Prompt: If you were to have the privilege of meeting any three of the authors wh

Prompt: If you were to have the privilege of meeting any three of the authors whose short stories we have read and discussed, what would you want to ask, and why? Be specific. Avoid questions that you could find answers to on your own. Value the author’s time – and ask questions that only he or she could answer. The questions you ask should demonstrate a familiarity with each author as well as his/her story.
Choose 3 authors from the following short stories:
– “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
– “The Management of Grief” by Bharati Mukherjee
– “The Birth-mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
– “Araby” by James Joyce
– “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver
– “A Pair of Tickets” by Amy Tan
– “The Jewelry” by Guy de Maupassant
– “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro
– “Gooseberries” by Anton Chekhov
– “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
– “Lusus Naturae” by Margaret Atwood
– “The Mark on the Wall” by Virginia Woolf
Suggested structure for the inductive essay (following the classical model):
– Opening paragraph (about 100-150 words): Hook to catch the reader’s attention, discussion of why your approach is important, and three-part thesis statement.
– Three body paragraphs (each about 250-400 words minimum): Each topic sentence corresponding to one part of the thesis statement along with discussion to prove your claim and supported by textual evidence as well as sound reasoning, concluding with a sentence that ties the paragraph together.
– Concluding paragraph (about 150-200 words): Re-statement of your thesis, answer the the question, “So what?” (that is, now that you have proven your case, why should we as readers care?), and recommendations to the reader (what might the reader do with what you have proven?).
Give a title to your essay that connects clearly with your thesis statement and the above prompt. Whenever you quote from a story, be sure to provide the page number in parentheses after the quote (use double quotes [“–“] throughout). Proofread carefully. Listen to your sentences: remember that we write with our ear (reading aloud what you have written in draft helps with this).
Research is not required, but if you use any, be sure to cite your sources (MLA formatting).