Paper 1 guidelines: In our discussions, we have spent quite a bit of time talking about the use of several different structural and stylistic devices in literature. For example, we discussed how the plot of Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour carries us along, how character portrayal in Tim O’Brien’s Stockings distracts us from the lack of setting that should describe the imminence of war and violence and that so dominates Wilfred Owens’ “Dulce et Decorum Est.” By the same token, we examined how setting can be used to create a certain mood and atmosphere and how this setting impacts the reader’s feelings and emotions. Point of view is another important component in story-telling, one which might alert us to certain plot developments or, conversely, distract us from certain character traits. As you recall, Montresor in The Cask of Amontillado appeared sincere and sophisticated enough from his own point of view, but–through the use of dramatic irony, primarily—another side to his character quickly emerged, distorting Montresor’s first person narrative. Similarly, theme might deceive us; a story that seems straight-forward might have several important and, occasionally, contradictory themes. It is important for the reader to identify a theme, however, as a way into the story. Once inside, it is the reader’s task to trace the theme, to detect whether it remains consistent, to note any and all variations of the theme, and to determine what the narrator’s and/or the author’s ultimate intention might have been in conveying his/her tale in this manner. Interestingly, some of the most unique stories have their theme, character development, plot, and setting usurped by images and symbols—much in the manner of poetic narration. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short stories and novels are fine examples of this technique, but other South and North American writers could be named as well. top

For your first short reflective paper, I would like you to engage with two to three pieces of literature from at least two different genres. You may draw on any and all of the poems and short stories that we have read thus far—regardless of whether or not we talked about them in class. Develop a thesis that connects the stories/poems that you have chosen—be it in theme, setting, plot, character, image, irony, or whatever structural or stylistic device you detect and that most interested you and impacted your reading experience. Be sure to follow the clues the writer left you in laying bare the devices that shape his/her story/poem. How does the author’s story-telling technique work to illuminate the meaning of the stories/poems that you have chosen? How is the story/poem/ structured to create a specific effect? What is the mood the story/poem conveys and perhaps even dictates? What, in other words, is the dramatic purpose of the story/poem? top

This is where the writing begins. Go back, trace the results of your analysis, and write down patterns —this will be your introduction and thesis statement. Then go back through your notes and the text and prove your analysis by making extensive use of textual evidence; in other words, cite the text of the stories/poems wherever you can. Show that you are right! Prove that you know what the author/narrator is up to! Tell me what the story is really about and explain how the writer goes about telling it in unique and interesting ways! top

In short: Write a short reflective paper that explores a similar/contradictory use of structural and/or stylistic devices in two to three pieces of literature that we have read this semester. Develop an argument, introduce your paper, and formulate a thesis statement; provide support in the body of your paper, quote from the text of the stories/poems, and conclude your paper in a confident and convincing manner. Do not forget to give your paper a title, and make sure, please, that the paper’s title stands in immediate relation to your thesis statement. This means that if you call your paper “’To be or not to be’: Self-doubt in Hamlet,” then your thesis (and thus your entire paper) has to circle around the problem of identity crises and/or suicide; if you call it “Irony and Death in Poe, Chopin, and Owens ,” you had better talk about death and its ironies in the stories/poems of Edgar Allen Poe, Kate Chopin, and Wilfred Owens ; and if you call it “Women and Society ,” you will have to talk about women and their role in society. By the same token, I need to you to sustain your focus throughout the entire paper. This means that when you write about irony, you need to make sure that each and every paragraph of your paper deals with this theme and that they are all headed by a topic sentence which leads the readers into the next part of your argument and prepares them for whatever textual support you may have discovered. Above all then, focus on coherence and consistence in your analysis. Take us for a ride but make us feel safe! top

Format: Your paper should be no fewer than two and no more than four pages in length, double-spaced, with a 1” margin all around (this translates roughly into 900-1,800 words—insert page numbers in top right hand corner). Develop a leading question or a governing argument that addresses whatever you have chosen as the focus of your paper: a thesis statement. Be sure to provide an introduction and a conclusion to your paper and to organize your thoughts into coherent paragraphs of sensible lengths within the body of your paper (paragraphs need to be 7-10 sentences long—no exceptions). top

Grading: Each short reflective paper accounts for 10% of overall grade for the course. Please consult Grading Standards or visit www.wsu.edu/~vtheile/grade.html for more details. top

Help: I am available for questions via E-mail and during my office hours. For appointments outside my office hours, talk to me after class or send me an E-mail. I gladly look over drafts with you as you develop your paper/argument, but I need you to come in for those review sessions and work through the parer draft with me. As is true for everything in this course, always remember to proofread E-mails and drafts. It is our goal as a class and a university community to use language to impress, never to confuse. top