Choose one of the elements of literature, listed below. In the space below, write an essay of at least 500 words comparing and c
ontrasting a literary element in "Sixteen" by Maureen Daly and "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing. Elements of Literature tone theme setting character plot point of View conflict When you have finished proofreading your essay, submit it to one of your peers for peer review. Make sure you use the rubric in order to complete your evaluation.
Throughout each story, the characters try to prove something to themselves or other people. In Maureen Daly's short story "Sixteen" the narrator is clearly trying to prove to the reader that she is smart and popular. A very clear example of this occurs at the beginning of the story when the narrator is describing herself. Daly writes, "I mean, I want you to understand from the beginning that I'm not really so dumb. I know what a girl should do and what she shouldn't. I get around." When she says, "I want you to understand," she is clearly directing the statement at us, the reader. As she goes on to say that she is not really that dumb, her message clearly becomes an attempt to convince us that she is smart. Finally, when she says, "I get around," it appears as though she is trying to tell the reader that she is popular. Combining what has just been learned from the narrator's statements, She is trying to prove to someone her ethos: that she is smart enough and popular enough to be telling us a story about a boy.
