Q English 1B Essay #1: Short Story Value: 50 points General Guidelines: Length: about 4 (4 full pages is the absolute minimum) to 6 pages (Follow MLA format) A paper less than four pages will not receive a passing grade. Please note that all papers submitted to Canvas will be reviewed in Turn-It-In, a plagiarism program. Please be sure to only use outside sources when an assignment asks you to. For this essay, you may only use the outside sources that I provide for you. Please note that there are a detailed rubric and a paragraph outline sheets provided here. Please review these materials carefully Overview: I would like you to finish this essay feeling confident in your own interpretation skills and less likely to turn to online sources, such as Spark Notes or Enotes, which often give boring, predictable readings. I want you to have your own voice as a reader, as well as a writer. I anticipate that most of you should focus on exploring how a character (or a relationship between two of them) develops and drawings a conclusion about the meaning of the story. The other terms we discussed—such as setting, point of view, and figurative language can and probably should be discussed in explaining and proving your thesis. The Prompts (choose one and be sure to develop a thesis that is an idea about what the story means and the show and prove your idea in the body paragraphs). 1. “Uncle Rock: What idea does “Uncle Rock” develop about the immigrant experience in terms of the American Dream. Draw a conclusion (your thesis) about how the story shapes our understanding of the American dream and immigration and then show and prove how that idea is developed in the story. 2. “The Bluest Eye”: What idea about beauty and race does this story develop and explore? Draw a conclusion (your thesis) about how the story shapes our understanding of beauty and race and then show and prove how that idea is developed in the story. 3. “Cathedral”: What idea about blindness and seeing does this story develop and explore? Draw a conclusion (your thesis) about how the story shapes our understanding of blindness and seeing and then show and prove how that idea is developed in the story. 4. “Tony’s Story”: What idea does the story develop about the effect white culture has on Native Americans? Draw a conclusion (your thesis) about how the story shapes our understanding of the clashing of these two cultures and then show and prove how that idea is developed in the story. If you would like to add another prompt or substitute my bolded topic with one of your own, please run it by me in advance. All prompts and topics must be approved by me before they can be added here. ***You will need to analyze a minimum of six passages from the story and carefully explain how the author arranges details to give a sense of development and construct a comment about the issues raised. It is very important that you examine specific word choices (diction), tone, figurative language and analyze quoted passages in detail. You need to show and prove your thesis. Organization: Introduction: Introduce the story and the issues it presents and then give your thesis. Body paragraphs: You may decide to take a simple beginning, middle, and end approach to this paper so as to track development. You could have one to two paragraphs on each section. Body paragraphs should follow PIE and contain detailed analysis of the passages that demonstrate how the author creates meaning. You should characterize each stage of the character’s development in your body paragraphs in order to demonstrate how the story builds towards its central idea. For the conclusion, I would like you to think about and discuss the importnce and relevance of the story from both cultural and artistic perspectives. In effect, you will be deciding whether—and to what extent—the story is a good and worthwhile read. What value might it have for readers? How does it address an issue that we are still living with today? Introduction Worksheet Name___________________ Title: Does it announce the topic and give a sense of your point of view? Is it catchy? _________________________ Title (don’t underline or bold it in your essay) Lead/Hook/General introduction to the topic that orients a general reader. ___________________________________________________________________ Background: Introduce the key authors and titles and any other texts (movies, images, etc.) that are central parts of your essay. This usually involves some very brief paraphrasing of the main ideas that will be discussed in your essay and shouldn’t include quotes. Set¬up for the Thesis: Before you get to your actual thesis, you will often have to present different sides of the issue and otherwise prepare the reader for your thesis. Lay out the full complexity of your topic, including any controversy and areas of disagreement. Thesis: Be sure to state your topic and your opinion and present your reasoning by explaining to a general reader why or how they should believe your point of view. Do not use “I” or “you”—just give your reasoning. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PIE Paragraphs Name___________________ Directions: Write a rough draft of at least one body paragraph using this shaping sheet. Point (your idea or opinion about one of the topics that is related to your thesis and which serves to support your thesis): ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Information (examples, details, quotations, facts, statistics): _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Explanation (analyze the information specifically and prove and develop your topic sentence, that is your point; this is a point in your essay where you need to think hard and not just repeat what the quote says. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Information (examples, details, quotations, facts, statistics): ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Explanation: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rubric Some Rubric (1) Some Rubric (1) Criteria Ratings Pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSUBJECT MATTER/ASSIGNMENT FULFILLMENT The essay fully and carefully evaluates the readings and stakes its own position on the issue. The essay shows a strong understanding of the reading and gets the facts right. The essay makes very convincing points. The writer does close readings of specific passages and discusses them in a way that helps him/her prove his/her thesis. The essay responds in a detailed manner and considers multiple points of view where appropriate. 25 to >0.0 pts Full Marks 0 pts No Marks 25 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeORGANIZATION and FOCUS The introduction gives a clear idea of what the essay is about without including too many details. It contains a lead/hook, background info, and a clearly stated thesis. The Body Paragraphs focus on a single, main idea that is clearly stated at the beginning. The sentences in the paragraphs are related to the point expressed in the topic sentence (P). There is at least one concrete detail (quote, statistic, poll, etc.) per paragraph (I). Analysis, commentary, and explanation (E). The order of the points and paragraphs makes sense; each paragraph serves as a partial answer to the prompt and each TS supports and develops the thesis (your main idea) The essay includes a conclusion that expresses the importance and urgency of the issue. 15 to >0.0 pts Full Marks 0 pts No Marks 15 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSENTENCE CRAFT The writing is fluent, not choppy. The sentences are varied and focused. Sentences are joined to show relationship Sentences are clear and easy to follow. Transitions and metacommentary are used appropriately to develop logical flow and to smoothly direct readers through your argument. Every sentence is a transition sentence! Avoids common grammar errors 5 to >0.0 pts Full Marks 0 pts No Marks 5 pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMLA Formatting Includes correct Works Cited page and in-text citations 5 to >0.0 pts Full Marks 0 pts No Marks 5 pts Total Points: 50 PreviousNext