The purposes of essay three are similar to those of essay two. First, it will increase your knowledge of common literary terms. Second, it will engage you in the act of writing a fictional short story. Third, it will help you learn to read closely. Fourth, it will engross you in critical analysis. Fifth, it will engage you in the act of writing literary criticism. Finally, it will force you to use rhetorical (literary) techniques.
Process
First, while analyzing Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants,"
we will discuss some common literary terms. Second, you will create a fictional short story, after we have discussed the basic elements of stories. Third, you will exchange stories with another member of the class and will read closely his/her story. Fourth, we will discuss various political criticisms, applying each approach to Hemingway's short story. Finally, you will write a critical essay, using a combination of reader-response criticism and a political criticism to analyze your partner's short story.First stage
We will examine some common literary terms, and we will discuss the basic elements of short stories: character(s), conflict, setting, plot, and point of view. An exercise will correlate the discussion. The exercise will count as extra credit. Next, you will write a fictional short story that has a protagonist, a conflict, a setting, a plot, a point of view, imagery, two tropes (hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonomy, personification, pun, simile, synecdoche or understatement) and two instances of sonic texture (alliteration, assonance or consonance). Please bring two copies of your short story the day it is due. I will not expect perfection. I only will consider the aforementioned elements when I evaluate your story.
Second stage
You will exchange short stories with another member of the class and will read closely his/her story, using a worksheet as a guide. We will discuss the political criticisms and will apply each approach to "Hills Like White Elephants." Meanwhile, you will need to write a critical essay, using a combination of two approaches (reader-response and one of the political criticisms) to analyze your partner's short story. You must provide reasons and backing for every claim, citing phrases and clauses and explicating them. Furthermore, your essay must contain one trope (metaphor, simile or analogy), and your essay must contain an instance of sonic texture (alliteration, assonance, consonance, anaphora or repetition).
