For your first essay, you will choose one of the topics below.

• Discuss the concept of the dynamic character in "Sonny's Blues," "A&P," or "Barn BurningIdentify the conflict, complication, and moment of change. Make sure you identify the way in which the character in question has changed.
• Discuss the way Shirley Jackson uses setting to set her readers up for the story's shocking ending. How does she create situational irony?
• Discuss the authors choice of point of view in "Sonny's Blues," "A&P," or "Barn Burning." Why does the author choose this point of view? In what ways would the story be different if written in a different point of view?

Your essay should have a title. The title should give the reader some idea of what you are writing about. The title of the story is not your title. Something like the following will do, though I prefer you come up with your own:

Conflict and Change in "Sonny's Blues"

Sammy's Moment of Truth in "A&P"

Please remember that short-story titles should be in quotation marks. In direct quotations, commas and periods go inside closing quotation marks.

Begin by orienting your reader. Even if you have included the story's title in your title, let the reader know near the beginning of your essay, in the first or second sentence, what you are writing about. Do not begin with something like "In this story, the protagonist . . ." In what story?

Your essay should be 500 or more words long, and should include a clear introduction, including a clear thesis statement, and a clear conclusion. The words "In conclusion" should NOT appear anywhere in your essay.

In your body paragraphs, you should include specific details from the story to support your thesis.