Assignment: Read Peter Meinke's very short story "The Cranes" (192-194) in Literature to Go by Michael Meyer, our class anthology. What is the main point of the story, and how is it foreshadowed? Write 500 words, not including headers and Works Cited page.

Helpful Guidelines

Create a focused thesis that is based on the assignment and that has an assertion or opinion. Create topic sentences that reflect the thesis in content and order and that have an assertion or opinion. Create topic sentences that also serve as umbrellas for their paragraphs.

Boldface thesis and topic sentences.

Write your essay in the present tense. Usually, essays written about a text are written in the present tense.

Write an essay with an introduction that provides background, write well-developed body paragraphs that support the thesis in content and in order, and write a conclusion that summarizes the main idea of the essay.

Paragraphs should be developed with examples from "The Cranes."

Examples from the source text "The Cranes" must be cited according to MLA standards. Paraphrases need to be attributed to the source through citations. Exact words from the source text must be in quotation marks and cited. Use signal phrases to introduce quotations. Include a correct Works Cited page. (Use the Work in an Anthology Works Cited example. Follow this example using our Literature to Go textbook information.) Don't include outside sources. Essays that include outside sources documented or undocumented cannot earn a grade. (MLA documentation would have been covered in ENC1101 but let me know if you have questions.) See the MLA handout.

The author's name is included in the following ways: In the introduction, first name and last name; in the body paragraphs, last name with no polite titles; in the conclusion, full name. The full name of an author's work should be included in the introduction and the conclusion.

Do not use the pronouns "I," "you," or "we" to present ideas. Instead, state points directly. Personal pronouns create a filter between you and the reader: better to just say your thoughts and let them convince the reader.

Use correct punctuation for the title of the story. Story titles are placed in quotation marks.

Proofread your paper. Read each sentence looking for errors. Read your paper from the last sentence to the first sentence, looking for errors. Do not rely on your computer's spelling- and-grammar checker.