English 301
College Composition and Literature
Plot/conflict or Character Analysis
Essay Assignment #1
Write an essay (5 pages, with the works cited page) in which you critically analyze a conflict or character of one of the following stories:
“Two Kinds,” by Amy Tan
“A Worn Path,” by Eudora Welty
“The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky,” by Stephen Crane
“A Visit of Charity” by Eudora Welty
“The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
SOME HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS:
If you are writing about a conflict . . .
Come to some conclusion about the story that is revealed via the plot structure. In other words, identify a major conflict in the story and explain what parts of the story reveal this conflict and how the conflict contributes to the story’s meaning.
Make sure you introduce the paper and that the introduction contains a clear thesis statement that identifies the conflict clearly.
Use specific detail from the story as support for your argument. Remember to explain why you chose that detail; explain how that detail relates to your assertion.
If you are writing about character . . .
Take one of the following approaches:
Organization around a central characteristic (i.e. determination, kindness, etc.) – with this option, you would pick a dominant characteristic(s) and demonstrate how the story reveals it by drawing inferences about the character and using facts (evidence) from the story to support them.
Organization around a development or change of character. Here, you would attempt to show the characteristics that a character possesses at the beginning of the story and then describe the changes or developments that occur in that character by the end of the story, drawing inferences about why the change occurs.
Discuss the techniques used in the work to convey the character’s personality: direct statement, description, dramatic scene, comparison with the characters, indirect techniques such as mythical or biblical figures, or setting. Explain how one (or more) of these techniques gives a clear picture of the character in the story.
For either a Plot/conflict or Character analysis essay, you must:
Make sure the essay is in the present tense (all literary analysis is written in the present tense regardless of the tense of the story)
Make sure your introduction begins with a hook, reveals the author’s name and title of the story, and provides a brief summary of the story
Place your thesis statement at the end of the introductory paragraph (last sentence)
Make sure each body paragraph has a topic sentence that supports the corresponding part of the thesis
Use specific examples and quotes from the text to support your assertions
Explain each of your examples with analysis as to how the example supports the thesis/topic sentences
Provide transitions between and within paragraphs
Proofread carefully for grammar and sentence errors; clarity is a part of the grade
Use the MLA format for writing essays and include both in-text citations and a works cited page for the paper.
