The Task

1. You are required to read and study the collection of short stories in East, West focusing on how meaning is created through the stylistic features and key elements of short story writing (exposition, character, setting, theme, plot, action, conflict, climax, resolution, and narrative techniques).
   
   
2. Each story is accompanied by a series of comprehension questions. To help you understand the complexities of each narrative, its ideas and issues, the way it has been constructed, its narrative elements, and its linguistic structures and features, you are required to complete the comprehension questions.
   
   
3. Each story is accompanied by a list of writing tasks to be used as inspiration for ideas to create your own two (or more) original texts.
   
   
4. You are required to draw on the ideas, language and stylistic features of the stories to create and present two of your own original texts for publication. Approximate length for each: 800 – 1000 words.
   
   
5. Your knowledge and understanding of each story and its construction will be demonstrated through your ability to skilfully shape complex ideas, language and literary techniques in the creation of your own original and interesting texts.
   
   
6. When preparing and composing your written texts, you are required to frame a clear and succinct Written Explanation which is written in succinct explanatory paragraphs. You must explain in detail the authorial choices you made, your choices of language and stylistic features, intended purposes, audiences, and a self-evaluation of the process undertaken. Approximate length: 200 – 300 words.
   
   
7. The process to achieve finished publishable texts include:
   
   • planning, drafting, editing and rewriting;
   • engaging in peer conference to help you develop and fine-tune your texts.
   
   Follow the Key Steps below.
   
8. For authentication purposes, planning, drafting and re-writing are mainly undertaken mainly in class time and developed throughout the term.
   
   
9. To ensure you manage your learning, your workload and your time efficiently and effectively, you are required to maintain a record of all work undertaken and have it signed off by both your parent/guardian and your teacher. It is your responsibility to produce this record upon request.

Download the record sheet.

Key Steps to Creating Texts

Complete these steps for both pieces of writing:

Step 1: Choose Stories and Writing Prompts

1. Review all the work you have undertaken on your study of the stories East, West.
   
   
2. Select the stories you will draw on.
   
   
3. Choose from the list of writing tasks

Step 2: Plan Outlines

1. Brainstorm ideas relevant to your selected prompt.
   
   
2. Write a detailed outline plan in point form.
   
   
3. Then, conference: get into a small group of four and read each other’s outlines.
   
   
4. Make any alterations on advice offered.
   
   
5. Repeat Step 2 for your second piece of writing.

Step 3: Drafting and Editing

1. From your outline, write your draft.
   
   
2. When you have finished your draft, read through it and make sure your text is as interesting as you can make it.
   
   
3. Conference: get into your small group of four. Read each other’s texts. Take note of reactions and make any alterations on advice offered.
   
   
4. Go through and revise and edit your text for improvement.
   
   
5. When you’re satisfied, focus on rewriting it as accurately as possibly, giving attention to language: style, vocabulary; and language mechanics: punctuation, paragraphs, spelling, and grammar.
   
   
6. Repeat Step 3 for your second piece of writing.

Step 4: Presenting Your Texts

• We are looking for writing that sparkle with originality, engage the reader’s attention and interest, and which demonstrate some degree of competency in the craft of writing.
  
  
• Having read and studied East, West , you should have developed a fairly good idea of how a story captures interest through its narrative and stylistic features, develops theme and characterisation, uses action and dialogue (etc.) and which should enable you to both improve upon and enhance your own writing.
  
  
• The time frame allocated to this unit should enable you to work through each key step carefully and methodically, drawing upon a range of skills developed over the duration of study.
  
  
• The Key Steps are regarded as work in progress and count towards your final grade.

Written Explanation

1. Which story/stories have you used as a basis for your writing?
   
   
2. How did you tie together your understanding of the themes, the writing style and the writing task?
   
   
3. What considerations led you to write this piece? (What are your concerns – cultural identity, longing for home, experimenting with style and form?)
   
   
4. What were your major influences? How did they influence your work? Obviously you have to include East, West, but was there anything else you read which has informed this piece ? (Articles, novels, short stories, film, quotes etc)
   
   
5. Who did you write it for? (Audience)
   
   
6. How does the form complement the theme and ideas?
   
   
7. How have you ensured that your form is authentic?
   
   
8. What is the purpose of your work? (Persuasive, Expository, Imaginative – go beyond ‘to entertain’)
   
   
9. Why did you structure it as you did? Explain the choice of form and structure.
   
   
10. Describe your choices in terms of structure, form, voice and vocabulary.

Sample Written Explanation (235 Words)

I have written a short story called ‘Going Home’ using Picasso’s Guernica and Rushdie’s ‘The Prophet’s Hair’ (East, West) as inspiration. I chose to write a short story as I felt it allowed me to directly convey my understanding of the techniques Rushdie employs in his work, such as intertextuality and magical realism. Rushdie’s story is partly a criticism of fanaticism and I have emulated this criticism in my own story; the main character, Boy, is afraid of his brother and his brother’s friends because of their enthusiasm for going home. While the target of Rushdie’s criticism is very clear, I wanted to make it a little less obvious. ‘Home’ is not described in detail and so it could be anywhere. I have hinted at the location of home through references to Ali Baba and Morgiana.

I used Picasso’s Guernica as a starting point for my ideas and drew heavily on the images of the horse and the light in the painting. These images can be seen when Boy is dreaming of the journey home and when he gets on the bus in the morning.

My work is imaginative in form and aims to cause the reader to think about the concept of home and the desire for one perfect place in the world. I chose the use of an omniscient third person narrator who interjects at times in order to further emulate Rushdie’s style.