Essay 

ENG 130- Literature and Comp

Literary Response for Setting as a Device

Essay ENG 130: Literary Response for Setting

This assignment focuses on your ability to: learn how to interpret the literary device of
setting and how it affects all of the elements of the story.

The purpose of completing this assignment is: as a student, in your career, and
individual lives, you will often need to look beyond the plot and summary of what you are

reading, and put a different spin on it. An example of this might be interpreting data and the
varying components of how that data was created, as well as what to do with the data as you
move forward.

______________________________________________________________

Prompt (What are you writing about?):
How does Setting affect/contribute to the plot of your chosen story?

Note: Remember that Setting is not only the place in which a story occurs. It is also mood,
weather, time, and atmosphere. These things drive other parts of the story.

Instructions (how to get it done):

 Read through all of the instructions of this assignment.

 Read all of the unit resources.

 Select one of the short stories to write about.

 Your audience for this essay is people who have read the stories.

 Decide in what three ways the setting contributes to the plot of your chosen story.

 Formulate a thesis about setting and these three areas.

 Your essay prompt is: How does Setting affect/contribute to the plot of your chosen story?

 Your essay will have the following components:

o A title page

o An Introduction

o A thesis at the end of the introduction that clearly states how setting affects the story

o Supporting sections that defend your thesis/focus of the essay

o Text support with properly cited in-text citations

o A concluding paragraph

o A reference page

Requirements:

 Length and format: 2-3 pages.

 The title page and reference page are also required, but they should not be factored into the
2-3 page length of the essay.

 It should also be double spaced, written in Times New Roman, in 12 point font and with 1 inch
margins. Essay should conform to APA formatting and citation style.

 Use the third-person, objective voice, avoiding personal pronouns such as “I,” “you,” “we,” etc.

 Please use the short story sources and any outside sources you need to create a properly-

formatted APA reference page.

 Use APA format for in-text citations and references when using outside sources and textual

evidence.

 Skills to be assessed with this assignment: creating effective thesis statements, incorporating

text, responding to literature.

 Please be cautious about plagiarism. Make sure to use in-text citations for direct quotes,

paraphrases, and new information.

Sources: Choose one of the stories that you read in Unit 2/Setting Unit

 “To Build a Fire” by Jack London

 “The Storm” by Kate Chopin

 “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe

Students: Be sure to read before you write, and again after you write, the rubric criteria by

which your paper/project will be evaluated,

Mini lesson on thesis statements:

 If you were writing about Star Wars, a sample thesis might read:
The setting in the Star Wars movies contributes to the desperateness of the
Resistance forces, provides a vast space for action and conflicts to occur, and

focuses on how advances will affect society.

Broken down, this thesis would read:

The Setting in the Star Wars movies:
a. contributes to the desperateness of the Resistance forces (write

a supporting section

with text examples)

b. provides a vast space for action and conflicts to occur, focuses

on how advances will affect society (write a supporting section

with text examples)

c. focuses on how advances will affect society (write a supporting

section with text examples)

 Ask yourself, what is the setting of my story and how does it affect the plot

in the story?

For example, it is apparent that in London’s “To Build a Fire,” you would

devote a supporting section to how the weather conditions drive both the

conflict and the character’s actions.

 After you have made connections to the three areas that setting affects, then

form your thesis. Here is a template for your thesis:

The Setting in author’s name and title of the story, contributes to first way

in which the setting affects the story, second way in which setting affects

the story, third way in which setting affects the story.

Rubric for Setting Literary Response

Does Not Meet
Expectations

0-11

Below
Expectations

12-13

Needs
Improvement

14-15

Satisfactory

16-17

Meets
Expectations

18-20

Introduction Introduction is not
present.

Background details
are a random
collection of
information,
unclear, or not
related to the topic.

Introduction is
attempted and
explains the
background, but
may lack detail.

Introduction
explains the
background,
including an
overview of the
essay’s main
points.

Introduction uses
interesting
anecdotes,
questions, or other
information to
build interest.
Many to all main
points are logically
related and
developed.

Thesis
Statement

Thesis statement
is not present.

Thesis is unclear
and loosely related
to the paper or not
present. Thesis
does not appear in
the introductory
paragraph.

Thesis is
attempted with
little relation to the
overall topic.
Argument is
somewhat unclear
or confusing.
Some supporting
points are
missing. Thesis
may not appear in
the introductory
paragraph.

Thesis is present
and relates to the
majority of the
paper. Argument
takes a mostly
clear position and
is explained in
adequate detail.
Thesis appears in
the introductory
paragraph.

Thesis is
organized and
focused on the
paper. Argument
takes a clear
position and is
explained in full
detail. Thesis
appears in the
introductory
paragraph.

Organization Many details are
not in a logical or
expected order.
The paper does

not use
paragraphs. Topic
and/or transition

sentences are not
used

Writing may have

little discernible
organization, but

some details are not

in a logical or
expected order. The

paper uses

paragraphs
in

effectively. Topic

and transition

sentences are used
inadequately.

Writing has

adequate
discernible

organization.

Paragraphs are
generally used

effectively. Topic

and Transition
sentences are

present in some of

the sections

Writing is

organized and
details are placed
in a logical order.

Paragraphs are
mostly used

effectively. Topic

and Transition
sentences are used

effectively.

Writing is effective,

purposeful, and
well-organized.
Paragraphs are

used effectively.
Topic and
Transition

sentences add to
the understanding

and flow of the

essay.

Persuasiveness Fails to develop
arguments.

Some argument(s)
are developed, but
may be missing
one or need further
elaboration.

Develops most
argument(s).

Satisfactorily
develops
arguments.

Expertly and fully
develops
argument(s).

Evidence and
Support

Does not include
text support and/or
text support is not

cited.

Very little evidence
is given and used in
the essay properly.

Evidence may not
relate to the thesis

statement. Evidence
is cited but not with
the proper

formatting.

Some evidence is
used from the story
and/or is somewhat

related to the thesis
statement.

Evidence may or
may not always

cited properly.

Evidence from the
story is mostly tied
to the thesis

statement and
used properly and

is cited properly.

Evidence from the
story is used
effectively and

cited properly.

APA
Format

APA format is not
followed.

Errors evident
throughout all of
the areas: 1 inch
margins, correctly
formatted title

Errors evident in
three to four of the
areas of: 1 inch
margins, correctly
formatted title

Errors evident in
one to two of the
areas of: 1 inch
margins, correctly
formatted title

Free of errors in: 1
inch margins,
correctly formatted
title page,
correctly formatted

page, correctly
formatted
reference page,
double spacing,
Times New
Roman,12 font.

page, correctly
formatted
reference page,
double spacing,
Times New
Roman, 12 font.

page, correctly
formatted
reference page,
double spacing,
Times New
Roman, 12 font.

reference page,
double spacing,
Times New
Roman, 12 font.

Grammar and
Mechanics

Grammar and
mechanics’ errors
make the essay
incomprehensible.

Grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and
mechanics errors
occur throughout
document. Word
choices are seldom
academic.
Sentence structure
may be illogical or
unclear.

Several errors in
grammar,
punctuation,
spelling and
mechanics
present. Word
choice reveals
some
understanding of
academic
language
requirements.
Many sentence
structure issues
exist.

Some spelling,
grammar,
punctuation and
mechanical errors
are evident.
Academic
language is
upheld. The
sentence structure
is often logical and
clear so that
relationships
among ideas are
established.

Free of
punctuation,
spelling, grammar,
and other
mechanical errors.
Consistent use of
academic word
choices.
Sentence
structure is mostly
logical and clear.

*A zero can be earned if the above criteria are not met.
*Plagiarism will result in a zero.