Literary Analysis and Reflection of New Skills Assignment
The Remains of the Day
PURPOSE:
Skills:
You will begin to use your literary analysis and summary skills learned in class. The skills used in this assignment are applicable to any of your future classes as well as in the workplace.
This assignment is the first in a series that will build on one another. We will construct our critical abilities in a logical and progressive order.
TASK:
You will write a 4 to 5-page paper that addresses 6 areas of discovery. Create a heading for each category.
Summary; Thesis; Stevens; Darlington Hall; Themes; and Self Reflections
1. Write a one-page summary of the book The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishguro. Do not go over one page.
2. Make a debatable claim about the text. (create a because or although thesis statement)
a. You will then support this claim with direct quotes from the text. You must give context after the quotes to explain why they relate to your thesis.
3. Describe the character of Stevens. What are his key characteristics and how do these characteristics inform the action of the story?
4. How does the house, Darlington Hall, act as a character in the story? Explain your answer.
5. Where do the themes of dignity and mythmaking come into play in this novel? Explain your answer.
6. How does this story or some aspect of the story relate to your life? How can you connect to it? Explain.
CRITERIA:
Read the novel The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishguro. Annotate the text.
Summarize sections as you read, this will help you to write your paper effectively. Create a title that reflects your essay. This is our first clue as the reader.
Create a first draft. Then: step away from your paper for a day, then read your paper out loud and make any changes that need to be addressed: grammar, syntax, punctuation, capitalization, run-on sentences. Does every paragraph have a clear topic sentence that not only tells the reader what the paragraph is about, but also relates directly to the thesis statement?
Use MLA format, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 font, Works Cited page.