Read the stories found on this page and select one to write about for your next essay. All selections below include an audio reading of the story to aid your comprehension while reading. Have your text open while listening so you can highlight and annotate important passages. If the story does not appear in your textbook, use a notebook to take notes.
Note: You cannot write on the same short story as a previous essay.
“Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, p. 596. Summary: In the early 1900’s a midwestern farmhouse wife is accused of murdering her husband and is put on “trial” in her kitchen by her neighbors. Inspired by a true story.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, p. 585 (p.571) Summary: “The Yellow Wallpaper” is written as a series of diary entries from the perspective of a woman who is suffering from post-partum depression.
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, p. 523. (p. 658) Summary: Set in post-Civil War South, “A Rose for Emily” is the story of an unmarried woman who attracts the suspicion of the townspeople after her father dies and she becomes involved with a Yankee man from the North.
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Summary: This story describes a fictional small town which observes an annual tradition known as “the lottery,” in which a member of the community is selected by chance.
Write a 1000 word minimum essay analyzing symbolism as it relates to theme in one of the stories in the Literary Selections in this module.
This assignment requires research, so allow yourself some extra time.
You will need at least two secondary sources to support your analysis. The short story is the primary source, and articles and essays about the short story are secondary sources.
Rather than “cheat” websites like Lit Charts or Sparknotes, you must find a scholarly secondary source from the PHSC Electronic Library Resources (links provided next).
The databases provide citations, but they rarely follow MLA requirements. Don’t simply copy and paste them. Follow MLA guidelines and revise them to the correct format onto a “Works Cited” page at the end of your essay.
See “Integrating Secondary Source Material into Your Essay,” Norton p. 2041 (p. 1959).
See “Citation and Documentation” for the rules for MLA citations including the Works Cited page, Norton, pp. 2055-63 (p. 1973-91)
See Guidelines for All Essays
