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Short Story Critical Paper Assignment : 3-4 pages MLA, double-spaced, 12-point font : The short stories we’ve read to date Now that we have nearly completed the short fiction unit of this course, it’s time to get to work on your critical papers. The goal of a “lens analysis” essay or critical paper is to simply compare and contrast two or three works of literature, but to put them in conversation with one another. We aren’t necessarily interested in how two or three particular stories contrast (because story is different in a myriad of ways). We’re interested in looking at the ways the stories and their writers illuminate one another, how elements of craft and author intention are evident across multiple works of literature, and we’re interested in seeing how these elements of craft work to create different effects and create meaning in many works of literature. Start your paper by formulating a two or three-sentence thesis statement or . You must then pull no less than from each story or text, passages of the story that serve as evidence to your thesis/argument. You may choose one of the following essay topics (or another idea altogether) to address in your paper: Using the above questions as a guide, start by formulating a two or three-sentence thesis statement or argument that is specific to the stories you’ve chosen to write about. Consider the above question(s): In a clear, written response, formulate an that answers these questions as clearly and concisely as possible. Be prepared to defend your argument with evidence from the texts. Answer the question on a piece of paper using the following formula: “I am writing about _________ in order to argue that _________which helps readers to better understand ___________.” This your thesis but should help you arrive at one. Create an outline below your thesis statement that states each idea you’d like to tackle. It helps to divide your i

deas/arguments into stories/authors as the Roman numerals (I,II, III) and the specific points you wish to address as it relates each story as the sub-points and the sub-points of your sub-points (A,B, C and 1,2,3). Go back through the stories you’ve chosen and find relevant examples that support your argument. Take notes and/or bookmark pages of interest, including examples that completely contradict your argument. Contradictions are worth addressing in an essay like this. Get out your stopwatch/iPhone* and free write for 5 minutes on an example that challenges, contradicts, or presents an impediment to your argument. Take a break. Go back and re-read your writing aloud. As you read, you will likely catch the grammar errors that you missed the first time. New thoughts or better ways of phrasing your writing may occur to you; correct them as you go. Add any additional content that occurs to you. Re-write and revise again. Visit the Writing Center and check MLA handbooks to make sure you’ve cites your sources properly. “Tu B’Shvat” by Melanie Rae Thon and “Live a Dream” by Saul Smith are lyrical short stories that are loaded with vivid and repeated imagery of the human body changing form, representing themes of the passage of time and of imminent death. Both stories are also loaded with patterns of musical imagery also mimetic of Thon’s and Smith’s rhythmic prose. Furthermore, the use of italics in Thon’s story and disruptive, short paragraphs in Smith’s story, periodically interrupt the rhythm of their prose as if dismembering the human body and its form. Introduce the quotation from your text with a comma if what comes before the quoted text is NOT A COMPLETE SENTENCE (a phrase or fragment) and if it fits in to complete your sentence: Introduce the quotation with a colon if what comes before IS A COMPLETE SENTENCE and what comes after it is an example that reinforces the previous sentence: