argumentative essay based on short stories
Please write an argumentative essay based on one of the short stories assigned for class discussion. Your topic is “character as symbol.” That is, the thesis statement for your essay will be an argument that a character in a story symbolizes [blank]. You may choose any short story and any character from the assigned readings, but please remember that your thesis statement must be developed throughout your paper with solid support and overwhelming evidence. You should not begin this essay until you have a complete and nuanced understanding of the fiction terminology. Once you sufficiently comprehend these terms, you should begin your thinking process in earnest by considering the definition of symbol (including the literal and abstract components) in relation to the characters that you have encountered thus far during the semester. Choose a story that you enjoy and characters with whom you are willing to spend some time, and then begin doing some research to see what others have written about the story before starting to craft your own ideas. If you are confused about what is being asked of you in this assignment, please reread this paragraph and clarify any questions.[unique_solution]
In the narrowed essay that you develop, you should explore why the specific character symbolism you plan to argue is important within the broader framework of the story, how such symbolism aides in the development of the story’s theme, and so forth. Mere plot summary will not be accepted. Please think in creative, original, unique ways. In order to do this, you must read and reread the stories as well as give yourself time to reflect.
The English Department Grading Rubric applies to this essay, so review the grading form in detail. Additionally, please keep in mind that this is an argumentative academic essay that should be composed exclusively in the 3rd person and literary present tense.
You must include relevant quotations from the short story upon which your essay is based and must use at least one academic journal article as support. A paper of this sort really cannot be done well without supporting quotations. Please keep quotation length to a minimum – block quotes should be avoided except in the rarest situations. Please also adhere to MLA in-text citation format and craft a proper Works Cited. It is important that you become familiar with MLA documentation in general and the Works Cited in particular.