ENGL 102

College Composition II

 Length – 250–300 words

Mini-Essay #2

Simple Plot Analysis

Purpose: to become familiar with the elements of plot and hone analytical skills. 

Directions: Choose one or two of the stories listed below and analyze how conflict and crisis develop a theme. You may choose to include point of view, setting, character, or symbols in your analysis. Bear in mind that this is a mini essay, intended to help you focus on digging deeper into a topic and understanding as much of it as possible.

Stories:

“Word Processor of the Gods,” Stephen King, pp. 912-923.

“A&P,” John Updike, pp.58 – 63.

“How to Date a Brown Girl, Black Girl, White Girl or Halfie,” Juno Diaz, pp 100 – 102

“Everyday Use,” Alice Walker, pp 1009 – 1015.

Examples to get you started:

How does point of view help us understand Sammie’s conflict in “A&P”?

Compare how infatuation unfolds in “A&P” and “How to Date a Brown Girl, Black Girl, White Girl or Halfie.”

How does King use irony in “Word Processor of the Gods”?

3.

ENGL 102

M. Campbell 

Spring 2019

Literary Analysis

750 – 800 words

Assignment:

Write a thesis-supported essay in which you will demonstrate how two – three readings from our textbook promote empathy, understanding, or meaningfulness as we have been discussing in class. [See “Top Ten Reasons Why Students Need More Literature (Not Less.”)] Your thesis will be supported by evidence you produce from analyzing these works and then emphasized in your concluding paragraph.

Specific Essay Requirements:

1. Choose two – three readings assigned for Module 1. 

“Love in Place” p. 978

”Review of the Sex Situation” pp. 979

“Design” p. 824

“A Noiseless Patient Spider”   p. 855

“We Real Cool”  p. 813

“I’m Nobody! Who Are You?”  p. 766-67

“Word Processor of the Gods,” Stephen King, pp. 912-923.

“A&P,” John Updike, pp.58 – 63.

“How to Date a Brown Girl, Black Girl, White Girl or Halfie,” Juno Diaz, pp 100 – 102

2. Use one or two literary tools  (e.g. metaphor, character, diction) to analyze the readings and show how they develop a theme.

3. Begin your essay with an introduction that identifies the readings, the literary tool, and the subject. You should get the reader’s interest in your topic by establishing some type of expectation – in other words, you have something worthwhile to say about empathy, understanding or meaningfulness, and you want to the reader to know it. Your thesis should be the last sentence of the introduction.

4. Your thesis support should include at least two, but no more than three examples from each reading to illustrate your perception. These examples should be relevant. It’s your job to show they are relevant; do not assume the reader can read your mind – only the print on the page. You also need to show how the examples work. This is perhaps the hardest part of the assignment, but you have been practicing this with your class discussions, annotations, and  mini-essays. You need to use specific details and reasoning to show the reader how your perception developed. Once again, do not assume the reader knows what you mean…put it on paper. 

5. Write a concluding paragraph that uses major points from your analysis to show how these readings promote empathy, understanding, or meaningfulness. A summary of your paper’s ideas is not enough. 

6. Add a work cited list that includes the poems/stories and any dictionary you have consulted.

The paper should be well-written. This means it is well-organized. Imagine someone reading what you have to say. Look at his/her face while he/she reads it and make sure he/she is following your thoughts. Also, you need to use language well. There should be no grammatical errors and you should choose your words carefully. Try to write in active voice…it’s harder on you, but easier on the reader, and that’s what matters. There should be no spelling or punctuation errors.