Minimum Length: 5 pages (MLA)
Assignment: For this paper, you should make use only of the story, your imagination and certain sources to help you cement your claim.
1. Select a theoretical perspective, or a lens through which you wish to explore a short story. Once you settle on a theory, use some of the following themes to help structure your case. These can be family, marriage, quest, betrayal, supernatural, sin, death, love, the relationship, etc.
2. Choose a short story, or stories, from our anthology/reading list. You may need to read each story several times, taking notes as you go. Remember, the theme is your “lens” through which you are now reading the story.
3. Go through the story of your choice and mark how the author explores the theme using narrative, character, setting, symbolism, etc., to convey its meaning. Then, write a critical analysis of the short story/stories; employ as many of the literary terms that we have studied as you legitimately can to present a thorough literary analysis of how the story “works/doesn’t work” through your guiding theory. Your analysis for the story you have selected should be to enlighten an educated reader about the important aspects of this particular short story.) You must select at least three literary or rhetorical elements to help build and support your argument. Some of those literary terms are: