Essay 1 Assignment

This first essay is an opportunity to practice looking for threads of connection between short stories. You will have read four stories by Kate Chopin (“Ripe Figs,” “The Story of an Hour,” “Desiree’s Baby,” and “The Storm”) and a story by Tobias Wolff (“Powder”). You can choose which stories you want to write about. You don’t have to write about all five, but you need to write about at least two. There are an infinite number of possible approaches to this assignment, but here are some suggestions:

• Assert a claim about the role nature plays in the works of Chopin
• Compare the roles of nature in the works of Chopin and Wolff
• Discuss Chopin’s portrayal of women, men, or their interactions
• Analyze gender differences between Chopin and Wolff (characters or styles)
• Describe a key similarity or difference between these works separated by a century

You aren’t limited to choosing one of these five approaches. You can certainly choose another, inspired perhaps by one or more of the critical strategies outlined in Chapter 18, but please notice that none of my suggestions asks for a summary or a statement of whether or not you like the works being discussed. Those are valid approaches for journaling because they can help point you to areas for further investigation, but they are insufficient for the task of analytical writing. Your classmates and I will have read the same texts, so we won’t need a summary of any of the stories. And since this isn’t an art appreciation class, we aren’t writing reviews. We want to see you assert a debatable thesis (preferably at the end of the first paragraph) about connections between these stories and support that thesis with evidence from them.

Please print the completed essay from a computer, using 12-pt font (Times New Roman or Arial), double-spacing the lines, and setting the margins at 1” all the way around. The essay should be two to three pages long (meaning it should conclude at the bottom of the second page or somewhere on the third page). Don’t forget to insert page numbers, a title that announces the topic or hints at your thesis, and a works cited page.

A working draft of this essay is due on Monday, September 29th. It need not be complete, but it must be far enough along for reviewers to comment usefully. A draft for initial grading is due on Wednesday, October 1st. When grading it, I’ll be looking for

• A clearly stated thesis, supported by relevant and properly cited textual evidence
• A coherent structure with introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
• Paragraphs that are each unified by a topic sentence
• Sentences that are grammatically correct and properly punctuated
• An ability to read and accurately follow the instructions for the assignment

An A paper will have all of these things, as well as a thoughtful, engaged approach to the topic. A B paper will have all or almost all of the bulleted characteristics, but it may be overly simplified. A C paper will have most of the bulleted characteristics. A D paper will have few of the bulleted characteristics, and an F paper will have none of them. You may revise and resubmit the essay on Wednesday, October 8th for a grade that will replace the first grade.