“Bullet in the Brain,”

Fiction Analysis Paper Tobias Wolff. “Bullet in the Brain,”
Choose one short story in our textbook that I have not posted a lecture on. It could be any of the stories not
assigned or any assigned but not lectured on.
Analyse Tobias Wolff. “Bullet in the Brain,”
You will tell your audience what the major themes of the work are (there may only be one), as well as
discussing other relevant elements that the author uses (symbolism, characterization, etc.), just as we do in our
class discussions of works. Remember that a theme is more than a subject, like love or death. It is what the
author is saying about that subject. Think about class lectures, and how particular “tools” a writer uses are
explored and what messages the writer is trying to convey though his or her story. In the body, focus on the
way the elements used by the author support your idea of what the theme is. Do more than just re-tell the plot.
You can also choose to concentrate on one or more passages that advance theme and explain how it (or they)
work(s), as we do in close readings. This paper should be a minimum of 750 of your own words (do a word
count that does not involve direct quotations) and in MLA format. Do not plagiarize from outside sources. If you
use outside sources, you must cite them, but I prefer your own analysis. Include a works cited page (It would
be called Work Cited if only the short story is on it.)
Basics:
Remember that theme in literature, in the deepest, most meaningful sense, is not merely a subject (topic). It is
what a writer is saying about the subject (topic). While it is true that a common definition of theme is the subject
a writer examines, such as war, love, faith, envy, prejudice, etc.—in other words, “what the work is about”—that
is a very limited approach to theme. In fact, it is so limited as to be pretty useless when talking about a work
simply because it is so obvious. Anybody reading a literary work can tell you what the subject is. They can tell
immediately if it deals with war or love and so on. After all, in a work where people are at war, a “theme,” in this
very limited sense of the word, is war. In a work where someone is in love, a theme, in this very limited sense,
is loves. In order to analyze literature in an interesting and meaningful way, we must discuss themes in a more
specific, analytical Otherwise, an essay often becomes mainly a summary of plot elements. The deeper, and
more specific—therefore most useful—meaning of “theme” is what the work says about the subject.
Try to imagine a general audience, not just me or your classmates, when you write your paper. Don’t assume
that everyone in the audience has yet read the work or that every reader has a copy in front of him or her—In
other words, make sure that you give enough context when you quote or summarize so that anyone would
understand you.
Don’t assume that everyone in the audience is just like you. A general audience is made up of people from
different age groups, cultural backgrounds, genders, sexual preferences, religious choices (including no
religion), political viewpoints, economic and social classes, and places of origin.
It is customary to write about the ongoing events in a work of fiction in the present tense.
Don’t forget in-text citations for quoted material from the work you are examining and all information you take
from outside sources if you use them. Don’t forget that papers require works cited pages.
Try for a title more interesting and informative than “Essay” or “Fiction Analysis Paper.”
Your first paragraph should give an overview—it can serve as a “mini outline” of what your paper will cover.
Introduce the author and tell your readers when he or she wrote. End the first paragraph with your thesis,
which will emphasize the main points you want to prove in your essay. This should include your idea of the
theme of the work—and remember, when we are talking about analysis in this class, we mean “theme” in the
most specific sense: not merely the subject (love, death, happiness, grief, etc.), but what the writer is saying
about the topic. Tip: Don’t even worry about writing the introduction until you have finished the body of the
essay. How can you adequately introduce something that doesn’t exist yet?
The conclusion is like a mirror image of the introduction. In the introduction, you have previewed what you will
explain; in the conclusion, you sum it up. Your conclusion should provide a sense of closure to your essay,
highlighting the key points that you have made in support of your thesis. Refrain from introducing new
information (if you come up with new ideas at this point, consider integrating them into the body of your essay).
A conclusion is not simply a last body paragraph. In many ways, it mirrors your introduction. (Avoid beginning
with boring, redundant phrases like “in conclusion.”)
Don’t skimp on development in the body. Write so that anyone picking up your essay would be able to
understand the points that you make—even if the readers do not have the literary work in front of them. This
means quoting lines or passages that you are talking about. A lot of the time, quoting words or phrases out of
context isn’t enough for readers to fully understand the points you are trying to make, particularly with poems.
Try for a relatively formal register in academic papers (“register” means the tone and level of language). Avoid
first person singular (“I,” “me, “mine”) and second person (“you,” “your”). Do not talk about yourself or your
feelings. Remember that these are essays, not forum responses or journal entries. Don’t use slang or overly
informal language like “kids,” “moms,” “dads,” stuff,” “nowadays,” and so on.
Avoid the phrases “meaning that” and “being that.”
Avoid language that “gushes” and doesn’t really say anything specific and concrete (it is subjective). Examples
are “great,” “unique,” “interesting,” “very [anything],” etc. Terms like this are also called “empty adjectives”