and plays from different authors.
Note 4: The Work Cited should be on its own page—not typed at the bottom of the last page of
the essay.
Instructor: Dr. Regina L. Golar ENG 102 Fiction Essay
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Student’s Last Name Page Number
Student’s Name
Dr. Regina Golar
ENG 102
Day Month Year
Student’s Title of the Essay
Begin typing essay here…