ENG 102 - Short Story Research Guide-Wow Essays (Jordan and Ramsey)

2. Explore Your Story

Note - Re-read your professor's assignment requirements because each professor has assigned different short stories.

After thoroughly examining your assignment, now it's time to look for some initial background or starting information on your short story. A few of the short stories included topics have an entry in Short Stories for Students, which is a great place to start learning more about your short story.

The Short Stories for Students collection includes entries on the following short stories:

• "Araby" by James Joyce
• "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
• "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor
• "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
• "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway

In addition, these articles from Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition provide essential background information on some of the short stories that are part of this assignment. 

• "The River" by Flannery O'Connor
• "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor
• "Araby" by James Joyce
• "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates
• "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway

There will not be secondary research available on the Hub City Press short stories by Emily Pease or Andrew Siegrist.

Analyze Your Short Story

Questions to Ask Yourself

When and where did the story take place? (place and time)

What is the atmosphere? (historical / sociological)

How is the story told? (narrative / point of view)

What language is used? (style, tone, and irony)

Who are the main characters? (protagonist / antagonist / others)

Are there symbols used? (symbols)

How does the plot help the reader understand the theme?

What is the dramatic moment?  What is the conflict?

What is the moment of climax? (turning point / illumination / understanding)

How does the story end? (resolution)