Background: 

Over the course of the semester, we have focused on the following LEARNING TARGETS:

• I can cite text-based evidence that provides strong and thorough support for an analysis of literary text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
• I can determine multiple themes or central ideas of a literary text.
• I can analyze the development of the theme or central idea over the course of the text (how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account).
• I can objectively summarize a literary text
• I can evaluate the credibility and accuracy of each source (noting discrepancies among the data).
• I can write informative/explanatory texts that convey complex ideas and concepts clearly and accurately, using content that is carefully selected, organized, and analyzed.
• I can use correct grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
• I can use correct capitalization, punctuation and spelling.

For this exam you will demonstrate your ability to manage your time and utilize resources in order to compose an essay that analyzes the way in which an American short story reflects the following:

• How the short story reflects the characteristics of literature for the time period
• How the short story reveals aspects of the author’s life
• How the short story conveys details about society and history at the time

Getting Started:

As you begin your research, you may find it helpful to have a place to start.  Below I have listed some of the Dewey Decimal Classification Numbers that will be most helpful to your research. 

Call Numbers:

These are the areas within the media center where you can find print resources to aid you in your research.

SC--Story collections

92--Biographies

810--American Literature

813--American Fiction

Below is the link to our library online catalog.  Use this link to find any usable print resources.

Short Stories to Choose From:

Honors

“The Possibility of Evil” Shirley Jackson

“The birthmark” Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” Kurt Vonnegut

“A Christmas Memory” Truman Capote

“A clean, well-lighted Place” Ernest Hemingway

Academic

“To Build a Fire” Jack London

“The gift of the Magi” O. Henry

“The Lottery” Shirley Jackson

“Everyday Use” Alice Walker

“The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The books listed below are reference and Ebooks.  They are a good place to start your research.  They will provide overviews of the topic, allowing you to build a basic understanding of the topic.

Ebook

Hacht, Anne Marie, ed. Literary Themes for Students: The American Dream. 2 vols. Detroit: Gale, 2007. Literary Themes for Students. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.

• Provides readers with an overview of literary works that explore the theme of the American dream. Analyzes poetry, plays, short stories, novels, and works of nonfiction that address this theme in some capacity, and how that theme has been treated in literature at different times in history and across diverse cultures.
• Available for Windsor Locks High School via Gale Virtual Reference Library. Click here to access

Ebook

Smith, Jennifer, ed. Short Stories for Students. Vol. 14. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.

• Presents vital information on the most-studied short stories at the high school and early-college levels. Each entry contains author biography, plot summary, characters, themes, style, historical context, critical overview, and criticism.
•  
• Available for Windsor Locks High School via Gale Virtual Reference Library. Click here to access

​

Ebook

Moss, Joyce. Literature and Its Times Supplement 1: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. 2 vols. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Jan. 2016.

• Provides the historical background of the most-studied novels, plays, poems, speeches and short stories. Entries examine both the historical setting of the literary work and the historical events taking place at the time the work was written.​
• Available for Windsor Locks High School via Gale Virtual Reference Library. Click here to access

REF 813 WER

Werlock, Abby H. P. The Facts on File Companion to the American Short Story. New York: Facts on File, 2000. Print.

• Contains over 675 alphabetically arranged entries that provide information about various aspects of the American Short Story, providing author biographies and bibliographies; story synopses and analyses; character profiles; definitions of literary terms, themes, and motifs; discussion of historical events; and lists of award winners.

​

Our Databases:

Online encyclopedia provides quick and easy to read overviews of topics.. 

       Offers authoritative reference content alongside magazine and journal articles, primary sources, videos, audio podcasts, and images. Covering a vast array of people from historically significant figures to present-day newsmakers, it’s continuously updated to ensure that students have access to the very latest information.

   Provides a complete overview of our nation’s past that covers the most-studied events, decades, conflicts, wars, political and cultural movements, and people.