Write a 5-paragraph essay explaining your interpretation of a given shory story(choose one), using those 3 pieces of evidence as support. select either Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” or Ray Brad

Write a 5-paragraph essay explaining your interpretation of a given shory story(choose one), using those 3 pieces of evidence as support. select either Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” or Ray Brad
Rebekah Shahan Lesson Learned . . . the Hard Way “Free! Body and soul free!” Mrs. Mallard kept whispering. One person’s ultimate freedom may be seen as a tragedy to another. Kate Chopin illustrates this idea in “The Story of an Hour.” The story is set in the nineteenth century. Chopin uses the death of Mr. Mallard to show the reader Mrs. Mallard’s deep feelings. In the story, Josephine and Mrs. Mallard are sisters. Although the women come from the same background, live in the same city, and outwardly appear to be satisfied with their lives, their attitudes are very different. Chopin uses these two women as foil characters in the story. The differences in the women are seen in their reactions to Mr. Mallard’s death. Although both women are expected to maintain a certain role in society, Mrs. Mallard, unlike Josephine, is not satisfied with her life due to the societal restrictions. At the end of the story, Josephine and Mrs. Mallard respond very differently to Mr. Mallard’s coming home. Josephine and Mrs. Mallard feel very differently about the societal restrictions placed on them. Josephine is portrayed as the perfect nineteenth-century woman. She fulfills her duty as care-giver. This duty is seen when Josephine is kneeling before Mrs. Mallard’s locked door pleading for admission: “Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door. You will make yourself ill,” Josephine implores. Josephine is concerned about the well-being of her sister. She is present when Mrs. Mallard hears the news of her husband’s death and provides comfort and compassion. On the other hand, Mrs. Mallard feels trapped and burdened by the restriction placed on her by society. Mrs. Mallard longs to be an individual who does not belong to someone else. When alone in her room, Mrs. Mallard says over and over again, “free, free, free!” Through this statement, Mrs. Mallard lets the reader know she feels imprisoned by her life as Mrs. Mallard, Mr. Mallard’s wife. Mrs. Mallard feels stifled and bound by her limited opportunities. Josephine and Mrs. Mallard may be sisters, but they have very different outlooks on a woman’s role in society. The differences in Josephine and Mrs. Mallard are evident in their reactions to the news of Mr. Mallard’s death. Josephine cannot find a ray of hope in Mr. Mallard’s death. She is overwhelmed with sadness. She is very careful how she tells Mrs. Mallard of her husband’s death. Josephine uses broken sentences and veiled hints when telling Mrs. Mallard of Mr. Mallard’s death. Josephine knows that Mrs. Mallard depends on her husband for everything. However, Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to the news is very different. Mrs. Mallard loves her husband. She is saddened by the news, but she is able to see into the future. She is able to see a future with color and brightness. Mrs. Mallard feels set free from bondage. She no longer sees a world of restrictions but a world of opportunity and adventure. Her husband’s death brings revival to her soul. Chopin says, Mrs. Mallard is “drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.” The news of Mr. Mallard’s death is tragic but brings very different reactions from Josephine and Mrs. Mallard. At the end of the story, when Mr. Mallard enters his house, Josephine and Mrs. Mallard respond very distinctly. Josephine lets out a “piercing cry.” Her response is one of relief and thankfulness. She cannot believe what she sees and is in total shock. Mrs. Mallard also experiences shock when her husband enters. However, it is not the same relief Josephine feels. When Mrs. Mallard sees her husband, the chains of bondage are thrown back onto her. The reviving and refreshing experience she has just had in her room is put out, and she dies. The doctors say that Mrs. Mallard dies “of joy that kills.” Actually, her soul cannot handle the oppression after it has felt such freedom. Josephine’s and Mrs. Mallard’s differences are reflected in their reactions to Mr. Mallard’s coming home. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Josephine and Mrs. Mallard are foil characters. The behaviors and values of one contrast with the other. Josephine is presented as a content woman in the nineteenth century. Mrs. Mallard is struggling for freedom. The differences in these women are seen in their reactions to Mr. Mallard’s death and return. Chopin uses this story to point out the importance of being an individual and developing oneself.
Write a 5-paragraph essay explaining your interpretation of a given shory story(choose one), using those 3 pieces of evidence as support. select either Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” or Ray Brad
Grading Rubric for the Final Exam Paper Requirements Excellent (A) Above Average (B) Average (C) Needs Improvement (D) Poor (F) Content (45pts.) Paper responds clearly, accurately to one selected prompt. Paper remains focused on one prompt. Paper displays a clear understanding of essay development and expository writing techniques covered by the course. Paper develops a thoughtful, well-reasoned, thesis with examples, details, explanation, etc. Paper shows exigence and critical thinking. Paper focuses on analysis, not summary or personal opinion; its purpose is to inform. Organization & Style (25pts.) The paper applies standard writing conventions including but not limited to the following: Strong, clear thesis statement Clear, logical organization and structure Strong topic sentences relating directly to thesis Unified, coherent paragraphs Smooth, varied transitions at sentence & paragraph level Sentence variety Clear, consistent style Effective intro/conclusion Appropriate language and tone for a formal, academic essay & audience Grammar & Mechanics (20pts.) Paper is free of spelling/typing errors, grammatical errors, and mechanical errors. Documentation & Use of Sources (10pts.) All bibliographic information (in-text and Works Cited) adheres to MLA documentation and formatting rules. All bibliographic punctuation is correct. Paper draws on carefully chosen citations from one assigned essay to support the thesis. Paper always uses signal phrases and additional commentary to smoothly incorporate outside material. Source material does not overpower the writer’s voice but is used to support the writer’s own position. Points Subtotal: Major Grammatical Errors (-1 point for each): Basic requirements met (-1 point for each): 3rd person only, file name follows course guidelines, MLA page layout Time Limit of 2 Hours Met: Total Points: Paper Grade:
Write a 5-paragraph essay explaining your interpretation of a given shory story(choose one), using those 3 pieces of evidence as support. select either Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” or Ray Brad
The Literary Thesis – WAL Short Video Series How does a thesis or argument work in an essay about literature? First, notice that in an interpretive literary essay, you don’t usually take one clear side of a yes/no or right/wrong debate. You don’t have to argue that your interpretation of a work is the only interpretation of that work. Also, you aren’t writing a pro/con essay where you summarize existing research on an issue and take a side: like you might be pro early childhood education, or pro standardized testing, for example. In a literary analysis, even if you do some research, you aren’t likely just summarizing what others have said about a work or idea. This can leave a lot of students feeling like, if there’s no really “right” answer, does that mean you can just say anything? No wrong answers!? Well, for most college-level literary essays, you’ll have to eventually support your assertions with quotations from the text. So yeah, you could claim that Hamlet is actually from outer space (that’d explain a lot of the strange behavior) – but what part of the play would you quote from to prove that? By the same token, just because an assertion can be backed up with a quotation, doesn’t make that assertion automatically a great thesis. For example, you wouldn’t just want to make the blanket statement that in Hamlet, Shakespeare uses symbolism. Sure, you could quote from all over the play to prove the point. But it’s a point that doesn’t really need proving. No reasonable reader is likely to argue the opposite – like, that Shakespeare doesn’t use symbolism. So this is what can make the thesis statement, or argument, in an essay about literature a bit tricky: you can’t just make a random assertion or claim an idea is your opinion and since all art is subjective…. You don’t want to offer an interpretation that’s too obvious, either – like Shakespeare using symbolism. This won’t likely to be news to anyone. A useful rule of thumb is that a good literary thesis, in most writing situations, will make an informed reader say something like “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that before.” They’re intrigued by your interpretation because it isn’t just an un-proveable, subjective opinion. Nor is it an overly obvious statement of fact about a work. It’s an interesting idea about an important aspect of a literary work that you can support with details from the text. It’ll make your reader see the work in a new way – which is great!