Literary Analysis

In literature class, your teacher may ask you to discuss in an essay some aspect of a
book that you have read. To write a literary analysis essay, you begin by deciding what
aspect of the piece of literature you are going to focus on. Then in your introduction,
you state your opinion about it in a thesis statement. After this, your body paragraphs
provide examples and evidence (in the form of quotations from the text). Each one of
these will support your thesis. Finally, you end with a conclusion that restates your
most important points.

Here are some examples of questions your teacher might ask you to discuss:
FOR A NOVEL OR STORY:
Who is this book about? (central character[s])
What do the central characters want?
What keeps them/him/her from getting it?
How do they/he/she get what they want?
What do you think is the most important event in the story?
What leads up to this event?
How are the characters different after this event?
Pick out the most important event in each chapter.

FOR A BIOGRAPHY:
What kind of family did the subject come from?
Where did he go to school?
What did he want the most as a child?
What did he want the most as a grownup?
How did he get what he wanted?
Who were the three most important people in his life?
What was the most important event in his life?
Did he get what he wanted in life? Why or why not?
Why do we still remember this person?

Key Features of a Literary Criticism Essay

Strong thesis.
Clear organizational structure.
Evidence cited from story.
Explanation of evidence.
Transitions that clarify the relationship among ideas.
Formal style.
Title page and works cited page.

Step 1 Prewriting: Thinking about Your Topic.

Assignment
TASK: Write a five paragraph literary analysis essay that answers a question you
have selected or has been given to you by your teacher. Use evidence from the
book to support your answer.
AUDIENCE: Your teacher and classmates.
PURPOSE: To explain.

Narrow the Field

1. Start by brainstorming. Ask an interesting question that youd like to answer.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Who is this book about?

2. Next, make your topic fit the length. Ask yourself, Will I be able to write about this
topic in 5 paragraphs? If you dont think you can, try narrowing it even more by
creating a list of subtopics. For example, the character Tom Sawyer is too broad for
this size essay, but the subtopic Tom is a dynamic character a character who
changes during the story is narrow enough.

Revised question: What events in the story cause Tom to change?

Think About Your Point

Now that youve chosen your topic, write the first draft of your thesis in the chart below.

Your thesis is your essays main point. Think of your thesis as the answer to the
question that you want to explore.
Your thesis will appear at the end of your introductory paragraph.
It should reflect your opinion about the topic, not just state a fact.
Example Some readers may see Toms life as simply one boyish adventure after another, but
there are three events that upon closer inspection actually cause him to change from being
________________ and _______________ to being _______________ and _____________.

Dig into the Topic Write each main point as a title. Then, find a quote that will support
your point. Be sure to include the page number.
Authors full name:
Title of story:
Two sentence plot summary:

Thesis:

First Main Point That Proves Thesis:

Quote:

Second Main Point That Proves Thesis:

Quote:

Third Main Point That Proves Thesis:

Quote:

Literary Analysis Essay Outline

Follow this outline when drafting your literary analysis essay.
I.

INTRODUCTION
A. Attention-Getter
B. Necessary Information
1. Authors full name
2. Title of the story
C. Brief plot summary or introduction to the story
D. Thesis statement

II.

BODY PARAGRAPH 1
A. Topic Sentence
B. Introduce Quote
C. Quote
D. Analysis of Quote

III.

BODY PARAGRAPH 2
A. Topic Sentence
B. Introduce Quote
C. Quote
D. Analysis of Quote

IV.

BODY PARAGRAPH 3
A. Topic Sentence
B. Introduce Quote
C. Quote
D. Analysis of Quote

V.

CONCLUSION
A. Restate your thesis
B. Restate your reasons/examples
C. Wrap it up with your final thoughts and/or clincher

http://www.lcsd.wednet.edu/page/704

Step 2 Drafting: Making sentences.

Introduction
To write a successful introduction, follow the A.N.T. technique!
A = Attention-Getter
N = Necessary Information
T = Thesis

A = Attention-Getter: The first sentence or two should be an attention-getter. There are

many ways to write an attention-getter:

Ask a question
Use a relevant quote from the story itself or from somewhere else
Use a fact or statistic
Use an anecdote (a short story that illustrates a point)

N = Necessary Information: Necessary information for a literary analysis includes:

1. Author's full name
2. Title of the story
3. Brief plot summary or introduction to the story (no more than a few sentences
T = Thesis: The last sentence of your introduction should be your thesis. The thesis is
what you are trying to "prove" in your essay.

Example introduction using A.N.T.

Example from a student's paper on a story called "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar
Allen Poe
Attention-getter: Murder! Is this a right way to get back at someone?

Necessary information authors name and title of story: Montresor

believes it is in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado."

Summary: In the story, Montresor tells the reader that he was insulted by
Fortunato. It is because of this insult that Montresor has vowed revenge. He lures
Fortunato into his family's catacombs, and then Montresor chains Fortunato to a
wall of granite and buries him alive.

Thesis: Montressor is able to murder Foftunado because of his intense desire to

seek revenge.

Body
To write a successful body paragraph, follow the TIQA technique!
T = Topic sentence
I = Introduce quote
Q = Quote
A = Analysis
T = Topic sentence: A topic sentence needs a focus or limiting idea. In character analysis,
your topic is the character you have chosen, and your focus is a character trait. Here is an
example:
Topic Sentence: In "To Build a Fire," the man dies in the cold of the Yukon because he is
too foolish to listen to those who know more than he does.
Topic = the man

Focus = his foolishness

I = Introduce quote: Before you write the quote that provides evidence to support your topic
sentence, you need to introduce it. You need to give some context or setting to the quote. If
someone is speaking the quoted words, you should tell your reader who is talking. The quote
cannot "exist" on its own--it must be attached to this introduction sentence.
Q = Quote: provide a quote from the text that supports the topic sentence. A quote can be
actual words spoken by a character, or it can be other non-spoken words that appear in the text.
A = Analysis: explain to the reader (in 2-3 sentences) how the quote supports your topic, or how
it proves your thesis to be true. DO NOT just restate the quote in your own words. You have to
analyze it, which means you have to explain how it proves the point you are trying to make. For
example, in a character analysis, you are showing how the quote proves that the character has
the trait you identified.

EXAMPLE of a TIQA style paragraph from "To Build a Fire" by Jack London

Topic Sentence: In "To Build a Fire," the man dies in the cold of the Yukon because he
is too foolish to listen to those who know more than he does.

Introduce Quote: When the man is remembering the words of the old timer at Sulphur
Creek, he says,

Quote: those old-timers were rather womanish, some of them.

Analysis: This shows that the man does not respect those that have been in the area
longer than he has. He insults the knowledge of those with more experience. He will
later come to see how truly foolish his words were.

Conclusions can be a difficult part of an essay to write because often writers feel like
they have already said everything they wanted to say, and there is nothing else to write
about. However, a conclusion serves an important function in an essay and deserves
as much attention as the rest of your paper. The conclusion is often what a reader
remembers most!

R-R-R
To write a successful conclusion, remember the 3 R's!
1. R = Restate your thesis
2. R = Restate your reasons
3. R = Wrap it up

Here's the 3 step process:

1. Restate your thesis in different words. Remind the reader what the focus of
your paper was and what you have "proven."
2. Restate your reasons or examples that you used in the topic sentences of the
body paragraphs. Summarize and show how all of your reasons fit together.
3. Wrap it up with your final thoughts and/or a clincher.
Final thoughts: Show the importance of the analysis that you have been
making in the paper. What is the last thing you want to say about this
topic?
Clincher: This is a statement that leaves the reader thinking "Wow!" It
often goes back to your attention-getter in the introduction and mirrors it in
some way, or you can make a statement about the future of the subject
you've been writing about.

Drafting
Introduction:
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Body Paragraph 1:
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Body Paragraph 2:
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Body Paragraph 3:
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Conclusion:
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Step 3 Revising: Working on the content.

How clear and strong is my thesis?

How effective are my introduction, body, and conclusion?
Did I use transitions to start each paragraph?
How well did I explain why or how my quote supports my thesis?
How well did I use formal language? (no I, you, or me)

Step 4 Editing: Working on the mechanics.

_____Type your sentences into a Word doc.
_____Make your writing continuous so it looks like paragraphs.
_____Double space your document and indent first line in each paragraph.
_____Make the font black and use TNR or Ariel 12.
_____Be sure your paragraphs are left justified.
_____Insert a cover page..
_____Following each quote, insert page number. Ex. (pg. 36)
_____Insert a bibliography page.
_____Run spell check and grammar check. Correct as needed.
Do a final check. Read each drafted sentence aloud to yourself one at a time
and ask the following:
_____Does this sentence make a complete thought? Have I included all
necessary words?
_____Is this sentence too long? Do I have too many complete ideas jammed
into one sentence? Do I need to break it into smaller sentences?
_____Is this sentence hard to read awkward? How can I reword it?
_____Did I start this sentence with a capital letter and use end punctuation?

Step 5 Publishing: Preparing your final document.

Add pictures/drawings etc. Be sure to give credit.
Submit to TurnItIn

Student Sample

DESTROYED BUT NOT DEFEATED

Name
Class
Date

Can a man be destroyed but not defeated? In the book The Old Man and the Sea,
Ernest Hemingway tells the story of an old fisherman named Santiago, who is
determined to win a battle against a giant marlin off the coast of Cuba. Santiago
succeeds, but his success comes with great hardship and struggle. It is only after
Santiagos prize fish is completely devoured by sharks that he returns home to the
ridicule of his village. As his suffering and loss compound, we can see that
Hemingways quote a man can be destroyed but not defeated offers a key insight into
Santiagos life.
As the story begins, we learn that Santiago has gone eighty-four days straight
without catching a fish. The villagers see him as an old, defeated person. However,
Santiago does not let this keep him off the sea. Rather, with bright and shining eyes he
thinks, maybe today. Every day is a new day. (pg. 32) Though he knows he is
physically older and weaker than most of his fellow fishermen, he refuses to let their
opinions and stereotypes destroy his confidence and determination.
As the story progresses, Hemingway presents an even more vivid picture of
Santiago refusing to be defeated. After hooking the giant marlin, he finds his skiff being
dragged by the fish for over two days. Soon injury and suffering seem to take over his
entire body. It would have been so much easier for Santiago to simply give up and
release the fish, yet he knows that if he endures a little longer, victory will be his.
Santiago promises himself, Ill keep trying. (pg. 93) This is Santiagos real inner
determination coming through. Although his struggles may cost him his life, he is
determined to accomplish even the seemingly impossible.
After three long days and nights, Santiagos determination pays off. At last, the

marlin dies. However, a few hours later, as Santiago tows it towards shore, vicious
sharks begin to destroy the carcass of the great fish. Santiago returns to the village,
towing behind him only a bare skeleton. Hemingway tells us that Santiago, in his youth,
had loved to watch the majestic lions along the white sand beach by his home in Africa,
and he still returns to dreams of those lions when he needs comforted. That night
Santiago was, dreaming about the lions. (pg. 127) This is perhaps the truest test of
how much courage and determination a person has. Even when they have suffered the
biggest defeat of their life, they are able to look beyond the moment and find comfort in
the wonderful things they have experienced. Nothing will ever truly defeat Santiago.
In conclusion, Hemingways quote a man can be destroyed but not defeated truly
does display the amount of determination that Santiago shows throughout his life.
Santiago ignores the comments of those who think he is unlucky, endures great
physical pain, and rises up from the depths of sorrow to find happiness in what he does
possess. Throughout the entire story, Santiago refuses to surrender to the forces
working against him.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Charles Scribners Sons,
1952.