Writing About Short Stories

Here is the essay topic we worked on today and yesterday:

For one of the short stories you already read, write a brief (about 350 words) response to the following prompt:
How is the story you chose an effective short story?
First, define what makes a “good” short story.
Then, explain how the story you chose meets those criteria.
Make sure you quote the text in order to support your argument.
Do not forget to mention the title and author of the story.

Creative Response to Short Stories

Come up with a creative response to one of the stories you have already read.

You might do something such as:

Write an alternate ending to the story.

Create found poems out of source text from the story.

Write a screenplay version of a scene.

Reading Habits Survey

Do you think reading is a valuable activity?  Why or why not?
What do you read (in general– for school, for work, for self-improvement, etc.)?
Do you like to read?
If you used to read regularly but stopped, when did you stop?  Why?
Do you make sure you have time to read for your own enjoyment?  Why or why not? 
If you do read for enjoyment, what do you usually read?  Books (If so, what genres?)? Online content?  Newspaper articles?
What was the last book you read that was not assigned for school?
Approximately how many books do you read in a year?
What are you reading now?

Two Short Story Exercises involving choice

1.

Select a short story from one of the books on the cart at the front of the room.
Make sure you pick a story that seems interesting.
Read it.
Take note of the title and author.
Write a brief summary of the action.
Did you like it?  Why or why not?

2.  

Select a new story.

Make a traditional plot diagram (Freytag’s pyramid) in order to make a visual representation of the story.

How does the story adhere to or differ from an “ideal” plot?  If it does not have a traditional plot, is it still a story, or is it something else?

Edgar Allen Poe: "Ligeia"

Here are the questions for "Ligeia." 

Please read the story.
Define any words you do not know. The most obscure words have footnotes, but you might need to use a dictionary for others.
What is the conflict in the story?
What is the purpose of the poem on page five? How does it connect thematically to the story as a whole?
What do you think about the mental state of the narrator? Is he reliable? Why or why not? Show through evidence.
What is the meaning of the ending of the story? In a literal sense, what is happening? Is anything symbolic happening? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
Why does the narrator love Ligeia?
How does the narrator feel about Rowena?
George Bernard Shaw said, “The story of the Lady Ligeia is not merely one of the wonders of literature: it is unparalleled and unapproached.” Why? What makes the story so unique? What makes it great?

"The Fly"

Today we read "The Fly," by Arthur Porges. 

There are several explanations for the “fly” in this story. 
Provide two different explanations for what the fly is.  For each one, write down several (3-5) quotations from the text that support the explanation

Two short stories

We read the story "The End of Something," by Ernest Hemingway.  Here are the questions:

Express in a sentence or two what the story is about.
What is the purpose of the first paragraph?
What is Bill’s role in the story?
What does the story tell us about Nick and Marjorie’s relationship?
What questions might a reader have about the story?
 What does Hemingway leave out?

We also read "The Jockey," by Carson McCullers.
Here are those questions:

What is the setting?
What is one of the conflicts?
Why is the jockey so angry?
What is left unsaid here by the author and/or the characters?