Purpose: Discover a short story’s use of elements such as theme, irony, metaphor, and symbolism. You will conduct a close reading of a short story and discuss the author’s use of these devices in his or her structuring and composition of the content. Applying a close reading and composing a literary analysis will prepare you for the many texts that you will read, summarize, and discuss in the workplace.

Task:

Write an essay analyzing one of our stories from this Unit that discusses why and how specific symbols, metaphors, or uses of irony are used to depict one or two of the themes from Unit 1 in a particular way. Your essay should incorporate details and quotes from the story (using parenthetical documentation with the author’s name), and you should use your own words to elaborate on the meanings of the details and quotes you use as evidence. Review your feedback from the Unit 3 Discussion on Analyzing a Short Story, as well as the posts and feedback of your classmates. Follow these steps:

You will closely read your chosen story, considering its themes, characters, organization, dialogue, and other literary elements. Take notes to outline later.