Literary Summary

Here are some guidelines to follow when you are summarizing a piece of literature such as "the Filipino and the Drunkard".

 

1.  ____ At the top left of the page, write:  ENSL 342.  On the next line, write your name.

2.  ____ Center the following title:  Literary Summary: Name of Story, i.e. "The Filipino and The Drunkard"

3.  ____ Indent the first line of all paragraphs.

4.  ____ Double-space the entire summary.

5.  In the first two sentences include the following:

____title of the story (in quotes)

____name of the author

____theme of the story

 

6.  In the body of the summary:

____describe and name the characters

____give the location that the story occurs

____give specific details that illustrate the theme

 

7.  _____Do NOT plagiarize.

8.  _____Use quotations rarely. Almost all of your summary should be in your own words.

9.  _____ Use the present tense in literary summaries.

10.  _____Keep the summary to about ten sentences.

 

Read the following summary carefully. Which of the guidelines above are followed? Which are not?

 

The Filipino and the Drunkard

    The Filipino and the Drunkard is a short story about racism and public apathy.  There are three main characters: a young Filipino man, an older white drunkard, and a crowd of people.  In the story the Drunkard harasses the Filipino telling him that he shouldn't be near white people and that he had no right to wear nice clothes because he was not an American. When the Filipino flees from the Drunkard and hides in the lavatory, the Drunkard follows him there and won't let him go. Finally, the Filipino loses control of himself and kills the Drunkard by stabbing him repeatedly like a boxer in the clinches.  Throughout the story the rest of the people on the boat realize what is happening and even sympathize with the Filipino, but no one helps him.

Week 2 Assignments                 ENSL 342