Instruction
Length: 1000 words
General instructions:
For this essay you will be comparing two short sot). Choose one of the following topics and write a well-organized, critical 1000 word essay that presents a clearly stated thesis and then supports that thesis with evidence from the selected texts. If you use secondary sources, they must be properly documented. Use MLA documentation. These topics are broad. In part, your task is to frame and develop a thesis. This is a comparison and contrast essay, but you need an argument.
1. I think for the writer himself, symbols are something he uses simply as a matter of course. You might say that these are details that, while having their essential place in the literal level of the story, operate in depth as well as on the surface, increasing the story in every direction. Flannery O’Connor
What does a symbol contribute to your understanding of a theme? (You should beware of finding symbols where none were intended. Ask yourself: what symbols does the work have? How do you know they are symbols? What do authors do to give symbolic meaning to the elements you mention? Is the author using a contextual symbol or a universal symbol?)
2. Compare and contrast the “Misfit” and the narrator of “The Black Cat.” How do they justify their nefarious behavior? Keep in mind as you develop your ideas the role of point of view and the reliability of first and third person narratives.
3. Compare and contrast the speakers in “Araby” and “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl….” How does the point of view contribute to our understanding of the actions? What influences the characters view of love?
4. Both “The Story of an Hour” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” present a view of marriage. How do the authors reinforce their perspective? How does plot and narrative structure contribute to authors’ perspective?
General Writing Considerations
All written work must be typed, double spaced, in Times New Roman 12p font, on plain 8.5” X 11” white paper. Ensure that you leave at least a one inch margin. Include the assignment’s title, the course number and section number, instructor’s name, your name, and date of submission. Other writing considerations you should make are the following:
• Use MLA documentation style;
• Use third-person pronouns (she, he, it they), instead of first or second (I and you);
• Begin your body paragraphs with an assertion;
• Make your language gender inclusive;
• Avoid generalizations (everybody, nobody, never, it is obvious that);
• Avoid needless equivocation (maybe, perhaps, you could say, it seems that);
• Avoid contractions and colloquial expressions.
• Avoid expletives (it is…that; there are/there is)