Narrative Essay (60 minutes: 45 points)

Write a two or three paragraph essay answering ONE of the focus questions below with information about one of the stories we have studied. You can use any story (even one you already discussed in the second section of this quiz); on the other hand, don’t write about more than one story, although several can be used for each focus question. Follow these rules in your analytical essay:

1. In the first sentence of the essay, identify the story (using quotation marks around the “title”) and the author of the story you are analyzing. Focus on only ONE story . (4 points)
2. Structure the first paragraph as an introduction , with a topic sentence that introduces your answer to the focus question. Include extratextual information in the introduction to explain well the context of that story (when and where was it written? what political or cultural or historical circumstances can help us understand its message? how does it reflect the worldview or the typical literary or philosophical style of its author? etc.
3. In the second (and third) paragraph(s), focus on some textual (formal) elements that support your thesis about the story’s message. How does the author use the literary discourse of his story to communicate his theme/message? Here you can comment on the narrator, the construction of the story (traditional or not?), the narrative discourse (dialogue, description, symbolism of the characters or other elements, the ending, etc.). You don’t have to comment on all of these literary elements—only the ones that support his thesis about the story’s message.
4. Come up with an appropriate title for your essay that indicates the story and topic of your essay. The title is usually invented at the end, after finishing the essay. A title such as “The Narrator” or “The Red Stockings” would not be appropriate because you must indicate what aspect of your story you are going to analyze in your essay, and which story you are going to analyze. (3 points)

FOCUS QUESTIONS: Choose ONE of these focuses for your essay:

1. What story uses its literary discourse to create a new patriotic tradition within the Hispanic world? Explain what is the novelty that this story introduces in the literary traditions of the Spanish-speaking world, and explain why the author (the author) decided to write her story as an expression of that new patriotic literature. What literary aspects of the story reflect this attempt to create something new for the country using literature?
2. Which story uses its literary discourse to criticize the social or political system that exists in your country when it was written? Explain the sociopolitical context that the story denounces, giving historical information. What literary aspects of the story help to make that complaint or criticism?
3. What story uses its literary discourse to dramatize a philosophy and represent its way of conceiving the world or the nature of the human being? Explain the philosophical vision that inspires the author (to the author), using information from the introductions that we have read. What literary aspects of the story reflect this philosophical view of life?