Shoofly Pie Essay

Response to Literature Essay
“Shoofly Pie” By Naomi Shihab Nye

The death of a loved one can be overwhelming, yet people who experience such loss must eventually find a way to move past the grief. In the short story "Shoofly Pie" by Naomi Shihab Nye, the author explores how food enables the characters to memorialize their dead and move beyond their grief. Carefully noting each developmental step, Nye’s engaging attention to detail moves her characters through the grieving process. Re-read the short story "Shoofly Pie" carefully, then in a well-organized (1:2+) multi-paragraph essay analyze the changes Nye's character(s) undergo throughout the story. Include specific terminology such as static and dynamic and indirect and direct characterization.

I. Parts of the Essay a. Creative Title (write the title at the end; suggestion – pull a clever phrase from your essay. b. Introduction with thesis statement c. A minimum of 2-3 well-developed body paragraphs (2-3 chunks for each paragraph; (1:2+) i. Concrete Details (CD’s) 1. Embedded quotations with MLA citations 2. These are words, phrases, and sentences that come from your research a. No Commentary b. I want to make sure you know the difference before you weave ii. Commentary (CM’s) 3. What opinions have you formulated about this information; Why is it important? 4. You commentary should comment specifically on your chosen cds 5. No Concrete Details; No Weaving; Not Yet d. Conclusion e. In-Text Citations (Allen et al. page number) f. Works Cited g. Header on the right with Last Name, a space, and page number

II. Length and Format of the Essay h. 2 to 4 typed pages, not including the Works Cited page. Please be advised in advance and take special note: Papers less than two typed pages (including 1.5) may not earn a passing grade. i. The font shall be “Times New Roman,” “Point Size” shall be “12.” j. Margins – 1” top, bottom, left, right k. Double-space (put your paragraph format on double from heading to end of Works Cited) l. No block quotations

III. Point of View: The paper must be written in third person-objective point of view. First and second person pronouns are unacceptable in a formal project such as this.

IV. The Process m. I must be able to observe the student’s planning on a daily basis in order to accept and evaluate the final draft. Observing the process assures me of a student’s personal involvement. This essay will be written in class. n. Prewriting will include (gathering CD’s, T-Chart, and Shaping Sheet for at least one paragraph) prior to submitting the final draft and Works Cited. o. Work which (1) I have not seen in progress, (2) fails to meet length requirement, or (3) is submitted without prewriting or drafts will not be graded.

V. Organization Possibilities: Organization my include but it not limited to the following suggestions p. Analyzing one character’s change throughout the story q. Comparing two characters’ change throughout the story r. Choose 2 or 3 characters and writing a paragraph about each that analyzes their individual change throughout the story