Literary Analysis
Purpose of the Assignment
Use the literary element(s) in which you make a claim about a short story you’ve read for this module.
Short stories for analysis:
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson or “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright.
You can select the short story you wish to analyze for this essay using one of the prompts below:
Do certain characters, objects, or setting seem to symbolize something or have greater meaning? What criteria will you use for your analysis/evaluation? What debatable claim can be made that others may not have thought about?
What is the relation of the setting to the plot and the characters? What criteria will you use for your analysis/evaluation?What debatable claim can be made about the relationship that others may not have thought about?
How has the point of view shaped or determined the style used in the story? What criteria will you use for your analysis/evaluation?What debatable claim can be made that others may not have thought about?
Compare specific literary device(s) between two of the stories. What is learned about the analysis process when the stories are compared? What criteria will you use for your analysis/evaluation?What debatable claim can be made that others may not have thought about?
Format Guidelines
Essay word count is 750 – 1000 words. (does not include cited material, i.e. in-text and works cited page)
At least 6 paragraphs.
Use traditional MLA essay structure
