Essay on the Short Stories
Work Cited Help:
for citing PDF files, like some of these, use the model found at the bottom of this page.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/09/
"Hills Like White Elephants" or "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber"
"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong"
"The Things They Carried"
Directions: This essay, like your initial essay on The Wall, will be a literary analysis. You should follow your handouts precisely on how to write the introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, topic sentences and conclusion paragraphs. You should also be sure to cite the Fairy Tale you are using in a works cited page, and edit thoroughly for Poff’s Pet Peeves.
Note: You are not required to write this essay (though it is a relatively easy one to compose). Remember, however, that you must compose three literary essays and one research essay total this semester.
Note: Be wary, as students often make the mistake of writing an essay on this play which focuses on the use of symbols. Only use the symbolism to support larger points.
IMPORTANT: I will not be taking up rough drafts. I will, however, happily look over rough drafts you bring to my office.
Requirements
The essay must be 3 pages in length minimum.
The essay may be about any one tale or any two (comparing them in order
to explain the reason for their key differences or similarities). Do NOT write about all three.
The essay must quote extensively, but briefly, from the stories for evidence.
The essay must be in correct MLA style
The essay must include a work/s cited page (Cite the one form your text as a selection from an anthology. Cite other two as online sources).
No outside research is required, but you may use it as you wish
Some Ideas:
"The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" suggest that even the most apparently innocent people contain an evil nature that only needs the right environment in which to flourish.
"The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" details how war bestializes and dehumanizes those engaged directly in the conflict and those who are left on the home front on both sides of the conflict.
"The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" explores the distinction between truth and fact, implicitly arguing that a distortion of facts is often need to enhance the ability to convey the emotional truth of an experience.
"The Things They Carried" illustrates how Jimmy Cross sacrifices his humanity to steel himself against the horrors of war.
"The Things They Carried" details the assortment of coping techniques soldiers use to cope with the psycological trauma of war.
"The Things They Carried" suggests soldiers are christ figures carrying the burden of the broader society's "sins".