11th+Grade+Writers'+Lounge

===Jago, Carol, Renee H. Shea, Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin Aufses. //Literature and Composition//. 1st ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. Print. ===

Welcome! The time has come … term paper time.

You will choose ONE of the below short stories on which you will write your literary analysis term paper.

I might have previously mentioned this in class (do you detect my sarcasm?), but you can thank me – and Ms. Lyons – for using short stories this year rather than full novels. This will allow you to spend more time researching, analyzing and writing rather than trying to cram a month’s worth of reading into a week. Please take some time to browse the below works by clicking on the links and skimming the stories to see which may peak your interest. You will be spending some quality time with your story so make sure you put some thought into your choice.

= = =__ SHORT STORY CHOICES AND SOURCES __=

“The Bet” by Anton Chekhov
[|__http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtml__] // Research Questions and Ideas for Topics //
 * Chekhov preferred to explore details of the human experience. How did he do this?
 * How does Chekhov's ordinary characters reveal the complexities of human behavior?
 * What statement does Chekhov make about the realities of power and money?
 * Does Chekhov paint an accurate portrayal of the effects of solitary confinement? Why or why not?
 * Chekhov claims he never wrote to make a political statement. After reading "The Bet," do you think that is true? Why or why not? What is the author's purpose?
 * How much of our humanity comes from belonging to the community of other human beings?
 * Examine the types of figurative language in the lawyer's letters. Why does Chekhov incorporate this figurative language?Chekhov traveled to a Russian prison to research the effects of solitary confinement (see article above). Does his story hold true to his findings or does it contradict his findings?
 * Example thesis statement: In "The Bet," author Anton Chekhov uses several types of figurative language such as xxxxxx, xxxxxxx and xxxxxx in order to xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.


 * How does Chekhov use Magic Realism throughout his story?
 * magic realism: a style of literature in which fantastic or imaginary and often unsettling images or events are depicted in a sharply detailed, realistic manner

POSSIBLE RESOURCES FOR "THE BET"
Morson, Gary Saul. "Chekhov's enlightenment." New Criterion 31.3 (2012): 20+. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2015. URL: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA308437008&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=6ef7586b14590b8b1de28ae91fb74dc1

I used the Points of View database via our library website and found tons of research on the effects of solitary confinement. You should try it, too! Here are just a few of the articles I found...

PATRICK, LEAHY, CHAIRMAN, and COMMITTEE SENATE JUDICIARY. "Reassessing Solitary Confinement." //FDCH Congressional Testimony// (n.d.): //Points of View Reference Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Lowenstein, Isidore. "The Philadelphia Penitentiary." //Philadelphia Penitentiary// (2009): 1. //Points of View Reference Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Nazaryan, Alexander. "Solitude's Despair." //Newsweek Global// 162.14 (2014): 1. //Points of View Reference Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Jeffreys, Derek S. "Cruel But Not Unusual." //Commonweal// 141.11 (2014): 20. //Points of View Reference Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

GRIEST, STEPHANIE ELIZONDO. "The Torture Of Solitary." //Wilson Quarterly// 36.2 (2012): 22. //Points of View Reference Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

Nonfiction article about Chekhov's research for the story just published on 2/2/15 in The New Yorker: [|__http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/chekhovs-beautiful-nonfiction__]

Timmis, Christopher. "Sakhalin Island." British Medical Journal 1 Mar. 2008: 511. Student Resources in Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2015. URL: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA178072770&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=654401b9a798cf55803938fa6462dd38 Gale Document Number: GALE|A178072770

“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
[|__http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html__]

POSSIBLE RESOURCES FOR “HARRISON BERGERON”
Kurt Vonnegut’s America Titles by: Klinkowitz, Jerome. Published: Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, c2009. Format: 1 online resource (x, 142 p.) ISBN: 978-1-61117-115-0 (electronic bk.), 1-61117-115-6 (electronic bk.) Electronic Resources: __http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=453326__

Moore, Stephen, and Peter Ferrara. "The Poverty Of Equality." //American Spectator// 45.3 (2012): 26. //Points of View Reference Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. [] Abstract: The author argues that the vision of equality as a social goal with equal incomes and wealth for all is counterproductive economically and leads to a poor society. He refers to Kurt Vonnegut's 1961 short story "**Harrison** **Bergeron**" wherein everybody was equal as the government forced individuals to wear handicaps to offset any advantage they had. He stresses that the less people are allowed to keep of what they produce, the less they will produce, citing communist China in the 1940-1960s.

Akst, Daniel. "The harm of middle-class inequality." //Newsday, (Melville, NY)// 12 Sept. 2011: //Points of View Reference Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. []

Johnston, Robert C. "Literary License; Author Switches Sides on Kansas Finance Brief That Cites His Short Story." //Education Week// 18 May 2005: 15. //Gale Biography In Context//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA215122657&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=c4c7f034b52d23b18e17f89609972590

“The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel by García Marquez
[|__http://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/shortfiction/The_Most_Handsome_Drowned_Man.pdf__]

// Ideas for Topics // magic realism: a style of literature in which fantastic or imaginary and often unsettling images or events are depicted in a sharply detailed, realistic manner

POSSIBLE RESOURCES FOR “THE HANDSOMEST DROWNED MAN IN THE WORLD”
Pedoto, Constance A. "The Alaskan connection: the World of Macondo in Eskimo tales." Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics 26.1-2 (2003): 53+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2015. URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA335627883&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=3478e287d0b352b55475c77eeec85448

"Gabriel Garcia Marquez did what few writers can: get millions of people to read them." //National Review// 19 May 2014: 12. //Student Resources in Context//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA367300525&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=5800a284031bbb3f855747e696d102ab

Vijh, Surekha. "Gabriel Garcia Marquez: creator of the magic realism movement in Latin-American Literature." //World and I// Jan. 2008. //Student Resources in Context//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA186321887&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=a5c4e20c9992ba7f6da482fbf5ea3b58

Pearl, Nancy. "Magical realism: beyond fiction's pale. (The Reader's Shelf)." //Library Journal// 15 Mar. 2003: 140. //Student Resources in Context//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA99515131&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=aba6c1bee8b0ebb7179b463744815083

[|https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=vFO4Y_zNnF8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA71&dq=%22handsomest+drowned+man%22&ots=mBfc7EHIgk&sig=V3egPQMGnFGBYCZ2BT3Diol9JJk#v=onepage&q=%22handsomest%20drowned%20man%22&f=false]

“To Build a Fire” by Jack London
[|__http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html__] // Ideas for Topics //
 * In the 1890s, Jack London joined the Klondike Gold Rush. Does his experience mirror "To Build a Fire"? Could the story be somewhat autobiographical?
 * themes of survivability, instinct
 * What role(s) does/do nature play throughout the story?

POSSIBLE RESOURCES FOR “TO BUILD A FIRE”
Vlahos, James. "TRAVERSING JACK LONDON's Klondike Country." National Geographic Adventure 6.3 (2004): 47. MAS Complete. Web. 6 Feb. 2015.

[]

“Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan
[|__http://mmecassidy.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/1/8/24185001/rules_of_the_game.pdf__]

The Dubliners by James Joyce (collection of short stories)
[|__http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/joyce/Dubliners.pdf__]

RESOURCES FOR "EVELINE"
Boo, Katherine. "Grow up, twenty-somethings. You can go home again." Washington Monthly Apr. 1992: 31+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 9 Feb. 2015. URL: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA12129677&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=22a3a53c96736ce754ea8c7b167d6c08

San Juan, Epifanio, Jr. "Eveline." //James Joyce and the Craft of Fiction//. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 1972. 71-78. Rpt. in //Short Story Criticism//. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 172. Detroit: Gale, 2013. //Literature Resource Center//. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. URL http%3A%2F%2Fgo.galegroup.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fid%3DGALE%257CH1420110566%26v%3D2.1%26u%3Dfort87272%26it%3Dr%26p%3DLitRC%26sw%3Dw%26asid%3D5c3ebc1384eb6888f0d78377b6c0161a

Trudell, Scott. "Critical Essay on 'Eveline'." //Short Stories for Students//. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 19. Detroit: Gale, 2004. //Literature Resource Center//. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CH1420056363&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w&asid=576d28f5bebad3bcff86cf245f192d16
 * Gale Document Number:** GALE|H1420056363

Feshbach, Sidney. "‘Fallen on His Feet in Buenos Ayres’ (//D// 39): Frank in ‘Eveline’." //James Joyce Quarterly// 20.1 (1982): 223-227. Rpt. in //Short Story Criticism//. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 172. Detroit: Gale, 2013. //Literature Resource Center//. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. URL http%3A%2F%2Fgo.galegroup.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fid%3DGALE%257CH1420110567%26v%3D2.1%26u%3Dfort87272%26it%3Dr%26p%3DLitRC%26sw%3Dw%26asid%3D147f5daba1fc6f4d8559c2cae888c40f
 * Gale Document Number:** GALE|H1420110567

St. Jean, Shawn. "Readerly Paranoia and Joyce’s Adolescence Stories." //James Joyce Quarterly// 35.4 (1998): 665-682. Rpt. in //Short Story Criticism//. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 172. Detroit: Gale, 2013. //Literature Resource Center//. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. URL http%3A%2F%2Fgo.galegroup.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fid%3DGALE%257CH1420110568%26v%3D2.1%26u%3Dfort87272%26it%3Dr%26p%3DLitRC%26sw%3Dw%26asid%3Dd1622a87ab179d142624c62f5ef97bcd
 * Gale Document Number:** GALE|H1420110568

Title: Brooklyn as the "untold story" of "Eveline": reading Joyce and Toibin with Ricoeur Author(s): [|Tory Young] Source: **//[|Journal of Modern Literature].//** 37.2 (Winter 2014): p123. From //Literature Resource Center //.

“Day of the Butterfly” by Alice Munro
[|__http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gcisd-k12.org%2Fcms%2Flib%2FTX01000829%2FCentricity%2FModuleInstance%2F21838%2FDay%2520of%2520the%2520Butterfly%2520Full%2520Text.doc&ei=39fHVIL1Ls7bsASJp4CwCg&usg=AFQjCNHjvdO2j97RKGA-gbP0wq8IO4rVxA__] (will open as a word document)

“The Red-Headed League” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
[|__http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/book0707.pdf__]

// Ideas for Topics // C. Hugh Holman’s A Handbook to Literature defines a detective story as “a novel or short story in which a crime, usually a murder – the identity of the perpetrator unknown – is solved by a detective through a logical assembling and interpretation of palpable evidence, known as clues.” 2 The first detective stories were written by Edgar Allan Poe, and Conan Doyle acknowledged their influence on his writing. A good detective story generally follows six “unwritten rules.” First, the crime must be significant, worthy of the attention it receives. Most stories involve murder, though Conan Doyle tied the majority of his crimes to greed and theft. Second, the detective must be in some way a memorable character. He or she must be very intelligent, of course, unusually clever and observant, but also quirky, possessing perhaps some odd idiosyncrasies that distinguish him or her. Kojak’s lollipop, Columbo’s crumpled raincoat, James Bond’s unruffled cool and high-tech gadgets, all of these things make the hero somehow distinct. Third, along with an exceptional detective, there must be an outstanding opponent, a criminal clever enough to be a match for the hero. Solving the crime can’t be too easy. Fourth, because a large part of the attraction of a detective story is the opportunity for the reader to try to figure out the solution along with the detective, all suspects of the crime must be introduced early in the story, and Fifth, all clues the detective discovers must be made available to the reader also. Finally, at the end of the story, the solution must seem obvious, logical, possible. The crime must not have resulted from accident or supernatural intervention, and the detective must be able to explain all aspects of the case in a reasonable way. A fine detective story should meet each one of these standards.

POSSIBLE RESOURCES FOR "THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE"
MORROW, LAURIE. "The Doctor and the Detective - Arthur Conan Doyle's creative journey." //World and I// June 2002: 256. //Student Resources in Context//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA87868548&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=badbd23a31609223867bd3ad053b0028

Wainwright, Michael. "Sherlock Holmes and game theory." //Mosaic// [Winnipeg] 45.3 (2012): 81. //Student Resources in Context//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA302595293&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=327074cbd15a2def640c1b6b7e8ba69a

Schroth, Raymond. "If only we could call on Sherlock Holmes." //National Catholic Reporter// 20 June 1997: 19. //Student Resources in Context//. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. URL http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA19564193&v=2.1&u=fort87272&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w&asid=40496cba4e6f6fb44db85af8137adf0f

“His Mother’s House” by Edward P. Jones

 * Edward P. Jones article: [|__http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110603404.html__]

=__ GOOGLE DOCS __= [|__Click here to set up your own account...or just to make sure you have one.__]

To share a document with me in the future, use __nmcnesby@gmail.com__.

=__ WHAT EXACTLY IS LITERARY ANALYSIS? __=

[|__What does "analysis" really mean?__]

=__ RESOURCES __=

Help With Thesis Statements:
[|__http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/thesis-statements/__] [|__https://www.kibin.com/essay-writing-blog/thesis-statement-examples/__] [|__http://english.learnhub.com/lesson/2212-thesis-101__] [|__https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/01/__]

MLA Formatting:
[|__https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/__]