Short stories are a form of fictional prose that typically focuses on a single character or a small group of characters. They are known for their brevity and ability to convey a powerful message in a short amount of time. Short stories often explore complex themes ...Read More
Brief Description of Short Story
Short stories are a form of fictional prose that typically focuses on a single character or a small group of characters. They are known for their brevity and ability to convey a powerful message in a short amount of time. Short stories often explore complex themes and emotions, making them a valuable literary form for both writers and readers.
Importance of Writing Essays on This Topic
Writing essays about short stories allows students and writers to closely analyze the elements of storytelling, character development, and thematic exploration. It helps to develop critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as the ability to express ideas and interpretations effectively. Additionally, exploring short stories through essays can deepen one's understanding of human experiences and societal issues.
Tips on Choosing a Good Topic
- Consider the themes: Choose a topic that explores a specific theme or idea presented in the short story.
- Character analysis: Focus on the analysis of a particular character's development, motives, or conflicts within the short story.
- Narrative techniques: Explore the narrative structure, point of view, or symbolism used in the short story to craft an engaging topic.
Essay Topics
1. Argumentative
Essay Topics
- The impact of symbolism in "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.
- Exploring moral dilemmas in "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe.
2. Reflective
Essay Topics
- How "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman portrays mental illness.
- The use of irony and satire in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor.
3. Comparative
Essay Topics
- Contrasting the themes of love and loss in "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry and "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant.
- Comparing the use of setting and atmosphere in "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway and "The Storm" by Kate Chopin.
Concluding Thought
Exploring short stories through essay writing offers a unique opportunity to delve into the complexities of human experiences, societal issues, and the art of storytelling. By choosing engaging topics and critically analyzing the elements of short stories, writers and students can gain a deeper appreciation for the power of this literary form.
In Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, standard hierarchical structures are abandoned in a setting of postmodern cultural chaos. The use of fragmented pop culture contributes to many aspects of the book, namely the sense of combined freedom in the search for meaning. Moreover,...
The opening words of the story “MS. Found in a Bottle” by Edgar Allan Poe are a quote from the French opera Atys, “Qui n’a plus qu’un moment a vivre N’a plus rien a dissimuler” (Poe 1). This translates roughly to the idea that a...
The crowd of villagers threw the stones at Tessie with all their might. “NO! Stop it! Please!” Tessie shouted with tears in her eyes. ”What’s happening?” Little Davy asked Mr. Hutchinson. With tears falling down his face, Mr.Hutchinson said “Oh, it’s nothing you have to...
Humped over and leaning on his cane, tottering and unsteady, the old man walked towards the front porch, decorated with bright yellow sunflowers, conveying warmth and happiness. Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences...
“The Boucherie” is a short story by Stephanie Soileau that was published in the StoryQuarterly. Stephanie Soileau is a lecturer at Stanford University and she has written numerous short stories, she is also a Truman Capote Fellow in the Wallace Stegner Fellowship Program. She is...
The short story, The Penal Colony, demonstrates various literary elements within the text. The three that I’ll be focusing on to explain in further detail includes the theme, the characters and imagery & symbolism. Although The Penal Colony was written in the third person, the...
Powder by Tobias Wolff: summary Tobias Jonathan Ansell Wolff is best known because of his short stories and memoirs based on his own life. The famous author was born on June 14, 1945 in Birmingham, Alabama from Rosemary Loftus and Arthur Samuel Wolff, when Wolff’s...
Individuals in the public eye endeavor to discover bliss in one’s self, others and their locale. What factors are there to get extreme satisfaction in one’s life? What moral choices does one need to defeat to acquire this incomparable satisfaction that each individual undertakings? The...
Introduction Jorge Luis Borges, born in 1899, is an Argentinan short story writer and poet. “The Gospel According to Mark” is one of his short stories that was published in 1970. It covers biblical ideas and crucifixion. It begins with an introduction to Baltazar Esponosa...
Most of Alice Munro’s major characters are women, whose social and interior lives are portrayed in great detail by their author. All of these women tend to give the reader an overview of what being a woman signifies in a society mostly ruled by men....
Short Story
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What happens to a dream deferred? According to James Joyce, perhaps nothing. Illustrated in his short story Eveline, this Dublin-born author both poses and responds to the age old-question of comfort versus risk. In a time of upheaval throughout the continent, Eveline serves as an...
Joel Chandler Harris’s short story “Free Joe and the Rest of the World” has long been classified as a prominent example of Plantation Tradition literature. Literature in this tradition often portrays African-Americans as clueless, “shiftless” beings who need white supervision to be happy and productive....
Through discovering a new perspective, an individual may become able to re-evaluate the values of their world and gain a new insight into their own beliefs or morals. These discoveries are meaningful on a personal and societal level, as they facilitate change. In his poem...
The potential for self-discovery, complemented by the capacity for transformation, lies latent within each man. When circumstances instigate a strong stimulus for change, man finds a way to actuate his innate potential. In Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Sharer, the overly rational captain finds himself lacking...
How is it that one’s purpose or direction in life always seems to be predetermined? Nowhere is there a check point where it is appropriate to pick what one’s hopes and aspirations are and magically expect them to happen. The only plausible explanation for this...
The Painted Door is a short story written by Canadian author Sinclair Ross in 1941. The story is about a lonely farmer’s wife one winter, as her husband goes off for the day to check on his elderly father five miles away in the middle...
PROLOGUE Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts online Get my essay “How dare you respond to me like that? That’s arrant nonsense!! You just need to follow my instructions or we...
People don’t reveal they’re true self until its too late. When time goes by people finally show their true colors. In the short story by Joyce Carol Oates,” Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Arnold Friend is portrayed as something like the devil...
“The tree” tells the story of two women of different social backgrounds: Marta, economically well positioned and Luisa, an Indian. Luisa, a woman of lower class, arrives at Marta’s house, fleeing from a violent husband, from whom, despite the mistreatment, she cannot break free. Marta...
‘But ain’t no body gonna beat me at nothing’ is an ironic choice of words coming from a lower-class young African American girl growing up in the brutal streets of in New York City. In the short story, ‘The Lesson’ Toni Cade Bambara illustrates the...
Helena Maria Viramontes’ “The Moths” recounts a story between a granddaughter and a grandmother who both offer an emblematic association between one another. The story is in a first individual account, told by the narrator, and her experience dealing with her ill grandmother while confronting...
In Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice,” Gustave von Aschenbach is described as “the watcher” (73), who becomes interested in the young Tadzio, eventually leading to a dangerous obsession that causes his death. In the novella, Mann uses Aschenbach’s sudden passionate fascination with the young Tadzio...
In the works of Daisy Miller and The Beast in the Jungle, author Henry James provides readers with multiple explanations as to why it is important for one to live a full life. These two novellas share many broad similarities, including central thematic focuses, a...
The Conjure Woman by Charles Chestnutt is a frame narrative, retelling a story within a story and incorporating valuable information about the traditional African fetishism practiced by the slaves against their slave masters. Fetishism or Voodoun provides a source of empowerment and gives the slaves,...
Overwhelming obsession and guilt often lead to deadly consequences. In “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat,” Edgar Allan Poe presents us with two men who each commit brutal murders motivated by overwhelming obsession. The narrators differ in their dispositions but fall victim to the...
In “She Wasn’t Soft”, T.C. Boyle uses dynamic and static characterization in his portrayal of an unhealthy relationship. Dynamic characters are characters who change throughout a story, the dynamic character in this story being Paula, while static characters do not change, like Jason. Jason and...
“ Made-to-order essay as fast as you need it Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences + experts online Get my essay Marmais van der Vyver is the protagonist, an Afrikaner farmer who accidentally kills one of his farm boys. Other characters...
The Crusades were a two-hundred-year battle between the Christians and the Muslims the over control of the Holy Lands that were important to both religions. The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars that were fought between the European Christians and the Middle Eastern Muslims,...
Introduction The short story ‘’Rock‘’, written by Lindiwe Nkutha, is about Zibusiso, a girl that lives and grows up in poverty. Zibusiso stays in a shack in Soweto with her family. Zibusiso is called ‘’ rock “by the kids in the neighbourhood, because she is...
In the story Samuel, by Grace Payel, four African American boys, by the names of Alfred, Calvin, Samuel and Tom, were playing in between the cars on a subway train. While the boys were laughing at a woman for telling them what they were doing...
