3 Ied Monster Examples

Example 1a (analysis of the short story "Witness for the Prosecution"):

Identification: In the opening scene, Agatha Christie draws readers into sympathizing with Leonard.

Illustration: He exclaims, “I can’t seem to realize yet that I’m charged with murder--murder” (221).

Interpretation: His repetition of the phrase, “murder – murder” (221), emphasizes the high stakes of his situation. His statement of disbelief makes him sound vulnerable, as if he is a normal person who usually lives a normal life, and the accusation of murder is simply a big mistake.

This should all be laid out as a paragraph:

        In the opening scene, Agatha Christie draws readers into sympathizing with Leonard.  He exclaims, “I can’t seem to realize yet that I’m charged with murder--murder” (221). His repetition of the phrase, “murder – murder” (221), emphasizes the high stakes of his situation. His statement of disbelief makes him sound vulnerable, as if he is a normal person who usually lives a normal life, and the accusation of murder is simply a big mistake.

Now keep going -- to flesh out this paragraph, add another illustration & interpretation.

Example 1b (new paragraph, same story):

Identification: When Mr. Mayherne goes to Shaw’s Rents, Christie heightens the suspense of the story by creating a sense of unease.

Illustration: Mayherne finds the woman with the letters in a “small dirty room, with its flickering gas jet” in “a ramshackle building in an evil smelling slum” (230).

Interpretation: The dirty surroundings and small space produce an atmosphere of discomfort and claustrophobia. The environment contrasts starkly with the rest of the story, where the characters are clean, dress well, and live in safe places. The darkness and the slum surrounding the building add to the effect of danger.

Once again, this should be laid out as a paragraph:

    When Mr. Mayherne goes to Shaw’s Rents, Christie heightens the suspense of the story by creating a sense of unease. Mayherne finds the woman with the letters in a “small dirty room, with its flickering gas jet” in “a ramshackle building in an evil smelling slum” (230). The dirty surroundings and small space produce an atmosphere of discomfort and claustrophobia. The environment contrasts starkly with the rest of the story, where the characters are clean, dress well, and live in safe places. The darkness and the slum surrounding the building add to the effect of danger.

Example 2 (analysis of the novel The Things They Carried):

Identification: Throughout the novel, O’Brien highlights the pervasive uncertainty of the soldiers.

Illustration: He describes Norman Bowker and Henry Dobbins playing checkers in an “orderly and reassuring” tradition where “You knew where you stood. You knew the score” (31).

Interpretation: By emphasizing the order and clarity of the game, the narrator implicitly points out that the day-to-day lives of the men lack order. Often, they do not know where they stand or who is winning.

This interpretation necessitates a new illustration. How does the book show that their day-to-day lives lack order, that they don’t know where they stand or who’s winning? 

Illustration: The narrator reflects on the unpredictability of the war: on a quiet day, a man might think, “this isn’t so bad. And right then you’d hear gunfire behind you” (33).

Interpretation: The tendency of the war to subvert expectations and keep men on edge leaves them longing for any source of stability, like the game of checkers.

Formatted as a paragraph:

    Throughout the novel, O’Brien highlights the pervasive uncertainty of the soldiers. He describes Norman Bowker and Henry Dobbins playing checkers in an “orderly and reassuring” tradition where “You knew where you stood. You knew the score” (31). By emphasizing the order and clarity of the game, the narrator implicitly points out that the day-to-day lives of the men lack order. Often, they do not know where they stand or who is winning. The narrator reveals the unpredictability of the war when he muses that on a quiet day, a man might think, “this isn’t so bad. And right then you’d hear gunfire behind you” (33). The tendency of the war to subvert expectations and keep men on edge leaves them longing for any source of stability, like the game of checkers.

Example 3 (analysis of the novel In the Time of the Butterflies):

Identification: Dedé scorns the woman who comes to ask questions about the Butterflies.

Illustration: She keeps calling her “the woman” (Alvarez 1-2).

Interpretation: This shows disrespect by refusing to acknowledge her name, the symbol of her individuality. Calling her “the woman” holds her at arm’s length.

Illustration…

Interpretation…

The same thing, formatted as a paragraph:   

         Dedé scorns the woman who comes to ask questions about the Butterflies. She keeps calling her “the woman” (Alvarez 1-2). This shows disrespect by refusing to acknowledge her name, the symbol of her individuality. Calling her “the woman” holds her at arm’s length.

Example 4 (analysis of the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper"):

Identification: The narrator’s diction shows that she has trouble acknowledging her needs, especially when they conflict with John’s.

Illustration: In the opening section, she states, “If a physician of high standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression--a slight hysterical tendency-- what is one to do?” (Gilman).

Interpretation: By generalizing about “one” instead of saying “I” or “me,” she makes it sound as if she is talking about someone else instead of herself. This shows that she is uncomfortable admitting that John is wrong about her. The repetition of “one” becomes increasingly awkward as the sentence goes on, implying that the inability to express her needs outright creates a strain for her.

I could stop here, but I added the following sentence: At the same time, talking in third person makes it possible for her to contradict John, giving her a subtle outlet for rebellion.

At this point, go back and rewrite the topic sentence (the identification): The narrator’s diction shows that she has trouble acknowledging her needs, especially when they conflict with John’s, but gives her subtle ways of rebelling against him.

To continue the paragraph, add another illustration and corresponding interpretation to support the topic sentence (the identification).