Purpose of the Paper: Analyze Joy/Hulga of Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” and
Dee/Wangero of Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” and the significance of shame in the development of
their identities. Propose and support a theme common to the two stories. Remember that the
statement of the theme does not speak specifically of the characters of the stories. It should be a
statement supported by the texts but applied universally.
Basic Guidelines:
• Your essay must include the titles of the works and their authors in the introduction.
• The last sentence in the introduction must be a clear, argumentative thesis statement on the
assigned prompt.
• The body of the essay needs to develop and support the claim you articulate in your thesis
statement.
• Evidence: Quotes from the texts of the two short stories listed above; no additional sources
allowed. Avoid excessive summary.
• Tone: Formal/academic
Special Constraints:
• Incorporate a thesis statement.
• Word count: 500-750 words, not counting the Works Cited page (An essay with fewer than 500
words will not pass.)
• Minimum 5 paragraphs
• Essay Similarity Report in Turnitin Drop Box must not exceed 20%.
• Final draft must be in MLA format (9th edition)
• Give work an original title.
