Please read the PDF attachment a Rose for Emily and follow the instructions below
ALL THREE of the following sections for EACH Short Story Reading Journal (SSRJ) #2 (and label your sections please):
Initial Personal Reaction: How did the work make you feel? What element stood out as particularly interesting to you? Are there any situations in your life (a very brief explanation will do) that this piece made you think about?
Literary Element/Thematic Analysis: This section requires you to pick out one particular literary element (symbolism, setting, irony—refer to the Brief Overview of Literary Elements Handout or the Bedford Text) used by the author to support and build meaning in their work. After picking a specific literary element to focus on and thinking about the potential subjects covered by this work of literature, take a moment here to speculate as to what you think the story means. In other words, answer the question, “What was the author attempting to ‘say’ about a particular subject and what literary element did they use to achieve this statement?” (See the Thesis Development handout or Ch. 10 in the Bedford text.) There is no wrong answer here, as there are many different subjects and potential meanings in every piece; this is why it’s called an interpretation. And, interpretations are always based on and must be supported by a culmination of certain elements and facts from the text that lead to a reasonable explanation for the meaning of the work. Be careful of making inferences that cannot be supported by the text. Also be careful to develop a complete interpretation (i.e. while there is a nanny character in Godwin’s “A Sorrowful Woman,” to suggest the story is about being a nanny and the difficulties inherent in that occupation would be an incomplete reading of this work). This thematic analysis section is VERY IMPORTANT in terms of building your interpretive skills, which will be essential in earning the grade you want on the Short Story Essay as well as the other essays in this course, so spend extra time developing this section in order to save yourself time later.
Critical Thinking Question(s): At this point in your journal entry, include at least one question or point of discussion regarding the short story so that other students in the course may be so inclined to answer as one of their required Comments. Remember, an effective Critical Thinking question requires more than just a “Yes” or “No” answer, so craft your questions carefully.