For your first paper assignment, you will compose a 4-6-page explication of a short story that we have read for class. It can be a story hat we have discussed in detail or one that we didn’t look at closely at all, but your argument and analysis must be original. If you like, you may use one of your blog posts as the basis for your paper.
The goal of this assignment is to take the kinds of things you notice in your readings and that we talk about in our class discussions and shape them into a tight, coherent, and argumentative essay. Your paper should present a clear thesis, or argument, about the poem (preferably in the first paragraph), and each body paragraph should directly work toward proving that thesis using evidence from the text. You should not put everything you notice about the poem in your paper; only what directly pertains to the argument you are trying to make. We will discuss what makes a strong analytical essay in detail in class.
If you need help as you compose your paper there are several resources available to you. I am happy to look at a draft during my office hours or at some other time. There is a section in Reading Narrative Fiction on writing about fiction. Finally, UNC’s Writing Center is a great resource, providing students with one-on-one instruction with a well-trained writing tutor.
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