A causal analysis analyzes the causes and/or effects of an event, decision, or experience. What caused this event to happen? What were the effects of this event on the author, their environment, family, community, culture, nation, world, etc.? Does the author come to any conclusions or resolutions?
An appropriate thesis statement will present the text and the causal relationship. Body paragraphs should go into lots of detail describing the precipitating events (causes) and the consequences (effects).
All sources must be cited following MLA guidelines when quoted and/or paraphrased in the essay. The essay must include a Works Cited page. Note that the Works Cited page is not included in the page count requirement. This essay requires direct references to your chosen story from All the Women in My Family Sing. Remember, the essay is all about analyzing the text, so including when, where, and what happens in the text to support your analysis is very important. You may also choose to research and include relevant and reputable outside sources as support since many of the stories include historical or cultural references. These outside sources may come from credible books, websites, magazines, newspapers, journals, and databases.
