I need an explanation for this English question to help me study.

Analyse 2 characters from any of these 2 short stories …..

1.Kate Chopin: “The Story of an Hour”

2. Edgar Allan poe ” the cask of amontillado”

3. shirley jackson ” the lottery”

4. Toni Morrison ” sweetness”

5. Raymond Carver ” so much water so close to home”

6. curtis sittenfield ” the prairie wife ”

• About 3 pages—750-1,000 words, double-spaced.
• Present essay in proper MLA format. Sample paper for formatting. (Links to an external site.)
• Have catchy “Hook” (first attention-grabber sentence)
• Have a solid “Link” (sentence/s that connect/s hook to the context).
• Context: (reporter questions: who, what, why, where, what and how?) Who wrote the text? When was it written? How was it written?
• CITE IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH WHEN YOU AE SUMMARIZING
• (ABOUT) THREE WORDS IN A ROW THAT ARE NOT YOUR OWN need to be quoted; otherwise you run the risk of plagiarism.

AND THEN:

Who are the two characters that you will focus on? Why are they important? What is it about him/her that makes him/her [intriguing]—your choice? These are just suggestions. You may not need to answer them all—but do need:

1. Author’s full name on first mention, then last name only in the essay. Don’s say “in Raymond’s story”–Carver is not your buddy, so no first name only–ever!??
2. Title of Work. MLA– SHORT STORIES USE QUOTES. Books use italics.
3. Some context (context description mentioned above)
4. Character Description

All these are required for each text you choose before you state your thesis.

• Thesis, made up of FACT (from the story) and Opinion

For example, “Comparing___to____, the more [intriguing] figure is________ because of _________ and __________.

• Stay away from logical fallacies.
• Limited use of the “I” is fine, but only use when necessary.
• Avoid “you”; (maybe for the “hook,” otherwise too colloquial and can put reader on the defensive). Preferably not at all.
• Use solid body paragraphs that support your idea.
• Cite evidence and quotes from essay to support your argument.
• End with a strong conclusion that wraps up but is not repetitive. Stay away from “In conclusion” (very elementary).
• Works Cited—you only need to cite the two stories, but if you want to do more research, that’s your prerogative.