The purpose of this assignment is to advance an argument—a persuasive case for a particular way of reading a text. You do not need to refute other
ways of reading the story, only to demonstrate the particular benefits of the way you have chosen. What does your way of reading the story bring to
light that other ways do not? How does your way of reading address a question or problem that the text raises? In other words, so what?
Answering the ‘so what?’ question is a useful skill to cultivate because whenever you make an argument, you should tell the audience why it matters
so as to persuade them of the significance of your claims. If they don’t think it matters, then they won’t pay attention, and you will lose potential
support.