Assignments
All essay assignments need to
be double-spaced, 12 point font, indented using MLA, if applicable, and a
minimum of 750 words. Develop a thesis that presents your elements and
addresses your topic. Almost all of the assignments will require parenthetical
documentation. Usually you will have only one entry on your work cited and so
will only need page numbers in your documentation. Look at the work within
an anthology entry because you will be using a short story within a text. (Go
back to helpful links on my
main page: library: get help: MLA or go to google: work within anthology MLA.)
Create your own title, but also
indicate in your heading exactly which assignment you have chosen and
remember to include the course name.
Assignments for the Short
Story
Make one selection from the
choices below:
a. Three Fiction
Elements-Choose a short story and analyze it for at least three of the fiction
elements.
b. Two Elements Compared-Choose
two short stories and compare and contrast the use of two fiction
elements. You will have both short stories listed on your work cited.
c. "Barn Burning"
Narrative-Write a narrative that continues "The Barn Burning" into the
next day. You must be true to the character, setting, tone, dialogue, etc.
of the story.
d. New Viewpoint for "An Ounce
of Cure"-Rewrite "An Ounce of Cure" from the ex-boyfriend's point of view. Be
true to the original story. (Your story won't compare in length to the
original.)
e. New Viewpoint for "Young
Goodman Brown"-Rewrite scenes from "Young Goodman Brown" from Faith's
perspective. Be true to the original.
f. Cultural Perspective-Analyze
the cultural influence on the characters, conflict, and setting of one
particular short story.
Assignments for the Novel
a. Novel Test Key-Create a Test
Key. Make it half objective and have subjective. Objective questions can be
matching, short answer, true-false, and multiple choice. Objective means that
the answer is factual: right or wrong. The subjective half has to do with
answers being a matter of interpretation, not strictly correct or incorrect,
but clearly supported with examples from the novel. Create discussion questions
and acceptable responses. Provide all the answers. (That's what makes it a
Key.)
b. Types of Irony-Develop an
essay that focuses on the types of irony in the novel you choose.
c. Alternative Ending-Create an
alternative ending to the novel you choose, then follow the narrative section
with a section that explains the changes.
d. Setting Essay-Develop an
essay that examines the importance of time and place in the novel you choose.
e. Cultural Perspective-Analyze
the cultural influence on the characters, conflict, and setting of the
novel you choose.
Assignments for Drama
a. Types of Irony- Write an
essay focusing on the types of irony in the play, unless this was your choice
for the essay on the novel.
b. Plot Line-Write an essay
that explains the elements of the plot line in rela-
tion to one of the plays you
choose.
c. Essay on Relevance-Examine
the play you choose for ways in which it is relevant to today's society.
d. Character Analysis-Examine
the character traits of two or three characters in the play, also looking at
motivation and how the characters relate to each other.
e. Cultural Perspective-Analyze
the cultural influence on the characters, conflict, and setting.
Poetry
The poetry assignment is a test
over terms in one of the ACC testing centers.
See the terms in Class Notes. The test will give you an opportunity to use the
terms from the course in relation to what you read. The test will be almost
completely objective. (See "Novel Test Key" above.)