1. Be sure to read the story "Girls at War," because it's not possible to effectively write an essay on a story you haven't read. It's fairly short, so you should be able to read it in an hour or less.
Here's what I would do before beginning to write the essay:
1. Read the story.
2. While reading the story, pay attention to the character of Gladys.
3. While reading the story, see if you pick out reasons why there is irony in the title.
4. As you read, take notes on Gladys and the elements of irony in the story's title.
5. Ask yourself: how has Gladys been redeemed? Or, has Gladys been redeemed? Write down what occurred that led to her redemption—or if she never found redemption, write down the reasons why.
6. Know and understand the definition of irony and determine how it is implied in the story's title. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irony
7. For more input on the content of the story, go to a website such as exampleessays.com, megaessays.com, or directessays.com. Type 'girls at war' or 'stories by Chinua Achebe' in the search bar and see if there are any essays that can help you understand and explain the concepts of the story. Keep in mind that the essays on those sites are written by students at varying levels of writing ability.
