HUM 3332 Short Essay Instructions and Worksheet

Here are the official instructions for the short essay that is due October 2nd.

The subject for this paper can be any of the stories we have read up through this week (not including the fairy tales). This includes the following: “A Sorrowful Woman,” “Killings,” “Hi Howya Doin,” “Sweat,” and “The Cranes.”

The topic for this paper is Theme.

An explanation of the word “theme:
The definition of this word is relatively simple: the theme of the story is what the author wants to tell us or teach us about the nature of the world and human existence. The theme is a story’s message, and it is what we should always be looking for as we read a story or novel. You could compare the theme of a story to the moral that is usually seen at the end of Aesop’s fables. If you are not familiar with Aesop’s name, you are certainly familiar with his stories. Take “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” for example. At the end of this fable, you will often see a line that says something like: “And the moral of the story is: don’t lie.” A story’s theme is like that, only it’s more complicated. First of all, a good writer is not going to make it easy for you; a good writer will want you to sit and ponder over the meaning of the story. Also, unlike a simple fable, a good story may have many themes, and a novel may have hundreds. Finally, a story may appear to have contradictory themes, meaning that one person can read the story and come to one conclusion, while another reader may come to a completely opposite conclusion as to the story’s meaning.

Once you have decided which story you are going to write about and what you think the theme of the story is, you will write the paper with the goal of proving it to me (the reader). To do this, you will provide proof of your opinion by selecting those elements within the story that back up your claim of what the theme is. For example, if I were to write about the story “Killings” and I believed that the theme of the story is that “revenge is not the answer,” I would probably describe some of the ways Andre Dubus humanizes the character of Richard Strout. I would also describe how the protagonist, Matt Fowler, constantly thinks about Strout’s girlfriend and how she might be feeling. And finally, I would describe the extreme sadness that Matt Fowler expresses at the end of the story.

This paper must be written using Microsoft Word. It must be in perfect MLA format, and should be at least 750 words in length. Below I will provide you a link to a sample MLA paper so you know how one is formatted. And I will also provide you with a proper works cited entry for each story, so all you have to do is copy and paste the correct entry into your paper.
On this page is an outline you can use to organize your thoughts for this paper. Note that while the example below is the traditional 5-paragraph college essay. This means that there is an introduction, a conclusion, and three paragraphs in the body that prove your opinion. However, if you find it hard to come up with three proofs for your opinion, I will accept only two, which would make for a 4-paragraph essay.

1. Sample Outline

I. First Paragraph, Introduction: Write your thesis statement here (What is the theme of the story you are writing about?):

II. Second Paragraph, Proof 1: What is the first reason you think the theme of the story is what it is? Be specific and provide evidence from the story.

III. Third Paragraph, Proof 2: What is the second reason you think the theme of the story is what it is? Be specific and provide evidence from the story.

IV. Fourth Paragraph, Proof 3: What is the third reason you think the theme of the story is what it is? Be specific and provide evidence from the story.

V. Fifth Paragraph, Conclusion: Indicate to the reader what you have just proven.

Here is a link to a sample MLA paper:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_sample_paper.html

Make sure that your paper looks like this sample.

An MLA formatted paper must have a works cited page. Because I have compiled the short stories for this class from a variety of sources, I will provide you with properly formatted entries for each of the stories you can choose from. Just copy and paste the correct one into your paper.

Dubus, Andre. “Killings.” Selected Stories. New York: Vintage Books, 1988. pp. 47-64.
Godwin, Gail. “A Sorrowful Woman.” Esquire, classic.esquire.com/article/1971/8/1/a-sorrowful-woman.
Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat.” Literature to Go, edited by Michael Meyer, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2020, pp. 202-211.
Meinke, Peter. “The Cranes.” Literature to Go, edited by Michael Meyer, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011, pp. 196-198.
Oates, Joyce Carol. “Hi Howya Doin.” Ploughshares, vol. 33, no. 1, [Ploughshares, Emerson College], 2007, pp. 145–48, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40354106.