Respond to ONE of the following prompts: Option 1: Identify an important symbol

Respond to ONE of the following prompts:
Option 1: Identify an important symbol or motif (a related series of symbols) in one of the below short stories and explain how that symbol or motif informs your analysis of the story as a whole.
Option 2: Literature is driven by conflict. Examine a conflict in one of the assigned short stories. This could be an internal conflict or an external conflict between two characters or a character and his/her environment. What is the nature of the conflict, and how is it resolved? What does this conflict show us about the character(s) and theme(s) of the story?
You may write about any ONE of the following stories, all linked here and in the Weekly Modules:
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants”
Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl”
Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”
Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Birdsong”
Requirements
Your essay should:
be formatted in MLA (12 pt font, double-spaced), with an MLA header, heading, and title
fully address one of the prompts above
begin with an introduction with a hook, TAG (title, author, genre), and a thesis statement that makes an arguable claim in answer to the prompt
contain 2-4 body paragraphs focusing on one supporting idea each, with topic sentences and evidence from the story. Include at least three quotations from the story, followed with your analysis
provide enough plot details to support your thesis; however, you should avoid a full plot summary–assume your audience has also read the story
end with a conclusion discussing the significance of your analysis
include MLA in-text citations and an MLA Works Cited page listing the citation for the story you discussed. Secondary sources are not required for this assignment, but if you do take ideas or words from elsewhere, you must cite them.. Online study guides such as Sparknotes and Shmoop are not acceptable sources for college-level papers, and any paper using these sources will not receive higher than a grade of C. If you do choose to consult and cite a secondary source, remember that most of the ideas in the essay should still be your own.
be 2-3 double-spaced pages long