A staple of American life is the tall tale, from stories of Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill, the stories of Americans like Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket, and from writers like Mark Twain. Characters are drawn larger than life, often quirky, boastful, and comedic. In Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace, Edward Bloom's life is a neverending series of tall tales that his son William desperately tries to navigate in order to find the "reality" of who his father is. In an essay of 800 words examine how William comes to understand the significance of his father Edward Bloom's life through the medium of tall tales his father has created around himself.
Additional Resources
- Blair, Walter. "Traditions in Southern Humor." American Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Summer, 1953), pp. 132-142
- Loomis, C. Grant. "The American Tall Tale and the Miraculous." California Folklore Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr., 1945), pp. 109-128
- Pavonetti, Linda M. and Christine M. Combs. "American Hyperbole: The Tall Tale." Journal of Youth Services in Libraries, vol. 12, no. 2, 15 Jan. 1999, pp. 37-42.
- Pinsker, Sanford. "The Tall Tale, American Humor, and America." The Midwest Quarterly. 41.4 (Summer 2000): p448. From Literature Resource Center.
- "Tall Tale." Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1995. Literature Resource Center.
Requirements
- Length: Your essay must be a minimum of 800 words.
- Documentation Format: You must include an MLA formatted Works Cited page that includes correctly formatted internal citations for the stories and the additional resources.
- Sources: You are restricted to the novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions and the additional resources on the tall tale and American humor as source material. Do not use any other source material. Your essay is based on your own close reading and analysis of the novel. Do not merely identify traits of the tall tale within the novel. Instead demonstrate how these are used to reveal the meaning and significance of Edward Bloom's life that his son William comes to recognize.
- Format: The essay must be in MSWord format (.doc or .docx)
- Identify the traits of the American tall tale, citing specific details from the articles
- Include at least two characteristics (properly cited) from each of the three articles (minimum of six characteristics).
- Emphasize that the tall tale may be used to create a heroic image of life.
- Include specific stories
- Identify how the stories fit the definition of tall tales by connecting details from the stories in the novel directly to characteristics of the tall tale identified in the articles. Cite the novel details and the article details separately. i.e. Detail from story (page, "title of section") fits this characteristic (author of article and page if paginated, otherwise, just the author's name)
- Demonstrate how these stories reveal the development of Edward Bloom's character
- Explore reasons why Bloom tells the stories that he does
- How do all of the stories relate to the central image of a "big fish"?
- How do these stories help William begin to understand his father?
Students must use MLA style documentation. Internal citations should identify the page number and section for the novel. Students must also include an MLA Works Cited page.Students should proofread carefully their final drafts for spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as clarity, conciseness, and completeness. The final draft should be typed, double spaced, with one inch margins, in Times New Roman 12 pt. The essay should be a minimum of 800 words.
The essay will be evaluated based on how well students develop their arguments with significant support from the novel (thesis, topic sentences, supporting details from the novel); clarity, cohesion, and conciseness; correct use of MLA format; and grammar and spelling.For this essay, students may use a dictionary to help with words with which they are not familiar but should not refer to the dictionary definitions in the essay. Students must use MLA style documentation. Internal citations should identify the author and line number for the poems and author or authors for any articles or other resources. Students must also include an MLA Works Cited page.
Students should proofread carefully their final drafts for spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as clarity, conciseness, and completeness. The final draft should be typed, double spaced, with one inch margins, in Times New Roman 12 pt. The essay should be a minimum of 900 words.The essay will be evaluated based on how well students develop their arguments with significant support from the poems (thesis, topic sentences, supporting details from the poems); clarity, cohesion, and conciseness; correct use of MLA format; and grammar and spelling.
Essay Map
Introduction
Lead
Thesis
The thesis statement (and topic sentences) should focus on the significance of why Edward Bloom exaggerates the story of his life.
Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace (examines, explores, reveals, . . . ) [the ways in which Edward Bloom reimagines his life] Do not use this exact wording, but your thesis should reflect a similar idea.
Body
Topic Sentences
Create topic sentences that identify specific ways in which Edward Bloom uses tall tales to create meaning for his life.
Supporting Details
Conclusion
The narrator William has struggled to understand his father. What is the realization that he comes to at the end of the novel regarding his father and the stories that his father tells? What lesson can be learned from this, or how does this apply to people's lives in general?
