ENG1501 Short
Story Analysis
, ENG1501 Short Story Analysis
Before Reading
1. Look up the meaning of "soliloquy" and note what it implies about the story’s theme.
2. Read the story twice and summarize it in no more than four sentences.
3. Identify and define any unfamiliar words from the story.
Close Reading
Narration
1. Revisit the first four paragraphs, focusing on the fourth, which states: "Just like life."
This line is crucial as it compares a supermarket visit to life experiences.
2. Identify the type of narrator and explain its impact in a paragraph.
Plot and Setting
1. Discuss whether the story’s focus is more on the narrator's thoughts or actions,
explaining your reasoning in a paragraph.
2. Write a paragraph on the significance of the supermarket setting to the story’s
meaning.
Symbolism
1. Describe what happens in the section where the narrator sees their reflection near the
cheese section.
2. Analyze the metaphor comparing the narrator’s face to feta cheese.
3. Describe the types of cheeses mentioned and look up their appearances if needed.
4. Analyze the descriptions of the cheeses and explain the figure of speech used.
5. Explain why the narrator eventually chooses the feta cheese.
Additional Symbolism
1. Look at the paragraph describing milk containers and interpret its literal and
figurative meanings.
2. Identify the personification used and its effectiveness.
3. Comment on the narrator's statement about their breasts and the idea of "final
artifice."
4. Discuss the grocery items symbolizing men the narrator could have married and what
these associations reveal about their characters.
Theme of the Short Story
Story Analysis
, ENG1501 Short Story Analysis
Before Reading
1. Look up the meaning of "soliloquy" and note what it implies about the story’s theme.
2. Read the story twice and summarize it in no more than four sentences.
3. Identify and define any unfamiliar words from the story.
Close Reading
Narration
1. Revisit the first four paragraphs, focusing on the fourth, which states: "Just like life."
This line is crucial as it compares a supermarket visit to life experiences.
2. Identify the type of narrator and explain its impact in a paragraph.
Plot and Setting
1. Discuss whether the story’s focus is more on the narrator's thoughts or actions,
explaining your reasoning in a paragraph.
2. Write a paragraph on the significance of the supermarket setting to the story’s
meaning.
Symbolism
1. Describe what happens in the section where the narrator sees their reflection near the
cheese section.
2. Analyze the metaphor comparing the narrator’s face to feta cheese.
3. Describe the types of cheeses mentioned and look up their appearances if needed.
4. Analyze the descriptions of the cheeses and explain the figure of speech used.
5. Explain why the narrator eventually chooses the feta cheese.
Additional Symbolism
1. Look at the paragraph describing milk containers and interpret its literal and
figurative meanings.
2. Identify the personification used and its effectiveness.
3. Comment on the narrator's statement about their breasts and the idea of "final
artifice."
4. Discuss the grocery items symbolizing men the narrator could have married and what
these associations reveal about their characters.
Theme of the Short Story
