Instruction
Audience: Someone who has not read or not fully appreciated the art of the story, particularly in the use of point of view. Reading your paper should enrich their appreciation of the story.
Format: 11 pt. Times New Roman, double spaced, 1 inch margins. Your name, Course and section, date in upper right corner of first page. Name and page number on subsequent pages. Title of paper centered on first page.
Writing conventions: Third person is standard for analysis and review of a text, but first person is acceptable and sometimes even preferable. Your personal insights into and connections with a text may help you speak with more confidence and authority about the aspects of the story that interest you. However, your primary task is still to analyze the story so that the reader understands it better, and the paper should not include a detailed response or personal narrative. Also, it’s important for the voice to be consistent—random changes between third person and first person are not advised. (Avoid second person.)
Introductory paragraph: Introduce the title of the story, the author, and a give a brief description (this should mention the situation, setting, and protagonist). Identify the point of view (and point of view character if first person or third person limited) along with a thesis statement about how point of view affects other elements in the story.
*If you choose the alternate topic, your thesis should focus on the less obvious similarities or differences between the stories. For example, you might contrast two stories with the same point of view or compare two stories with different points of view.
Body paragraphs: Provide a close reading of the story, considering elements such as narrative structure, conflict, scenes, setting, characterization, theme, style, and tone, and how they are affected by the author’s chosen point of view. Include direct quotations from the story to illustrate your analysis (only a page number is necessary in the MLA parenthetical citations, as you are only quoting one source. Include the full citation at the end of the paper. See Works Cited file under Syllabus on Blackboard.)
Concluding paragraphs: Discuss the strengths or limitations of this point of view in general and summarize the ways that it affects the success of this particular story.