Prose Assignment #2

English 1302 - Composition & Rhetoric Prose Assignment #2

Reading Assignment

Literature: an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, Ch. 2, "Point of View", pp. 25-76

Writing Assignment
Part 1: Write an essay in which you identify & discuss a minimum of three examples of foreshadowing found in "A Rose For Emily." Do not simply report a series of events. Explain how each of the examples foreshadows the conclusion.
Your essay should have an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement (controlling idea). EXAMPLE: "In the story 'A Rose for Emily,' several events occur which foreshadow the discovery of Homer Barron's body." In each body paragraph, discuss one event that foreshadows the outcome of the story. Remember to include a topic sentence for each body paragraph and examples from the story to support your points. Remember to correctly use quotation marks and parenthetical citations for each quote that you use from the text. Finally, write a short concluding paragraph for your essay.
See pages 483-491 in The Little, Brown Handbook, Brief Version for information concerning parenthetical citation.
Draft a "Works Cited" page according to the MLA guidelines found on pages 491-521 in The Little, Brown Handbook, Brief Version, and on the "MLA Works Cited Formatting Page". For this assignment you only need to include the bibliographical information for your primary source.

I will be checking your essay to see that you have included an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement; at least three fully developed body paragraphs which include topic sentences, properly cited quotations, and discussion of your examples from the story; a concluding paragraph that neatly wraps up your essay; and a properly formatted Works Cited page containing a correct listing for your primary source. Also, be sure to check the final draft of your essay for grammar/mechanics and formatting errors prior to submitting it for evaluation. See pages 526 - 530 in The Little, Brown Handbook, Brief Version and the "MLA Document Formatting Page" for information on proper formatting.
Give your essay an original title. Process the essay using Microsoft Word. Save the file as yourlastnameA2.doc, and follow the instructions under "Submit Assignment" at the bottom of this page. NOTE: essays must be submitted via the correct WebCT assignment page. Essays submitted any other way will not be received or graded.
* If you do not have Microsoft Word and must use another program, save your paper as an .rtf file before submitting it. See the "MLA Document Formatting Page" for more information.
Visit A Basic Essay Guide to refresh your essay writing skills.

Part 2: Please visit the discussion page, select "Prose Assignment #2" discussion, and enter your response to the following question: "Why is the story's final detail, that the strand of hair on the second pillow is iron-gray, meaningful?" You will receive credit toward your participation grade for contributing to the discussions forum.

Critical Resources for "A Rose for Emily" (CBC student login may be required)
Nebeker, Helen E. "Emily's Rose of Love: Thematic Implications of Point of View in Faulkner's 'A Rose for Emily'"
Nebeker, Helen E. "Emily's Rose of Love: A Postscript" A corrected chronology from the previous article.
Perry, Menakhem. "Literary Dynamics: How the Order of a Text Creates Its Meanings [With an Analysis of Faulkner's 'A Rose for Emily']"
Watkins, Floyd C. "The Structure of 'A Rose for Emily'"

Critical Resources for "The Tell-Tale Heart" (CBC student login may be required)
Chua, John. "An overview of 'The Tell-Tale Heart'"
Cleman, John. "Irresistible Impulses: Edgar Allan Poe and the Insanity Defense"
Gargano, James W. "The Question of Poe's Narrators"
Garrett, Peter K. "The Force of a Frame: Poe and the Control of Reading"
Hogrefe, Pearl. "A Question of Fair Play" A good article about Poe's bad reputation.
Robinson, E. Arthur. "Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart'"
Shulman, Robert. "Poe and the Powers of the Mind"
Ward, Alfred C. "Edgar Allan Poe: `Tales of Mystery and Imagination'"

Internet Resources:

William Faulkner on the Web
http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/faulkner.html

"A Poe Webliography"
http://newark.rutgers.edu/~ehrlich/poesites.html

"A Rose for Emily"
1st person point of view

narrator ("we") speaks for the whole town
interested bystander (not a participant)

Gothic Story Elements:

crumbling mansion
mysterious servant
hideous secret

Paragraph 4,

description of decay
Emily--death in life

Events not presented in chronological (time) order

in the story: 1) odor 2) poison 3) Homer's disappearance
chronologically: 1) poison 2) disappearance 3) odor
connection of events less obvious the way the story is arranged

Foreshadowing of what happens in the end:

dialogue --Colonel Sartoris is dead--Emily speaks of him as if he's alive
2nd paragraph--Part II.--town notices smell
2nd paragraph--Emily doesn't acknowledge her father's death
2nd paragraph--Emily buys poison
2nd paragraph--Homer disappears

"The Tell-Tale Heart"
Point of view--1st person--the madman--unreliable narrator
Examples to prove the madman is an unreliable narrator:

paragraph 1--madman is "nervous--very, very dreadfully nervous"
paragraph 2--makes up his "mind to take...life of the old man" to rid himself of "the eye"
paragraph 1--hears "things" in heaven, earth and hell

Terms For Review

Climax: a. A moment of great or culminating intensity in a narrative or drama, especially the conclusion of a crisis. b. The turning point in a plot or dramatic action.	Conflict: Opposition between characters or forces in a work of drama or fiction, especially opposition that motivates or shapes the action of the plot.
Double Entendre: A word or phrase having a double meaning, especially when the second meaning is risqué or ironic.	Flashback: a. A literary device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative. b. The episode or scene depicted by means of this device.
Foil: A character that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another: “I am resolved my husband shall not be a rival, but a foil to me” (Charlotte Brontë).	Foreshadowing: A literary technique used to present an indication or a suggestion of events before they occur, usually concerning the climax.
Imagery: a. The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. b. The use of expressive or evocative images in literature. c. A group or body of related images in a piece of literature.	Irony: a. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. b. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning. c. A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect.
Motif: a. A recurrent thematic element in an artistic or literary work. b. A dominant theme or central idea.	Plot: The sequence of events or main story in a narrative or drama.
Point of View: The attitude or outlook of a narrator or character in a piece of literature.	Protagonist: The main character or principal figure in a drama or other literary work.
Setting: a. The context and environment in which a situation is set; the background. b. The time, place, and circumstances in which a narrative takes place.	Subplot: A plot subordinate to the main plot of a literary work.
Symbol: Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something abstract.	Theme: General underlying Truths concerning life or the human condition implied or recurring in a literary work.

Definitions adapted in part from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.