Assignment 3

Read “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor (367). Read it twice and see if you can figure out what happens at the end. Read the ending carefully. It is somewhat tricky. Your clue to the end would be to understand that O’Conner was a very religious Catholic.

In order to develop a worthwhile thesis, the key is to think of a good question that you would like to ask and then answer about the story or some aspect of the story. You might consider plot or the aspects of plot or character or even setting to be a topic of your discussion, or a combination of these things so long as your discussion is unified and consistent. You may discuss any aspect of the story you want, so long as your discussion is focused on providing an answer to a question that a reasonable reader may have about the story.

Thought-Provoking questions to consider: Plot is the sequence of events that leads to the revelation at the end. Plot also includes things like climax, foreshadowing, exposition, flashback, conflict, rising and falling action. How does the author get readers to the end? What happens at the end? Why does the author choose this particular end? What does the author want us to know about our lives or ourselves or other people’s lives by selecting this end? How do things like an antagonist and exposition (or the lack of it) contribute to our understanding of the conclusion? How does the beginning prepare us for the end? Are there events in the middle of the story that are clearly meant to give the end a greater impact? Are the characters round or flat? How do the characters and their characteristics function in the story? How do they cause events?

And if these questions don’t get you anywhere, you should try to focus on an aspect, event, or character that you liked in the story—or perhaps there was a character or event that repulsed you. Why were you repulsed, or why did you like it? Do you think the writer was deliberately trying to disturb or repulse the readers? Why was she doing that? Or do you think the writer was trying to engage your sympathy for a particular event or character? Why? And how would these things be related to plot?

Once you’ve decided your approach or even written a rough draft of your essay, you should then read O’Connor on Faith (407) and The Function of Violence in O’Connor’s Fiction (411) and incorporate both of these selections into your discussion.

You will need to quote each of the prose selections at least once in your essay. Don’t be afraid to engage a really hard question or difficult issue related to the story. The story confronts moral or behavioral problems, but it attempts to entertain while confronting these issues. Consider the writer’s attitude towards the issues she brings up in her story (tone). Consider her approach to entertaining and to addressing problems that come up in the lives of her characters.

Bring 2 copies of your 4-5 page rough draft to class on Apr 5. Number your pages and use standard citation: (author’s last name, page #) after each direct quote or very closely worded summary (review citation style sheet). Quotes of more than three lines should be block quotes, single spaced and indented five spaces from each margin, separated by four spaces from the text above and below. Quotes of three lines or fewer remain in double space format with quotation marks around them and (last name, page #) at the end.

Five page Final draft (one copy) due: Saturday, Apr 26.

These drafts must be handed in on the due dates in class. Late rough drafts worth ½ credit. Late final draft deducted one letter grade per week.