The first paper for this course is to be 3 to 5 pages in length plus a Works Cit

The first paper for this course is to be 3 to 5 pages in length plus a Works Cited Page in the genre of the short story. Your assignment is to read one short story other than those on our list of readings for this semester. You may choose any short story from our text that we are not otherwise covering in class. Be certain that the story you choose adheres to the definition of a short story as lectured on in class. The purpose of the assignment is for you to analyze and explain the story you have chosen. Check to see if the text’s editors have supplied any notes about the story which might help you in understanding the themes of the story. After reading the story, ask yourself some questions about it. Who are the characters? What happened? Where? When? How? Why? These questions go to the matter of plot. Your paper must include a brief summary of the events of the story. Don’t rehash every detail of the story, but do give the reader enough information in a logical fashion to allow understanding of the story. At the same time you are summarizing, you may wish to comment on the characters and events as they unfold. The summary may not exceed one full page of your paper. You may wish to include biographical details in your paper and to find out something about the author’s life by researching him or her in the reference section of the library or on the library web page under the heading of literature in Databases by subject. Literary Reference Center Plus and Lit Finder offer a variety of critical sources you might consider. These should be the first places you look for research. They are not good research options. Such information can be invaluable in shedding light on the work and intent of an author. For an assignment such as this, you must do academic research. While a Google or other such search might give you some useful information, a better way to do research is through the college’s library page found at www. polk.edu. Find the Libraries in the Quick Link dropdown menu. Select Databases from the list on the left, then Databases A-Z. You will be asked for a log-in and PIN. Your login is your student ID and your PIN is the last four digits of that number. Avoid resources such as Shmoop and Sparknotes. Use of such sources generally demonstrates that the student has not chosen to expend serious effort or time in creating a paper of any value. Your summary will reflect many of the parts of the short story as described in class: plot, setting, characterization, narrative manner, and conflict. Point out how each is used by the author to tell the story.