The Fiction Unit Essay will be due week 7. Read these directions carefully, and begin planning early.
In class readings, we will be exploring the idea of theme – the central idea or meaning of the text – and we will analyze several short stories in terms of theme. For the fiction unit essay, choose one of the short stories assigned for this class, identifying and analyzing the theme in the chosen text by showing how the elements of fiction (character, point of view, symbolism, irony, etc.) are used to communicate that theme.
Make sure that your paper has a controlling idea and a clear, specific thesis statement. Do not retell or summarize the story. Any discussion of plot or character should relate to your discussion of the theme. Explore how the theme applies to our current world/events.
The paper must be unified, organized, coherent, well-developed, and grammatically and mechanically correct. Write in 3rd person, which means avoid 1st person “I” and 2nd person “you.” Remember to always support your argument with proof from the text itself. This paper should be double-spaced, and the final draft should be 3-4 pages long. You are expected to use quotes from the text and to provide proper MLA documentation, including a Works Cited page. (Remember that sample analysis essays are included in the introductory section of the literature textbook, in case you’d like an example of what you’re being asked to do