Short Story Topics–PICK ONE
Using MLA documentation (in-text parenthetical reference and Works Cited page), papers must have at least one direct quote from the primary source (short story) and one paraphrase or summary from a secondary source as well as a Works Cited page. You must include a professional review. (Answer in 4-6 paragraphs).
When Mrs. Mallard, in Kate Chopins short story The Story of an Hour, is in her room a monstrous joy comes to her through the window, yet the doctors conclude she has died of the joy that kills. What do you think causes her death?
Do you think Jig, in Ernest Hemingways short story Hills Like White Elephants, will terminate her pregnancy?
In A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, the old man is referred to as both an angel and a very old man. Which is he?
Toni Cade Bambaras short story The Lesson has been called an initiation story, a story in which a child becomes an adult. Has Sylvia changed, learned the lesson?
Discuss how setting can be used in short stories.
*You must cite a source in your paper before you list it on the Works Cited page. *Reference every direct quote and paraphrase. *Have a professional review. *There are no right answers, but you must support your critical perspective with a quote from the primary source (the original short story) and demonstrate exploration of secondary sources (criticism) with a paraphrase . . . yes, I want to know what you think and why you think it. *Use present tense to discuss literature (it is alive!). *Write in third person (no second personyouor firstI . . . your name is on the top of the paper so I already know it is your perspective). *You should look at more than one article in a database (and browse more than one database) to see how critics write about literature .
Please avoid citing .com sites such as Shmoop (it is not a university, no matter how it tells you to cite it!) or Wikipedia. (Of course, if you quote the site you will cite it, but it will not count as the required secondary/journal source.)
