1984Culminating Task

Central Question

How can stories send messages to societies?

Task Question

If you were going to send a powerful message to society, what message would you send? How would you craft a narrative story that sends a powerful message?

Prompt

Research a contemporary issue and write a narrative story to send a message to society. In addition, write a brief literary analysis of your own work, defending your narrative choices and evaluating their effectiveness.

To demonstrate your understanding of the task, do the following:

• Write a narrative story that does the following:

  • engages and orients the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance by establishing at least one point of view and introducing a narrator or characters and by creating a smooth progression of experiences or events

  • uses narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and characters

  • uses a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution)

  • uses precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and characters

  • provides a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative

  • integrates research information into the narrative selectively to maintain the flow of ideas while avoiding plagiarism

• Write an analysis of your work that does the following:

  • clearly states the message or central idea of your story

  • identifies and explains how your research is evident in your narrative

  • describes the specific narrative techniques used

  • forms and supports a claim about the effectiveness of the narrative choices

  • applies appropriate syntax, grammar, and mechanics