The Narrative Devices and Writing Style in "The Half-Skinned Steer" by Annie Proulx

This essay discusses Annie Proulx's short story, "The Half-Skinned Steer." The student examines the tone, themes, and narrative devices used by the author to paint a bleak picture of the protagonist's hometown and convey a sense of dread and hoplessness.

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Bob's feedback:

"Your essay is full of examples that demonstrate the tone of the book, the sense of gloom and hopelessness, and the skillful use of metaphor. While you've identified some important themes and highlighted some great examples of the author's writing style, this essay could use some work on focus, clarity, and organization.

The intro paragraph gives a brief synopsis of the narrative, but the story will be difficult to understand if your reader isn't already familiar with the work. What does it mean that Mero is returning "not only in person but through his memories"? Is he simply recalling past events, or is there a supernatural element to the story? You might consider having your essay read by someone who is unfamiliar with the story to identify points of confusion.

You mention a few times that the author makes the reader feel like they are part of the story, but your analysis doesn't pinpoint how this is done. Try developing that idea. While using quotations to support your ideas can be a good strategy, make sure not to rely too heavily on them. Quotations should be short, and paraphrasing or summarizing a scene can be preferable to using direct quotes.

Your conclusion identifies an important element -- the irony of the family's failure to escape their surroundings. If this is important to your conclusion, make sure it is developed thoroughly in the body paragraphs.

Finally, there are a handful of grammatical errors and typos that should be addressed by a proofreader."

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In-text citation:

(Kibin, 2025)

Reference list entry:

Kibin. (2025). The narrative devices and writing style in "the half-skinned steer" by annie proulx. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-narrative-devices-and-writing-style-in-the-half-skinned-steer-by-annie-proulx-Oe4bmc5v

Be sure to capitalize proper nouns (e.g. Egypt) and titles (e.g. Macbeth) in the essay title portion of your citation.

In-text citation:

("The Narrative Devices and Writing Style in "The Half-Skinned Steer" by Annie Proulx.")

Works Cited entry:

"The Narrative Devices and Writing Style in "The Half-Skinned Steer" by Annie Proulx." Kibin, 2025, www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-narrative-devices-and-writing-style-in-the-half-skinned-steer-by-annie-proulx-Oe4bmc5v

Footnote:

1. "The Narrative Devices and Writing Style in "The Half-Skinned Steer" by Annie Proulx." Kibin, 2025. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-narrative-devices-and-writing-style-in-the-half-skinned-steer-by-annie-proulx-Oe4bmc5v.

Bibliography entry:

"The Narrative Devices and Writing Style in "The Half-Skinned Steer" by Annie Proulx." Kibin, 2025. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-narrative-devices-and-writing-style-in-the-half-skinned-steer-by-annie-proulx-Oe4bmc5v.