War Short
Story
SCENARIOS
1. Describe the experience of a soldier in combat. You may or may not wish to specify which war or battle. While this should probably be a first person account, it need not be (especially if you choose to kill your protagonist). This soldier may be a gung ho, bloodthirsty sort, or he/she may be scared stiff. Review examples from class readings for ideas.
2. Describe the experience of a non-combatant who is
directly touched by war. A refugee driven from his/her
home, a person living under the occupation of an invader, a resident of a city
under siege (such as Harfleur or
3. A scenario related to #2, but with a more secondary effect - a civilian who is not directly involved in the conflict but is still touched by it. This could be a person who has a loved one in combat, perhaps described through letters between the two; a war protester; someone who has had his/her life changed by the effects war has wrought, such as the people of Iraq; a businessperson who is able to take advantage of the situation;...
4. The descriptions of a war correspondent. This differs from Scenario #1 in that the protagonist is viewing the conflict directly, yet not participating in it as a combatant. The view should be markedly different from that of an actual participant.
5. A scenario of your own creation. The main focus of the story is that it shows how war affects humanity. Perhaps you can come up with a better idea than those listed above.
Your finished product should be word processed. There is no minimum or maximum length. Your grade will be affected by such factors as spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other aspects of proper writing. It is a good idea to have someone edit your story before you submit it for grading. You may write poetry instead, but should include a minimum of three separate poems.
DUE DATE: January 10th, 2011 (rough draft for in-class editing)