Essay Assignment #3:

Critiquing "A Father's Story" by Andre Dubus

You are to write an essay interpreting some aspect of this short story. Aim to convince readers that your understanding is insightful and can be supported by an imaginative reading of specific passages from the story. To succeed, your paper should present a proposal/argument/claim about the story that you believe casual readers might have missed. That proposal, contained in a thesis statement, should be non-obvious yet plausible (because the evidence in the story exists to support your claim).

You are asked to write a critique on a short story because writing about literature will give you insight into both the ways writers use language and the ways readers interpret meaning from language. You must be patient as you consider your critique: the tendency for students new to this assignment is to dive in and write critiques that merely skim the surface using only superficial data to explain a story. This habit probably comes from the junior high and perhaps high school exercise of writing book reports, where repeating the plot was synonymous with understanding the story. In fact, you should accept the following assumptions before you begin. Do you agree?

Because critical reading is an essential step for success in this assignment, you should follow closely the reading strategies we will cover in class. Marking your story, making notes, and evaluating your reactions are all extremely helpful components of a critical reading.

The skill in reading a good short story depends on several factors, one of which is your willingness to believe that in good short stories, there exists much below the superficial storyline itself. While we will discuss symbols, metaphors, and the like, consider these five categories of questions to get you started in your investigation.  After you have read the story you have been assigned, we will spend some class time working together to help formulate some assertions about the text.

Once you have critically and carefully read your short story, check to make sure you can answer all questions of fact surrounding the story (the who? what? where? when? questions). In addition, consider:

• What’s this story about? Is there a clearly visible point to the story or is the meaning difficult to discover? (These are questions to help you formulate your thesis.)

• Why does the author tell us this story? What assumptions has the author made about his/her readers? (These questions should help you decipher the author’s purpose.)

• What (if anything) do readers need to know about the author, or about the place and time in which this story takes place? How much does the author reveal? (Critical reading means recognizing the intended audience for a piece of writing; these questions should help you discover that audience profile.)

• What impression does the story leave with you? What attitude does the storyteller have toward his/her audience? (These questions should help you articulate the author’s tone. By realizing tone, you may be able to consider challenges to your value system, and/or recognize emotional or prejudicial manipulation by the author.)

When you feel you have a handle on the details of the story, consider what I have called the questions of interpretation. These are the questions about plot, character, setting, etc. that might give you ideas for an interpretation, and therefore a thesis. We will practice first in the lab using these component questions. As you continue to explore your thoughts, consider these additional component questions.

We may also discuss literary terminology to help understand the craft of storytelling. These terms may include metaphor, simile, symbol, allusion, foreshadowing, framing, irony, and archetype. Please pay attention in class and ask questions about any of the terms as our discussions are intentionally fluid and unpredictable! Some terms on this list may not be discussed and others not on this list may be emphasized: keep up and take notes!

As promised, here are some themes used by students and other writers who tried to tackle the issues and ideas readers have seen in "A Father's Story": themes

Your final draft should run at least three pages and not exceed five. You do not need to borrow from outside sources to justify your interpretation. However, if you do use sources other than the story itself, please follow the MLA guidelines from A Writer's Reference for producing a Works Cited page (or consult this page from Purdue University's Writing Center). You should cite from the story itself! This is your evidence. When you do, simply follow any quote with a page number in parentheses, and then a period.  

I don't have the last word on how this literary analysis or critique might be composed.  So consider the advice already given in a website by another English professor who has cataloged some good advice about writing this kind of paper. I will say, I don't agree with everything she says: the "Funnel Opening"--as she calls it--isn't as awful as she makes it sound!

Above all, remember that your critique sheds some light on the story for your readers. You must be able to answer the "So what?" question for yourself whenever you make a claim about the story. If you have not asked that question, you may be writing a superficial (or merely informational) interpretation!

Other resources

For general advice and reminders, check out the web pages from the Purdue University's Writing Center, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center.

Here's an example of a literary critique, linked to a tutorial from the Writer Center at Olivet College in Michigan. Notice one instructor's comments about the success or failure of the analysis: not all instructors are looking for the same qualities in an interpretation. For example, I don't mind the use of "I" in analysis of this kind, but the instructor at Olivet objects to it. Neither is wrong--just be sure you understand as much as you can discover about your audience!

If you want to take full advantage of online tutorials, start here at the Olivet College Writing Center website.  The web is chockfull of good college and university writing center websites that tackle every writing problem imaginable. I like one in particular from Hamilton College in NY, since it covers much of what we have tried to emphasize in our literary critique assignment. I'd encourage those of you working with developing your thesis or revising paragraphs to browse this site and consider their advice.

If you are asked to (or are able to) solicit the help of a colleague or peer to review your draft one last time, make sure that reader sees your thesis and your evidence, and that your argument is plausible.  At minimum, check your draft against these proofreading checkpoints before you submit.