ENG 130 SHORT STORY EXAM & ESSAY Name: ______________

Part II: Essay

*See the Essay Instructions found in Unit 2

and the Essay Grading checklist in our syllabus*

Choose one essay topic and develop an original, arguable thesis statement to start your essay:

1. Theme: Many of the works we have read in class explore the theme of isolation,

loneliness, or alienation. Choose three of the stories we’ve read and interpret this theme. What are the authors’ deeper messages or world views based on your interpretation?

1. Setting: The setting often sets the stage for the story and is used to create

*MLA information is in our book, online at MyLiteratureLab (Resources-Research) and on Course Information page.

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Brazil airlines demand state aid to assuage pain of weakening currency Financial Times (London, England) August 22, 2013 Thursday

1 of 1 DOCUMENT

Financial Times (London, England)

August 22, 2013 Thursday

USA Edition 1

Brazil airlines demand state aid to assuage pain of weakening currency

BYLINE: Joe Leahy in São Paulo

SECTION: WORLD NEWS; Pg. 3

LENGTH: 537 words

HIGHLIGHT: Four main carriers ask for tax breaks

Sell-off in emerging markets hits hard

Brazilian airlines are seeking government aid to help curb losses stemming from a weakening currency, in the first sign t he rapid sell-off of emerging market assets is beginning to hurt the corporate sector.

The country's four main airlines and their industry association, Abear, have appealed to the government for a range of tax breaks and relief from fees and high fuel costs in response to a 14 per cent depreciation in the Brazilian real against the dollar since the start of the year.

"The dam has broken," said Eduardo Sanovicz, president of Abear, referring to the industry's inability to withstand any further the rising costs from a weaker currency.

The real has been among the worst-hit currencies in the sell-off of emerging market assets this month that has accompanied speculation that the US Federal Reserve will begin winding down its quantitative easing programme.

The government, which fought a bruising "currency war" against a stronger real during the emerging markets boom after the 2009 financial crisis, has generally welcomed the weaker currency.

Its argument is a flagging real, which breached the R$2.40 level against the dollar this week for the first time in four and a half years, will make domestic manufacturing more competitive. But the advance of the dollar has been so fast it is beginning to threaten the most vulnerable sectors of Brazilian industry.

"The sheer size of the recent fall in the real reflects the extent to which Brazil's currency had become one of the most overvalued in the emerging market world," Capital Economics wrote in a report.

Of Brazilian airlines' costs, 57 per cent are priced in dollars, from kerosene for jet fuel to aircraft leasing contracts.

The sector was already struggling even during the boom years amid fierce competition and cut-throat fares aimed at drawing the new middle class away from bus travel and into the -airports.

Gilson Garofalo, a professor of economy at PUC, a university in São Paulo, said the price-sensitivity of the sector meant that every 10 per cent rise in ticket prices led to a 14 per cent fall in sales.

So tough has the airline business been this year that several of the big airlines have laid off staff, with the region's biggest, Chilean-Brazilian venture Latam Airlines, reporting a sharp loss this week in the second quarter.

Among the airlines' demands are cheaper kerosene, subsidised navigation fees, exemptions to some taxes, and state value added taxes fixed at 6 per cent. At present they vary between 12 and 25 per cent, depending on the state.

The complaints from airlines come as the weaker currency is also beginning to bite state oil operator Petrobras, which imports fuel at international prices in dollars but is forced to sell it at a subsidised price at domestic fuel pumps.

The government cannot easily abolish the subsidy, as that would lead to a sharp rise in inflation, with Brazil dependent on road transport for the delivery of the majority of its goods.

"With the currency trading well above R$2.30, the company is having to shoulder the cost of an even wider gap (more than 30 per cent) between international oil prices and domestic fuel prices," said João Augusto de Castro Neves, an analyst at Eurasia Group.

LOAD-DATE: August 21, 2013

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2013 The Financial Times Ltd.

All Rights Reserved

Please do not cut and paste FT articles and redistribute by email or post to the web.

ESSAY WRITING INSTRUCTIONS

These instructions should be used for writing all the essays that are required as part of the exams for each of the genre. 

 Submit your essay as a word document in APA format.

 Three to four pages of written work, not including citation page. 

 12 point,  Times Roman  and one-inch margins 

 Organization is key!!

 Introduction

 First topic

 Second  topic

 Third topic

 Conclusion

The introductory paragraph should begin with an interesting lead followed by the identification of the work and the author.  Your introduction should culminate in the thesis statement which identifies your subject, purpose, and original opinion.  

The body paragraphs should then be constructed to prove this point with the discussion centering on your literary analysis. If you were to choose the element of setting to analyze, for example, you would provide an examination of the place and time - using quotes from the story to describe the setting and descriptions by the narrator of the dress, names and attitudes that were relevant during that time period.  Do not tell what happened – Show and explain the author’s techniques and larger intentions.

These body paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence that generalizes the ideas to be developed.  Quotations and explanations of the quotes support that general statement.  It is extremely important that you explain your use of the quotations from the story.  Remember,  you are trying to prove your thesis statement. 

The concluding paragraph should restate your original thesis in different terms, stating once again the point that you have successfully proven in your essay.

**** Quotes from the story are necessary to support your ideas in the analysis, but the paper needs to be as much your own thoughts as possible. If you use outside sources, please be sure to cite and quote sparingly from these sources. It is best to paraphrase, and then still cite the author of the ideas.