Short short stories

Today you will be working with a small group or partner.  Read the story I assigned to your group, and take a few minutes to discuss it. Try to get a sense of what the story is about, and what some potential layers of meaning are.
Then, you will work together to form an analysis of the syntax of the story:

1. How does the author use sentence lengths?  Are they varied or similar throughout the story? Why?  What is the effect of these types of sentences?
2. How does the author use different types of sentences: imperative, interrogative, exclamatory, or declarative?  Why? What is the effect of these types of sentences?
3. Does the author use repetition, either of words or images?  Why?  What is the effect?
4. What other techniques does the author use?  How is this story told?
5. Overall, what is the story about, and how does the construction of the syntax of the story help convey that meaning?

Put your answers in a blog post on the blog of one person in your group.

We will share these at the end of class.

story 1

story 2

story 3

story 4

story 5

story 6