1. Answer the topic: Argue whether you agree or disagree with the statement that setting(s) of William Faulkner\’s \”A Rose for Emily\” define(s) the major character(s) in the story. If you write about something else, your paper cannot pass. Decide whether you agree with the statement or not and then compose a thesis that identifies your side of the argument.
2. What do we mean by \”define\”? Think about how the characters are shaped or not shaped, influenced or not influenced, determined or not determined, affected in any way or are not affected in any way, etc. etc. by their surroundings–in space and time. Remember that setting is both physical (space-related) and temporal (time-related).
3. Have a good thesis! Without one, your paper cannot succeed. Your thesis should identify the topic, should indicate your stance on the argument, and should be succinct. Your thesis statement should be specificit should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence. The thesis statement should appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper. It should be repeated at the beginning of the concluding paragraph. It should contain 3 main ideas, which will be the topics included in the 3 body paragraphs of the essay. Your topics may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.
4. Please do not forget that you must transition from one paragraph to the next with a sentence or two that closes one topic and opens another.
5. Choose short quotations from the story to support your ideas.
6. Use present tense when writing about the story.
7. Avoid \”you\” in anything you write
8. Cite the quotations with appropriate in-text and end-of-text citations.
