Analysis of “Rappaccini’s Daughter”
The analysis assignment asks you to take what we have studied so far with the short story and apply it. The steps below are a guideline to help you approach the assignment. This is not an outline for the essay!
1. Re-read the story, making note of any and all literary devices we have covered so far this year. (Theme, for example. Use of irony.)
2. Focus on which devices you will want to include in your essay. YOU CAN NOT COVER ALL OF THEM IN A SHORT PAPER. Decisions have to be made. Hint: Theme is a good place to start. Then you can find the other devices that help to support the theme.
3. Re-read the story, finding specific examples of the devices you intend to use in the essay. Make notes on those passages. Remember that if you are quoting them word for word, you need to use quotation marks.
4. Decide how you think you might organize the essay. Think about how the devices interrelate. Does one logically stem from another? Is one more prevalent, more used than another? Look for a logical order.
5. Start your draft. If the introduction seems to be a problem, write the paragraph on the device that seems the easiest for you. You can always come back to the introduction after the body of the essay is finished. Be certain to focus each paragraph on one topic and add the support you found from reading the story. EXPLAIN! Assume that you need to tell the reader everything you need them to know to understand your story. AVOID SIMPLY GIVING PLOT SUMMARY!
6. Complete your draft before class on Monday, November 5. You will receive a grade for peer editing. If you do not have a complete draft, you cannot participate, so you won’t get the grade. If your handwriting is poor, please type your draft so the peer editor may read it easily.
7. Use the comments from the peer evaluation to revise the essay. Remember that revision is more than editing, more than merely correcting any spelling or grammatical mistakes.
8. Read the literary criticism provided in class. Find at least two quotations you could use in your essay for support of a point you have already made.
9. Type a final draft of your revised essay. Incorporate the critical references found in number 8. (You will receive a separate handout on this part.) Be prepared to turn in the rough draft, the peer editing sheet and the final copy. The essay should be 2-4 pages long, double-spaced throughout, Times 12 or Courier 10 font, one inch margins throughout. Consult the MLA Handbook for the proper formatting of name, title, pagination, etc.
At the bottom of the last page, I want your parent’s signature.
Your essay will be graded on clear focus, solid support of your points, and quality of understanding of the concepts. Your interpretation of the story will be accepted as long as you have supported it from the text.
The Final Draft will be due Tuesday November 13.
Remember: “We value content and clarity over length . . . .”