These are some instructions from my professor and I have selected to do the short story by Alice Walker ‘Everyday Use’
3. Do some brainstorming, freewriting, or some other type of pre-writing technique to get ideas about what you want to write about based on the explanations below. Also, this is a good time to start your research to see what information is out there that you find interesting. Then, you can begin the writing process.
One of the issues students have is that they try to start writing from the first line, and that is not very effective. Get a working thesis going. A working thesis, as it sounds, is a general idea of what you think you want to talk about, but it can change as you write more and as you do more research.
Then, you want to start building your paragraphs.
Don’t try to write your introduction and conclusion or come up with a title until you have written your body paragraphs and refined your thesis.
Do not be afraid to revise. Revision is what makes for a strong paper.
4. Open a new Word document to write your assignment. The document should be in proper MLA format, and you need to include the word count at the end of the response.
5. Write a thesis statement that includes the following: The title of the short story in quotes, the author’s name, and the overall theme you will explore in the essay.
6. Choose three elements of fiction from the M1: Lecture Note #2 – Elements of Fiction Part One, excluding “Subject” and “Theme.” They will be a separate part of this assignment.
Write at least three paragraphs, one for each element of fiction that you are going to write and connect to the story you have chosen and then how it connects to the overall human experience.
7. Choose one of the approaches to literature explained in M1: Lecture Note #4 – Literary Analysis Part One and write at least two paragraphs explaining how the story you chose connects to either the cultural or historical events of the time when the story was written. Or, if you are doing biographical, then you will need to examine the author’s life and see how it connects to the story.
For this part, you will need to do research and then cite your sources* both in your response and on the Works Cited page.
8. Finally, I want you to explain what you think the “Subject” of the story is, and then what you think the “Theme” is and explain.