To get students to think about genre and conventions, we came up with this sample essay prompt. This essay is geared toward the 1202 public life theme, but you can adapt it for any of our course themes.
In this unit, we have read several short stories that deal with a variety of the everyday mundane. All of these stories, in some way, reflect our own lives and grapple with the question of how we deal with personal struggles. But it is also important to recognize that stories are both like and unlike everyday “real” life; they are, after all, written by people from a particular perspective.
For this essay, describe how one of the short stories read for class interprets the idea of public life through a character of your choice. In order to do this, you must pinpoint ONE social or global (i.e., “bigger”) issue that the text addresses and consider how the character of your choice embodies or encounters this problem. Here are some questions to consider (you don’t have to answer all of them):
- Who is your character as an individual and as part of the story’s community?
- How does your character interact with others, and in turn, how do these actions characterize him or her?
- What is your character’s role in their world and in their story, and how do they grow or change in this role?
- How does the author try to resolve the problem they address? More importantly, how do you know?
You must employ at least three of the elements of fiction discussed in class (plot, characterization, setting, tone, figurative language, irony/paradox, language/style, point of view) to explain how the author creates and resolves this bigger issue. You must identify how the elements of fiction contribute to your thesis. In other words, how do these devices shape the story?
Above all else, originality is key – avoid coming to the conclusion that “racism is bad” or “life is tough.” Remember, topics are not thesis statements. Your thesis should not be ‘“Cathedral’ talks about suburban life.” Think more critically about what the text is doing with a particular topic.
You may want to end off the paper by considering the larger purpose of fiction. Explain how your story is crafted to say or reveal something important and to evaluate how effective that message is. There are several outlets that people may turn to for enrichment (newspapers, blogs, texts); why might someone turn to stories?