A serious talk, by Raymond Carver

1. Type of Essay

This is a 4-page literary critical analysis essay

FIRST ESSAY CRITERIA FRIDAY CLA…

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You must:

• Analyze the short story A Serious Talk
• Focus on three themes
• Support your analysis with quotes
• Develop a strong thesis statement

2. Source Rules (Very Important)

• Use ONLY the PDF copy posted on Blackboard
• FIRST ESSAY CRITERIA FRIDAY CLA…
• Do NOT use internet summaries
• Do NOT use study guides
• No AI
• No excessive Grammarly

This essay measures your critical thinking, not someone else’s.

3. Thesis Requirements

According to the guidelines

FIRST ESSAY CRITERIA FRIDAY CLA…

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• The thesis goes at the end of the first paragraph
• It must be solid, logical, and direct
• It must include your main ideas (your three themes)

The literary thesis guide also states

A-LITERARY-THESIS-STATEMENT

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• It must be an argument
• Not a summary
• Specific to this story

4. Quote Requirements

• Use up to four quotes total
• Quotes must support your analysis
• You must analyze the quotes (do not just drop them in)
• Use MLA in-text citation
• Do not overquote
• FIRST ESSAY CRITERIA FRIDAY CLA…

5. Structure Requirements

• 4 pages total
• Pages 13 = Essay content
• Page 4 = Works Cited
• FIRST ESSAY CRITERIA FRIDAY CLA…
• At least three body paragraphs
• No giant page-long paragraphs
• Each paragraph should be 510 sentences
• FIRST ESSAY CRITERIA FRIDAY CLA…

6. Formatting Requirements (MLA)

• No cover page
• No paragraph headings
• 12-point Times New Roman
• Double spaced
• 1-inch margins
• Indent each paragraph one tab
• FIRST ESSAY CRITERIA FRIDAY CLA…
• No bold text
• Short story title in quotation marks

7. Works Cited Page (Page 4)

You must use exactly this citation format

FIRST ESSAY CRITERIA FRIDAY CLA…

:

Carver, Raymond. A Serious Talk. Retrieved from Online, August 25, 2025. PDF. Print.

8. How You Will Be Graded

Based on the rubric

Revised English 119 and 1190 Mi…

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You are graded on:

• Unity (clear thesis)
• Support (strong paragraphs with evidence)
• Coherence (transitions and organization)
• Sentence Skills (grammar, mechanics)

A 4 requires:

• Clear thesis
• Strong topic sentences
• Logical development
• Smooth transitions
• Clean grammar