A short story or play of choice from any of the authors we have read or will read this semester

The Documented Essay

Subject: A short story or play of choice from any of the authors we have read or will read this semester. If you would like to choose a story we have not read, you must get approval from the instructor.

Purpose: To use one of the critical reading strategies below and articulate how this approach plays a role in the literary work of your choice.

1). Historical Context

2). Biographical Context

*Note: These contexts are explained in detail on pages Chapter 23 or your textbook.

Audience: Your teacher and classmates, all of whom have read the work, but not the sources you have used.

Format: Essay which draws on at least two sources in addition to the work itself. This documented essay will include citations and a list of references. The paper must demonstrate correct use of Modern Language Association format (to be reviewed in class). You should include quotations from the work as well as from secondary sources, along with summary and paraphrased material.

Note: For purposes of this paper, a Historical strategy refers setting, the location and the time period of a particular literary work. It can also refer to the social or cultural environment of the work, and you may apply real world implications to your analysis.

Your thesis should answer one of these questions depending on your choice:
Historical:
* Does the work reflect or criticize the values of the society in which it is set or in which it was written?
* How does historical information about the work provide insight into the theme?
* How does some aspect of the setting help us to understand elements of the work?

Biographical:
* How does the author’s own life play a role in elements of the work?
* What occurred or what experiences in the life of the author contribute to the work?
* What role does the author’s life play in understanding the theme of the work?

Steps:
1. Choose a story or a play from the attached list, and analyze the work in terms of the assignment: how does the setting deepen your understanding of the author’s purpose? Make notes about details and patterns in the story that help you to understand the theme and its relation to setting.

2. Write a preliminary thesis statement.

3. Search for at least three sources that discuss the work in relation to your approach. This can include periodicals and other sources dealing with issues of that period or information on the story’s geographic location. Consider whether the information supports your idea. Determine whether you need to revise your thesis, based on what you have discovered.

4. Organize in an outline the information that you have collected and that will support your thesis Determine where you will use your citations from the primary text and the citations from each of your sources.

5. Draft the paper.

6. When you have revised the draft, double-check the accuracy of your citations.

Choose one of the following stories or any from this course:

“Soldier’s Home,” Hemmingway “Battle Royal,” Ellison
“Open Boat,” Crane “Rose for Emily,” Faulkner
“Story of an Hour,” Chopin “Killings,” Dubus
“Cask of Amontillado,” Poe “A & P,” Updike
“The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman “Bullet in the Brain,” Wolfe

*Or, you may choose another story not covered in class, but I must approve it ahead of time.

Or choose one of the following plays:

Trifles
The Glass Menagerie
A Doll House