Name

Comp 1302
Professor Fletcher
March 11th, 2020
Directions for Major Essay #2 -

Your analysis must be at least nine paragraphs long.

Paragraph 1 GIve the complete title in quotes and the author’s full
name and the topic of the story. Then give the brief summary in your
own words of just the main points of the story. End with a statement
of the central idea. Then make a statement that the author develops
the story effectively through the literary elements. Only key events are
presented, and the central idea is in the form of a complete
statement. The body paragraphs give information about each element
and its relation to the central idea, including the components listed.
There is information on each element in Blackboard under New
Documents.

In the following paragraphs, strive for three examples or excerpts

from the story to support your topic sentence and explain how they
relate to the central idea. Each of these paragraphs on the literary
elements should begin with a top sentence and then the excerpts or
examples from the text.

Paragraph 2 should discuss the central idea. Give three examples

from the text to support the idea.

Paragraph 3 should discuss character and any important minor

characters. Identify the central character's beginning key trait and
ending key trait, and indicate whether the character is static or
dynamic or round. You also might tell how the author reveals the
character -- indirectly or directly.
Paragraph 4 should discuss the central conflict and any important
minor conflicts. Specify the central conflict of the story, which may be
an internal conflict and an external conflict. Indicate the climax of the
story and its outcome which is part of conflict.

Paragraph 5 should discuss the setting of the story. Identify the time
and place of the setting, and then indicate the importance or function
of the setting. Does the setting influence the actions of the central
character? Does the setting serve as a conflict for the central
character? Is the setting symbolic? Answering these questions can
give you the material to write this paragraph.

Paragraph 6 should discuss the point of view of the story. Identify the
specific type of point of view used in the story. If the point of view is
first-person or third-person limited, identify the narrator or narrative
focus. Point out the function of the point of view. Why did the author
choose this point of view? What does this point of view add to the
story? Is the point of view reliable? Does the POV change at any point
in the story? What is the significance of the change in POV?

Paragraph 7 should discuss the use of language in the story. Does

the author use symbolism, irony, or allusion to enhance the meaning
of the story? Are other elements of the story used in a symbolic or
ironic way? Be sure to explain the symbols, ironies, or allusions. Do
not simply list them.

Paragraph 8 should discuss the dominant tone of the story. Identify

the dominant tone. This stems from the feelings you get from reading
the story. It is not necessarily how the author feels, but how you feel,
for example, anger or sadness. Identify and discuss at least two-three
elements or examples most instrumental in achieving that tone.

Paragraph 9 is the conclusion of the essay. The conclusion should

restate the thesis in a general manner and elaborate on the central
idea. The conclusion should also include some evaluative comment
on the quality of the story.

Sample Major Essay #2

A Storm of Passion

P1 Kate Chopin's "The Storm" is a sensual short story about a

woman's repressed sexuality. Calixta, the central character, is stifled by the
social and sexual confines of her marriage to Bobinot. When old flame
Alcee rides up to her house during a thunderstorm, Calixta's offer of shelter
becomes much more, and the two lovers rekindle their old romance. After
the encounter, the sun comes out, and all the characters are happy.
CHOPIN USES ALL THE ELEMENTS EFFECTIVELY TO ACHIEVE HER
CENTRAL IDEA THAT EXTRAMARITAL SEXUAL FULFILLMENT CAN
PROVIDE HAPPINESS AND STRENGTH TO A STAGNANT MARRIAGE.

P2 Insert paragraph on examples from the text that support the central
idea.

P3 Chopin’s major character is Calixta. She is a dynamic character. At

the beginning, Calixta is an unsatisfied woman, though she is only vaguely
aware of her situation. Calixta is unfulfilled sexually, her beginning key trait.
Her marriage is without passion. Just as the heat in her house is stifling, so
is Calixta stifled in the sexual and social confines of her marriage to
Bobinot. The first indication that Calixta will do something to ease her
problem is when she loosens the collar of her jacket as she is sewing. As
she does so, she becomes aware of the approaching storm. When Alcee
arrives seeking shelter from the storm, Calixta "unconsciously betrayed a
sensuous desire" (73). She soon gives in to her passion, and as the storm
builds to a climax, so does her lovemaking with Alcee. By the end, Calixta
is sexually fulfilled and content, her ending key trait, showing her to be a
dynamic character.
P4 Calixta’s major conflict is internal, her discontent. Calixta is first
seen sewing, suggesting her family role. She is "greatly occupied and did
not notice the approaching storm” (75), suggesting that she is a passive
protagonist; she is not truly aware of her internal discontent. Soon, though,
she loosens her collar to relax her sense of confinement. As the storm
mounts and Alcee arrives, Calixta's central conflict becomes increasingly
apparent. Her lack of sexual fulfillment is in conflict with her passion and
desire for fulfillment, which she does not receive from Bobinot. As the storm
intensifies, so does her sexual intensity, and she and Alcee make love. The
couple climax as the storm climaxes, and these dual climaxes also mark
the climax of the story. After the climax, the storm subsides and the sun
comes out. All are happy, suggesting Calixta's conflict has ended well; she
is fulfilled and content at the end of the story.

P5 The story is set in the bayou country of Louisiana in the 1890s. In

this setting, there is a clear distinction between the “rich planter class of
Alcee and the lower class of Calixta” (77). The class differences and the
adulterous relationship both add to the tension of the story. But the main
aspect of the setting is the storm itself, which mirrors Calixta's sexual
intensity. The storm arrives after a two-year drought; the drought suggests
Calixta's lack of fulfillment, and the storm signals the release of her pent-up
sexual energies. Appropriately, the development of the thunderstorm and
the development of Calixta's encounter with Alcee parallel one another
throughout the story, an excellent use of setting to suggest conflict.

P6 The author uses the third-person omniscient point of view to tell her
story. This point of view is effective because it allows Chopin to present the
actions and feelings of all her characters. Though the focus of the story is
clearly on Calixta and Alcee, this point of view shows the reader the actions
and reactions of the minor characters, such as Bobinot and Bibi at the
store, and especially Clarisse in Biloxi. The romantic encounter of the two
lovers is presented as though through a soft filter, Chopin's chosen point of
view, and the concerns of the other characters are also presented to make
them both sympathetic and prosperous, as all the characters seem to gain
something positive through the affair. The detached, omniscient point of
view also gives the narrative voice a godlike quality that is able to deliver a
controversial central idea, that such a romantic affair can actually benefit a
marriage, and make it seem thoroughly acceptable to the reader.

P7 Chopin uses symbolism throughout her story. Most of the symbols

deal with the setting. Calixta's lack of sexual fulfillment is symbolized by the
long drought in the area and by the separate beds that Bobinot and Calixta
sleep in. The approaching storm suggests her pent-up sexual energy. The
first physical contact between Calixta and Alcee coincides with a lightning
bolt, suggesting the electricity in their encounter. As the two lovers become
more intense, so does the fury of the storm. The two lovers climax as the
storm climaxes, and the “gentle retreat of the storm parallels their
exhaustion after lovemaking” (78). Just as the symbolic storm has released
pent-up energy, so too have Calixta and Alcee vented the repressed
sexuality of their physically unsatisfying marriages. Chopin uses the
“golden brightness of the sunlight following the storm to suggest the happy
ending” (80).. The symbols help to reveal Calixta's internal conflict, her
dynamic character, and the positive tone of the story.

P8 Chopin’s dominant tone is primarily a happy one. Though Bobinot

tries to be a good husband, he simply cannot fulfill Calixta's fiery passion.
Because Calixta is a positive character, the reader regards her desire with
sympathy and compassion. When she is finally able to satisfy her desire,
the reader feels happy for her. The author further reinforces the dominant
happy tone through the use of setting, “having the bright sun come out after
the dark storm passes” (76). The author is quite direct as she notes: "So
the storm passed and everyone was happy" (76).

P9 There are many people who are not satisfied with their roles in life.
Kate Chopin's Calixta is such a character. Chopin challenges the reader by
placing Calixta in an extramarital affair and then suggesting that such an
affair can be beneficial to all concerned. Though such a central idea might
not be acceptable to many readers, Chopin has nevertheless crafted an
excellent short story that clearly conveys her central idea.

Work Cited

Chopin, Kate. “The Storm.” ​The Short Story of the Day​.” 16 Sept. 2018.