Literary Analysis

Essay

Information taken from:

Barnard, Megan. Literary Analysis Essay. 2013. 12 Oct. 2013 http://www.barnardenglish.wikispaces.com/

Vanduyn, K. A Guide to Writing the Literary Analysis Essay. South Newton Schools. 2010. 12 Oct. 2013
www.newton.k12.in.us/hs
What is analytic writing?
• Analytic writing breaks a subject into parts
in order to understand how it works or what
it means.
• A literary analysis is not a plot summary.
What is expected?
● The purpose of your essay is to support, explore,
demonstrate, argue, and/or illustrate the validity of your
claim
● To be sophisticated in your argument and analysis, you
must have ideas that are "in-depth" - not just the
superficial facts of what is read in the text.
● You must interpret what the author has given you to
work with and show that you understand the novel.
Formula for a Thesis
In (title of poem/novel/play), (author's name) uses ____, ____, and
____ to (show/criticize/explain/prove, etc. theme statement).

Examples:
In his novel Animal Farm, George Orwell uses the characters of Snowball,
Boxer, and Squealer to show how important education is, and how dangerous
blind indoctrination can be.

In his “Speech in the Virginia Convention,” Patrick Henry relies on appeals to

ethos, logos, and pathos to convince his fellow colonists to revolt.
Sample Thesis
Through her adept use of rhetorical devices and her relatable style, Adichie is able to

present a convincing argument to challenge the audience to leave behind the Nigerian

status quo, becoming a culture which acknowledges its gender biases in an effort to “do

better.”

OR

By incorporating all three of these appeals, Adichie creates a speech that is sure to

educate and stick with all members of her audience.

Sample Introduction #1
Aristotle once wrote,“Man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but,

when separated from law and justice, he is the worst.” Author George Orwell
seems to share Aristotle’s low opinion of mankind, or at least those that lead.
In fact, Orwell makes Aristotle’s idea come to life in the 1945 novel Animal
Farm. In the novel, Orwell teaches that law and justice can easily be
manipulated--or destroyed-- through blind indoctrination. He uses the
characters of Snowball, Boxer, and Squealer to reinforce his belief that a fine
line exists between education and indoctrination.
Sample Introduction #2
Transcendentalism was a literary movement which occurred between the years 1836

and 1860. Writers of this time investigated the relationship between nature, humanity,
society and the divine. Ralph Waldo Emerson, a leader of this movement, expanded on
these principles in the essay “Self-Reliance.” This piece explores the notion that all
knowledge begins with self knowledge. Like many leaders of this time, Emerson believed
individual virtue depended upon self realization. In “Self-Reliance,” Ralph Emerson uses
strong diction, a __ tone, and powerful sentence structure to help display his ideas of
trusting one’s self.

(See next slide for help with Twain and Bryson)

Twain and Bryson Introduction
The introduction begins with an attention-getter. This might be something about the style of

writing or main ideas. In this case, we spent the week discussing humor. You might want to start

with that concept, perhaps even something from p. 575 or 586/587. Move on to the author(s),

genre(s), and the title(s) of the works. End the introduction with a thesis. This thesis should

mention the rhetorical devices used and point to the author’s intent/purpose/claim. Something like:

Although both Twain and Bryson depend upon ___, ___, and ___ to create humorous pieces, the

overall approach is a bit different.

Introduction Help:
The first sentence should be a wide, general statement about the literary movement, the Great

Awakening, religion, etc.

The second (or third) sentence should work something like: One of the most famous sermons of

this time came from a revivalist preacher named Jonathan Edwards. Work in genre and title, and

maybe date.

The final sentence of your introduction should be your thesis:

In that sermon, Edwards depends upon an appeal to ethos, _____, and ____ to effectively convince

his congregation that _____.

Introduction Help:
The introduction begins with an attention-getter. This might be something about the

time period in which the piece is set. You could also “define” the problem the author

was addressing (I don’t mean to literally define a word). Move on to the author(s),

genre(s), and the title(s) of the work. I’d also put something about the publication date,

if you didn’t already address that. Move to a brief synopsis of the piece. End the

introduction with a thesis. This thesis should mention the rhetorical devices used and

point to the author’s intent/purpose/claim.

Body Paragraph Format
These are the support paragraphs of your essay. In its simplest form, each
body paragraph is organized as follows:

1. Topic sentence
2. Lead-in to textual evidence 1 (This is what the author does — the literary device or
technique)
3. Textual evidence 1 (This is the example of the technique, device, or style element. It is the
“how.”)
4. Commentary (This is your explanation of why the author does what he or she does and the
effect it has on the audience or on the work).
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4
6. Concluding or clincher sentence
Textual Evidence
Textual Evidence: a specific example from the work used to
provide evidence for your topic sentence. Textual evidence
can be a combination of paraphrase and direct quotation
from the work.

Example: When Carton and Darnay first meet at the tavern,

Carton tells him, “I care for no man on this earth, and no
man cares for me” (Dickens 105).
Embedding Quotes
Use quotes (with page numbers) from the book. Blend them in with
your words by having quotes and commentary share sentences.

Not embedded: Janie’s images for romantic happiness come from

nature. “Life should be more like a pear tree in bloom, she thinks”
(O’Neil 67). She thinks this when she is unhappy in her relationships.

Embedded: Because Janie’s image for romantic happiness comes from

nature, she thinks, “life should be more like a pear tree in bloom” when
she is unhappy in her relationship (O’Neil 67).
Block Quotations
Lengthy quotations (more than 3 typed lines) need to be set off from the rest of
the paper.
Start the quotation after a colon and indent each line of the quotation 10
spaces, placing the citation at the end. Single space the quotation. Do not use
quotation marks unless they appear in the original.
Example:
Based on rumors and gossip, the children of Maycomb speculate about Boo Radley’s appearance:
Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels
and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal
raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his
face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the
time (Lee 13).
Commentary after Quotes
Commentary: Make sure that before or after each quote, you
point out how it connects to the thesis. This is your explanation
and interpretation of the textual evidence. Commentary may
include interpretation, analysis, argument, insight, and/or
reflection.

(Helpful hint: In your body paragraph, you should have twice as much
commentary as textual evidence. In other words, for every sentence of
textual evidence, you should have at least two sentences of
commentary.)
Commentary Examples
EXAMPLE:

– Once again, O’Neil portrays rich men as happier with

expensive toys than with love.
NOT:

– This also proves the thesis because a rich man is happier with
an expensive toy than he is when in love.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE:

Carton makes this statement as if he were excusing his rude behavior

to Darnay. Carton, however, is only pretending to be polite, perhaps to
amuse himself. With this seemingly off-the-cuff remark, Carton reveals
a deeper cynicism and his emotional isolation.
 Commentary Example:
Throughout Adichie’s speech, her anecdotes serve another purpose; they work as claims of value, showing the

problems that exist. These claims lead to her final claim of policy, or call to action. She uses parallel structure and

rhetorical questions to emphasize this call to action. Adichie questions, “What if, in raising children, we focus on

ability, instead of gender? What if, in raising children, we focus on interest, instead of gender?” (3). She asks them to

dare to dream. She tells them that she will no longer be apologetic and asks them not to be either. She reminds them that

a culture is made up of people and asks them to be a certain kind of people--ones who create culture, not just believe

ideals because “that is how it has always been” (3). Like the outdated Nigerian practice of killing twins, gender

inequality has no place in a modern culture. Adichie emphasizes that we are given the choice of what we want our

culture to be; it does not need to be a stagnant set of values which no longer apply to our modern world.
Transitions
Transitions are words or phrases that connect or “hook” one idea
to the next, both between and within paragraphs. Transitional
devices include using connecting words as well as repeating key
words or using synonyms.

Examples: Finally, in the climax... Later in the story,... In contrast

to this behavior,...Not only...but also... Furthermore,...
Other Writing Devices
Lead-In: phrase or sentence that prepares the reader for textual evidence by
introducing the speaker, setting, and/or situation.
Example: Later, however, when the confident Sidney Carton returns alone to
his home, his alienation and unhappiness become apparent: “Climbing into a
high chamber in a well of houses, he threw himself down in his clothes on a
neglected bed, and it's pillow was wet with wasted tears” (Dickens 211).

Clincher/Concluding Sentence: last sentence of the body paragraph. It

concludes the paragraph by tying the textual evidence and commentary back to
the thesis.
Example: Thus, before Carton experiences love, he is able to convince himself
that the world has no meaning.
In-Text Citations
When you state the author's name directly:
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a "spontaneous
overflow of powerful feelings" (263).

When you don't state the author's name directly:

Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of powerful
feelings" (Wordsworth 263).

When you are paraphrasing the author's words:

Wordsworth extensively explored the role of emotion in the creative process
(263).
Conclusion
The conclusion should do one or more of the following:
1) Reflect on how your essay topic relates to the book/literature as a whole
2) Evaluate how successful the author is in achieving his or her goal or
message
3) Connect back to your opening
4) Discuss the works’ value or significance

It’s helpful to think of this as the answer to the “so what”

question.
Suggested Structure for Conclusion
It’s helpful to think of the conclusion as the answer to the “so
what” question.

Transition
Revisit idea presented in thesis / summarize main points
Address significance of the piece of literature / Close with the “so
what”

Do not introduce a new topic in your conclusion.

 Sample Conclusion
By the end of her speech, Adichie has made it clear what the word “feminism” means to her. She

“reclaims” it and asks them to join her. With her use of anecdotes and her appeals to ethos, pathos, and

logos, she has made it okay for even the most masculine in the audience to do so. She reminds them that

the word is simply an admission that “Yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today, and we must fix

it, we must do better” (8). She allows them to dream with her of an African people who can admit their

flaws and adjust the course of their culture for their children--and for themselves. Something that began

as an insult has become a term of empowerment and a call for change. This lesson is one that transcends

African culture; it is a global lesson that all men and women should hear.
Works Cited
A Works Cited is a separate page listing all the works cited in an
essay. It simplifies documentation because it permits you to
make only brief references to those works in the test
(parenthetical documentation). A “Works Cited” page differs from
a “Bibliography” in that the latter includes sources researched
but not actually cited in the paper.

All the entries on a “Works Cited” page are double spaced and
are arranged in alphabetical order.
Sample Works Cited
Works Cited

Aiken, Joan. “The Third Wish.” The Language of Literature: Grade 7. Ed. William Brozo. 2010 ed. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson

Education, Inc., 1997. Print. 71-76.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.” The Language of Literature: American Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee.

Evanston, Il.: McDougal-Littell, 1997. Print. 378-389.

---. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.” The Nathaniel Hawthorne Society. 2017. Web. 6 Dec. 2018. Retrieved from

http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/mirror_eldritch/dhe.html

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Pearson Common Core Literature: The American Experience. Ed. William

Brozo. 2010 ed. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2010. Print. 293-310.

---. “The Cask of Amontillado.” Elegant Ebooks. Ed. José Menéndez. 2005. Web. 6 Nov. 2018. 3-10. Retrieved from

https://www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Poe/Amontillado.pdf