Literary devices in everyday use

Choose one of the following short stories: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” “Hills Like White Elephants,” “The Lottery,” “Everyday Use,” or “What You Pawn I Will Redeem.” Complete a close reading of the story. Examine the content of the text as well as its forms (see pp. 123–25 for more information).
Develop a 1,000 – 1,500 word analysis of the piece you choose.

Use your close reading as the foundation for your thesis statement. Your position must be insightful and arguable. In your essay, support your thesis with evidence from the text and from 5-6 scholarly research sources on your text. You will be limited to only library-based research for this project. Do not stop searching once you have found two or three research sources; find the most appropriate sources for the assignment.

Your classmates are your audience. You can assume that your classmates have read the literature you are writing about; however, you cannot assume that your classmates have considered the texts or concepts in the same way you have.

Make sure the final draft includes the following:

1. A narrowed theme. The theme should be narrowed based on your understanding of what the author is trying to tell us through the text.

2. Several examples in the text where the literary element you are tracing illustrates the theme. Keep in mind you must understand the theme of the piece you chose. That element could be a symbol, irony, metaphor, character development point, etc.

3. An effective introduction that ends with the thesis statement. The thesis statement should follow the "By examining X, readers can better understand Y" pattern. X stands for some literary element that pertains to the work of literature you are analyzing, and Y stands for the work's theme. Remember, you do not have to use those exact words, but your thesis must highlight both the theme and the literary elements you will use to discuss that theme in the paper.

4. Paragraphs that follow the MEAL plan. Keep in mind the topic sentences should highlight examples of X (the literary element) you plan to explore in the paper. The body paragraphs will consist of your analyzing each literary example in the thesis list, one by one, in separate paragraphs.