GCCCD District Everyday Use by Alice Walker Literary Analysis Paper

Everyday useBy Alice Walker

conduct a literary analysis by using theories of Formalism/NewCriticism.

-Select ONE of the questions below to guide an analysis. MLA format

1. Plot: How does the plot of a story (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, andconclusion) contribute to the overall artistic effect?

2. Narrator/Point of View: How do the narrator, characters, and reader all perceive matters in thesame way, or are there differences in levels of understanding? How do these differencescontribute to the issues the short story is exploring?

3. Character: How does the characterization of a major or minor character shape the way readersrespond that character?

4. Setting: How does the setting play an important role in our understanding of the story’sthemes?

5. Symbols/Figurative Language: How does a figure of speech (allegory, allusion, irony, metaphor,and symbol) in one of the stories gets readers to see past the literal meanings and look for agreater significance the short story is exploring?

6. Theme: Identify a major theme explored in one of the stories. What is the author is saying aboutthat particular theme and how does it make readers think and feel about that topic beingexplored?

2 – 4 pages, not including the works cited page