High School Literary
Criticism Papers
Valdosta State University
instructors, VSU Archivist Deborah Davis, and Janice Daugharty
collaborated with high school English teachers at Valdosta High School, Lowndes
High School, Echols County High School, and Clinch County High School to
instruct high school students for three days about engaging in the writing
process, conducting literary and historical research on primary sources,
regional identity themes, Southern authors, the writer's role as an observer,
and writing literary criticism.
Students were prepared for
the project activities by reading a Janice Daugharty's
short story "Shorn Glory" and by reviewing a CD handout created by
the project developers containing primary and secondary sources and literary
criticism related to Daugharty's short story.
On day one of this project
activity, Deborah Davis presented a tabletop exhibit and a multi-media show on Daugharty, and discussed the VSU archive collection of
Janice Daugharty, and her writings including various
drafts of her works. She also demonstrated how the archive collection can be
used as a primary resource in studying a piece of literature.
On day two instructors, Daugharty, and students,
discussed Daugharty's short stories, the writing
process, and sense of place as it related the
stories.
On day three instructors taught students about how to use historical and
literary research; and instructed students about how to incorporate what they
learned about sense of place into their critical essays.
As part of this project activity, approximately 100 high school juniors and
seniors submitted literary criticism papers for evaluation and nine were chosen
for this journal. The nine students whose essays were chosen presented their
papers at the Janice Daugharty Festival, a regional
writing conference, held on
A TIME TO CHANGE
by Jenna Corbett
No matter how much a leader tries to conform every individual into one body, there is always going to be someone who bucks tradition. Not everyone is willing to become enslaved by someone else’s convictions. Unfortunately, this is not often true in the South. Most southerners are masters of conformity, and unable to have any life except the life of their parents. Janice Daugherty creates characters who conform to the religion of their ancestors. Thankfully, she also shows a few characters who stand alone when no one else is standing. In her story “Shorn Glory,” Janice Daugharty uses Clifford and Gloriann, who are totally different and yet very similar to represent those who break away from tradition. Even though Clifford and Gloriann are totally different people, through interaction with each other they are transformed into very similar souls.
“Shorn Glory” is a short story written by Janice Daugharty. The story takes place in the south on a hot, summer day. It focuses on nine-year-old triplets named Gloriann, Janie Ruth, and Annie Bell. They are all breaking away from traditions, but with the help of a man named Clifford. Clifford is a drunken stranger who comes upon the girls on a bicycle drunk. He is there to help the girls become free and break away. In this story, the triplets and Clifford are there to help each other out. They both do not realize what is happening but both of them are helping each other change.
Gloriann is a one of the triplets who is breaking away from tradition. She is an outspoken nine-year-old girl with long, blonde hair. Her mama has formed a mold that she must follow. She has told them that they are not suppose to cut their hair because of
who they are, as Gloriann voices
her mother’s beliefs as she says, “a woman’s hair is her crown and glory”
(“Shorn Glory” 126) Her mother is a Church of God and believes that her
children should be Church of God, also.
She believes that they should not cut their hair, because it is going
against what the bible has said, “But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory
to her, for her hair is given her for a covering” (1 Corinthians
The
man that helps Gloriann break away from the mold that her mama has formed for
her is Clifford. He is a drunken man who
wants to cut the girls hair. Clifford
wants to help the girls break the mold that they have to follow by cutting
their hair. This will free them from the
bondage their mother’s belief has them trapped in. Clifford keeps telling them how hot it is and
how they would look good with short hair.
When Clifford was a small child his mama formed a mold that he has to
follow. His mama was
The girls come up to Clifford because he is drunk, and they do not know what is wrong with him. They want to wake Clifford up so they pour a bucket of water on him. Clifford is upset when he first wakes up because he does not realize why the girls poured the water on him. After he awakens, he tries to get the girls to talk to him, but they will not. The triplets seem to be shy but one of the girls is outspoken and different. The girls and Clifford start to talk and Gloriann starts to open up more. Clifford starts to tell the
girls that they need a haircut. He tells them it is hot out here and short hair would feel good. He’s trying to persuade them but it’s not working. Clifford tells the girls that he has a barber’s license and that he has cut so many heads of hair,