literature essay on short story
Eng. 102-W1 Paper Guidelines
The writer Norman Maclean wrote “The nearest anyone can come to
finding himself at any given age is to find a story that somehow
tells him about himself.”
Maclean’s observation resonates more and more deeply within me as
I continue to teach and study literature. In other words, good
literature is about us, not about the characters. In fact, I
would submit that any “good” piece of art is “good” because we
connect with it in some meaningful, compelling way. Put simply,
it tells us something about ourselves or the people we have
known.
The assignment:
Choose one piece of fiction that we have read in this learning
unit and explain how it connects or tells you about yourself or
those you have known.
Guidelines:
Essays must
§ be between 2-3 pages (this means at least two full pages of
text).
§ be typed (12 point Times New Roman font), double spaced,
and formatted using MLA format.
§ use the primary text three times (3) to support your
discussion. This means you must quote relevant passages
from the text that support the points you are making. Make
certain you integrate these passages smoothly into your own
prose and document them using MLA format.
§ include a works cited page.
§ be submitted via Blackboard.
Finally:
§ Essays that do not meet the minimum guidelines are not read
and will receive a 50/F.
§ Essays will be scored using the Language and Literature
Department’s Grading Policy.
§ If you have questions regarding the paper, please post them
to the discussion board, and I will answer them there.
Due date: See the calendar – on or before the deadline for the
Fiction Learning Module.
