For this assignment, you will be analyzing a short story. Choose one of the three stories posted to
Blackboard: “Araby,” “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” or “Sonny’s Blues.” After reading one of
these stories at least twice while taking detailed notes, you should have identified patterns within
the story (repeated words or images, for example) and you should have questions (what
motivates the narrator to act a certain way, for example); once you have a good understanding
about how the story works—how its patterns and characters and plot come together—and makes
meaning, you should be able to apply your analytic tool systematically. You must have an
equally thorough understanding of your analytic tool. That means you should be able to “read”
elements of the story through the “lens” of your analytic tool.
Sample Solution