Situational irony in the story of an hour

E102/ 103: Final Analysis Essay _ Fall 2020 K. Yegoryan 1 Essay Due on Canvas by December 20, 2020 midnight THEORETICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY GUIDELINES In this Analysis Essay you will be projecting your critical reading skills and your knowledge of Critical Theories learned in this course by analyzing 2 texts (of your choice from what we have discussed) in terms of 2 theories/ themes. That is to say, you will choose 2 texts from the list and will discuss how both can be analyzed using the 2 theories/ themes. HOW TO START: 1. Choose any 2 stories (from the 4 we read for this class). This will be your PRIMARY SOURCES in the analysis Essay. Here are the PRIMARY SOURCES to choose from: “The Lottery” “Two Kinds” “The Story of an Hour” “The Chaser” • • • • You will be writing an analysis paper comparing the 2 stories in terms of 2 themes/ theories. 2. Choose any 2 Theories/ Themes (terms) that could be applied/ used to analyze the 2 stories you chose. Here are the Critical Theories and Themes/ terms to choose from: • Semiotics: Denotative/Connotative/ Symbolic meaning (De Saussure’s and Pierce’s theories) When analyzing from the semiotic perspective, consider the meaning of the titles, some words/ phrases from the text and/or the names of the characters in the stories, and their denotative / connotative meaning in the context of the text. • Irony: If any meaning (of the title, characters’ names, or words/phrases/ideas from the stories you chose are used ironically • Ideologies/ Power, Privilege, Control gained through certain beliefs/ traditions, through social status and/or education, knowledge, or certain skills (Marx’s theory) • Capitalism: Competition, American Dream, Hero Motif, Commodification; Colonial Subject When analyzing from this perspective, you may consider if the characters in your chosen stories hold any power and have certain privilege among others based on their social status, gender, educational level, knowledge or any skill that the characters possesses. You may also consider if the characters can be related to any type of capitalist ideologies or are colonial subject vs. colonizer. • ISA/RSA: control via ideologies and repression (Althusser’s theory) When analyzing from this perspective, you may consider if the character(s) from your chosen texts are acting as the “state apparatus” meaning if they are the ones imposing ideologies, rules, beliefs or are using any type of punishment methods upon others/ “the disobedient.” Or are your characters the obedient / are they the one following the pre-set ideologies, rules, or are being punished for deviating from those expectations? • • Gender expectations in Patriarchal society and/or from Feminist perspectives “The Cult of the True Womanhood” When analyzing from this perspective, you may consider if there are gender expectations imposed by the society in your chosen stories. If your character(s) abide with any expected gender roles. You may consider their lifestyle, profession, appearance, behavior, actions, interactions with others that re-affirm their gender role/prototype expected by the society. • Altruism and/or Narcissism: When analyzing from the perspective of this term, you may consider if the character(s) of your chosen texts are selfless or self-centered; how much do they care about others. E102/ 103: Final Analysis Essay _ Fall 2020 K. Yegoryan 2 Essay Due on Canvas by December 20, 2020 midnight The Critical/ Theoretical Analysis Essay: • Should have an academic essay structure: Introduction, Body Paragraphs, and a Conclusion • Should be 3.5- 4.5 pages typed/ double spaced/ Times New Roman 12 font • Should be analyzing 2 works in terms of 2 themes/ theories • Should refer to at least one of the critical theories we discussed in this course and should mention at least one theorist. • Should refer to the Primary Sources/ the 2 texts you chose. It should have supporting information, quotes, examples/references from the sources considered for the analysis.