ENG1501 ‘Man and on the Moon; Assignment 2 Solutions
This document provides solutions to assignment 2 questions. It discusses the
following: characteristics of a short story, narrative technique and plot elements, with
examples from the short story ‘Man lands on the moon’. Secondly, it provides an
analysis of the mentioned short story and looks at first-person narrative style. It also
discusses instances of conflict with examples from the story. Setting is also
described, as well as the significance of the title. Lastly, it provides the character
tables of Makhulu Mamkwayi and Mama complete with prompts.
Contact:
, Section A: Short Story
Remember that to answer this question you will have to read Unit 3 (The Short
Story) in the study guide. And your respond must be provided in paragraphs
of between 100-200 words. I will reproduce the questions here and then
suggest how you can respond to the questions.
1. Which three characteristics that can be used to distinguish a short story
from a novel are the most helpful to you? Discuss these in a short paragraph,
exploring what they are and how they are useful to you.
Answers that address this question can be found on page 43 of your study guide.
Here you do not have to mention anything about the novel because you will end up
reaching the word limit with non-essential information. Mention simply characteristics
distinct to a short story. We will discuss the following FOUR characteristics: short
stories have few characters; they explore one theme; there is only one incident and
they can be read in one setting.
Short stories have few characters: The reason for this is so that the reader
can be able to follow one character and the topic of the story with ease. If a
character moves from point A to B without making many stops and meeting
many people along the way then it can become easy for the reader to
interpret the story. It would boost your mark to give a practical example.
They explore one theme: For example, in the short story ‘Man lands on the
moon’ there is only one theme which is ‘belief’. The short story explores one
theme because its structure does not provide the length allowed by the novel
to incorporate various themes in the narration. In a short story if the theme is
love, then it is just that. It cannot be love, war and politics. A short story can
be 11 pages in length, in comparison to a novel which can go to over 500
pages.
There is one incident: A short story has one incident because a topic has to
be told and completed in those 11 pages. Two incidences would increase the
2
This document provides solutions to assignment 2 questions. It discusses the
following: characteristics of a short story, narrative technique and plot elements, with
examples from the short story ‘Man lands on the moon’. Secondly, it provides an
analysis of the mentioned short story and looks at first-person narrative style. It also
discusses instances of conflict with examples from the story. Setting is also
described, as well as the significance of the title. Lastly, it provides the character
tables of Makhulu Mamkwayi and Mama complete with prompts.
Contact:
, Section A: Short Story
Remember that to answer this question you will have to read Unit 3 (The Short
Story) in the study guide. And your respond must be provided in paragraphs
of between 100-200 words. I will reproduce the questions here and then
suggest how you can respond to the questions.
1. Which three characteristics that can be used to distinguish a short story
from a novel are the most helpful to you? Discuss these in a short paragraph,
exploring what they are and how they are useful to you.
Answers that address this question can be found on page 43 of your study guide.
Here you do not have to mention anything about the novel because you will end up
reaching the word limit with non-essential information. Mention simply characteristics
distinct to a short story. We will discuss the following FOUR characteristics: short
stories have few characters; they explore one theme; there is only one incident and
they can be read in one setting.
Short stories have few characters: The reason for this is so that the reader
can be able to follow one character and the topic of the story with ease. If a
character moves from point A to B without making many stops and meeting
many people along the way then it can become easy for the reader to
interpret the story. It would boost your mark to give a practical example.
They explore one theme: For example, in the short story ‘Man lands on the
moon’ there is only one theme which is ‘belief’. The short story explores one
theme because its structure does not provide the length allowed by the novel
to incorporate various themes in the narration. In a short story if the theme is
love, then it is just that. It cannot be love, war and politics. A short story can
be 11 pages in length, in comparison to a novel which can go to over 500
pages.
There is one incident: A short story has one incident because a topic has to
be told and completed in those 11 pages. Two incidences would increase the
2
