The Usual Story

Select ONE of the following prompts as the basis for a well-developed, adequately supported, and thought-provoking essay of critical analysis of a minimum of five (5) paragraphs.  Adhere to MLA formatting guidelines, and include a Work Cited for the respective literary work.

Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” 

Critical Thinking Question 2 (222)—Eliminate the last statement referring to your personal observations.

Fred Setterberg’s “The Usual Story”

Critical Thinking Question 3 (250)

Points to Remember:

Write the essay in 3rd person—-no “I,” “you, “we”

*Your job is NOT to tell the story over again.  Your primary task is to analyze.  You can assume your readers have already read the story.  The illustrations you include do not have to be in the chronological order of the plot.

*Include the author’s full name on first reference.  Only use the author’s last name on subsequent references (No Mr./Ms./Mrs.) or first names only.

*Include documentation from the respective literary work, that is, quoted material to illustrate your points.  Use page number and paragraph number as follows, in this example: (45; par. 7).

*Introductory paragraph should have 4-6 sentences; body paragraphs, 6-8; conclusion, 2-4.

*No contractions (except in an actual quote).  This is formal academic writing.

*Enclose the name of a short story or poem in quotation marks.

*For a Work Cited entry of a work of literature, treat the work as a “selection from an anthology.”  You may follow the format for number 17 in the Handbook (413).

*Proof carefully.  Refer to the rubric results overview on the syllabus.