Grading: Language use, MLA format (note: give your assignment a title, and use MLA formatting throughout. No Work Cited is necessary), and Content (comprehension, insight, accuracy, quality of questions and responses, etc.). 10/10 = Outstanding/flawless ; 9/10 = Very good, but with one or two small errors; 8/10 = Good, but would benefit from a little tweaking/reworking; 7/10 = Fair response; would benefit from more work; 6/10 = Passable; 5 and below = did not meet requirements
Task: Based on the short story Mani pedi by Souvankham Thammavongsa , write an analytical question, with a detailed response. What is an analytical question? An analytical question in literature is addressed to reveal meanings that may not be obvious on a first reading. It may involve the subjects, themes, devices, and characters of the text, among others. According to Walk, Kirshen & Cochran of Brandeis University, a good analytical question can highlight relationships between different sources, characters, ideas, and so on. They can help the reader make connections, patterns, contradictions, dilemmas, and problems in the text. They can also ask about implications or consequences. Often, questions that involve “how” or “why” are generally more complex than those that answer “who,” “what,” “when,” and “where” questions. Finally, the answer to a good analytical question should be answerable given the available evidence in the text – perhaps not immediately, but with careful reading of the text.
Here are some examples of an analytical questions and responses about “Randy Travis”:
Example analytical question 1: Devotion is a main idea present in Souvankham Thammavongsa’s short story “Randy Travis.” Through an analysis of two characters from the text, how is the main idea of “devotion” developed?
Example response 1: Devotion is displayed in “Randy Travis” in striking yet divergent ways. On the one hand, the narrator’s mother’s devotion is ostentatious, short-lived, and destructive, while on the other hand, the narrator’s father’s devotion is quiet, enduring, and reverential. For example, [student presents textual examples and elaborates further].
Example analytical question 2: The imagery of light and darkness is prevalent in “Randy Travis”. For example, references to light include “glitter,” “stage lights” (52), and “glow” (52), while references to darkness include “shadow” (49), and “black dot in the dark” (52). What effect does the imagery of light and darkness have on the reader, and how does this impact the main ideas carried by the short story?
Example response 2: The imagery of light and darkness impacts the reader and the main ideas of the short story in a number of ways, notably through the symbolic qualities associated with light and dark. Light and darkness involve perception and sight. Extended further, the imagery of light can symbolize hope, insight, and comprehension, while darkness can symbolize the antithesis: the absence of hope, misunderstanding, and incomprehension. For example, [student presents textual examples and elaborates further].
The short story is joined in pdf format