Card Report and Study Sheet for 10 Minute Quizzes and Short Story Exam

For each of the assigned stories, answer the following questions as thoroughly as possible:

  1. What is the title of the story?”
  2. Who is the author?
  3. Who is the protagonist?
  4. Who or what is the antagonist?
  5. What is the setting?
  6. What is the conflict?
  7. What is the climax?
  8. What is the tone? (the ways in which authors convey attitudes toward readers and also toward the work's subjects)
  9. What is the point of view?
  10. Is irony used? How so? What type?
  11. Is there a major symbol? What is it? What does it represent?
  12. Using the six principles of stating theme (course documents) state the theme of the story.
  13. Create a working thesis and essay map from your theme. (See Literary Analysis Packet)

Theme Analysis: Consider what the story may be saying about human nature or life in general. Try to be original but do not go beyond what is in the text. Remember that you are analyzing, which means that you are not only describing what is in a text but that you demonstrate why it is in a text. From the list of traits you have amassed, you come up with a stated theme and then formulate the clear thesis, containing a brief statement of your main points (essay map) at the end of your opening paragraph.

  1. The introductory paragraph should include,
  2. Lead-in sentences
  3. Theme: the unifying generalization about life implied by the story.
  4. Thesis: One sentence that sets forth the main idea of the essay. Restate the theme in specific terms; include author, title, and character/persona name.(See Theme and Thesis handout in Course Documents.)
  5. Essay Map: One or more sentences that set forth three or more points supporting the thesis.

Answer #13 here.

  1. Character lists – create a list with brief descriptions of the major characters in the story.