Your instructor may have given you a list of stories to choose from or assigned a particular story for the class to write about. If so, go on to the next section, Analyze the Story (pp. 475–79). If you need to find a story on your own, look for one that meets your instructor’s approval and does one or more of the following:

To find a story on your own, browse any literature anthology or short story collection in a library or bookstore, or try one of the following online sites:

You might also consider stories in the following subject areas:

Stories Related to Identity and Community

“The Story of an Hour” (pp. 495–97), “Araby” (pp. 497–500), or “Girl” (pp. 504–5), would make good choices if you are interested in issues of identity and community. If you would like to look further, here are a few other widely anthologized stories you might consider writing about:

“The Monkey Garden,” by Sandra Cisneros

“The Open Boat,” by Stephen Crane

“Fleur,” by Louise Erdrich

“A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner

“My Kinsman, Major Molineux,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

“A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” by Ernest Hemingway

“The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson

“The Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” by Ursula Le Guin

“My Father’s Chinese Wives,” by Sandra Tsing Loh

“A Pair of Tickets,” by Amy Tan

“Everyday Use,” by Alice Walker

Stories Related to Work and Career

“The Use of Force” (pp. 501–3) would be one good choice if you are interested in writing about the topic of work and career. Here are some additional stories you might consider for exploring this topic:

“Sonny’s Blues,” by James Baldwin

“The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

“The Birthmark,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Reena,” by Paule Marshall

“Shiloh,” by Bobbie Ann Mason

“Bartleby the Scrivener,” by Herman Melville

“Picasso,” by Gertrude Stein

“The Catbird Seat,” by James Thurber

“A&P,” by John Updike

“Why I Live at the P.O.,” by Eudora Welty