Purpose

This assignment will help us fulfill two of our learning goals:

Demonstrate the ability to comprehend a variety of texts.

Identify literary techniques, elements, and devices in various texts and evaluate the significance of them in the overall merit of the work.

Assignment

You’ll respond to 1-3 texts we’ve read in our short story unit in this class. You’ll want to move beyond basic reactions (avoid saying what you liked, didn’t like, what you found boring, etc.). Instead, you want to break down texts, interpret them, build connections, and analyze them closely. What’s something you thought about or noticed in the text? What comparisons did you see between two texts? What is a unique interpretation you have of this text? How does this text make you think about our world, other cultures, or yourself differently? What’s something that was important in this text? What were some important symbols or themes you noticed in it? The assignment is a bit open here, but that’s the point; you want to come up with your own response to the texts.

If anything in the class discussions or activities have prompted you to think deeper about a topic, feel free to discuss that, so long as you’re adding new ideas or depth to some ideas. You shouldn’t restate anything that’s already been said. Here are a few common mistakes to avoid in this paper:

Restating what has already been discussed in our class activities or discussions (I want to see your original thoughts here, not a rehash of what’s already been said)

Summarizing the plot of the story (I’ve read it, so you don’t need to give me background information here)

Focusing on too many ideas instead of one, main idea in the text

Helpful Tips

If written, this needs to be at least two full MLA-formatted pages; if video or voice, it need to be at least five full minutes in length.

You must focus on no more than three texts we’ve read in this unit.

Titles

Create a focused, interesting, and unique take on those texts.

Use at least two direct quotes from the text(s) in your response.

The essay should have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion, regardless of which format you choose.

The introduction should tell us which texts are being discussed, provide some background about them, and end on your thesis statement for this paper.

The body is where you show your interpretation and provide evidence of your interpretation.

The conclusion should wrap it all up and tie it all together.

The essay should flow well and have transitions between ideas/paragraphs; it should feel planned.

The tone can be conversational, as this isn’t a formal analysis.

It should be clear and easy to understand.

It should be free from filler, regardless of which format you choose

A Raisin in the Sun–through the ending: start on the bottom of page 824 and end at the top of page 851.

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