For Thursday, September 29, you’ll write a brief (no more than two pages, double-spaced) reflection on one of the half dozen stories you’ve read so far this semester. Here’s how your reflection should be structured:
Your reflection should answer the question: “Why is this the best story I’ve read so far?” Thus, your reflection should start with the sentence “[Author’s] [Title of story] is the best story I’ve read so far because . . . .”
To explain why this story is the best use only the three categories from our Reading Room rubric (i.e. plot, character, setting). You can use all three criteria or choose to focus on one or two. In any case, you must justify your judgment using our criteria.
Some technical things to keep in mind:
- you don’t need a title for your essay;
- use quotation to illustrate or develop your argument;
- do not summarize the short story – – I’m interested in your ideas about the story so you’ll want to quote or cite the story only to explain, develop, or illustrate your ideas;
- though it’s a reflection piece, keep your writing clear, direct, and elegant;
- don’t worry about footnotes or citation, etc.;
- be sure to include the title of your short story and its author in your first sentence;
- as always, we will operate with baseball’s hallowed rule – – “Three strikes and yer out” (I’ll explain this in class); use a reasonably sized font and double spacing.
To submit your essay, simply use page breaks to create a new section in your reading journal. Use this section to write your essay.
I’m happy to answer any questions etc. up to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, September 27.
Due: Thursday, September 29, at midnight.