The Analytical Essay

1. DeCubellis The Analytical Essay “The thing is, to put a motor in yourself.” Frank Zappa, Postmodern Composer

2. BENEFITS • Is extremely thorough and nearly fool-proof in “on-demand” testing situations. • Equips you with a ready-made, universally recognized, analytical structure that helps you to communicate your ideas clearly in an academic setting. • Allows for creative expression (e.g. in the title, introduction, and conclusion).

3. Snappy Title One clever— but not cute— clause that includes the essay’s TOPIC, AUTHOR, and TITLE of work you will be examining.

4. Helpful Devices to Make Your Titles “Pop” Alliteration Consonance Assonance Chiasmus Paradox Pun Irony Metaphor Simile Oxymoron Understatement.

5. EXAMPLE: Prejudice, Paternalism, and Pride in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

6. Prejudice, Paternalism, and Pride in Shakespeare’sThe Merchant of Venice Alliteration Snappy Title Title of work Author

7. NOTE: Never underline your essay’s title. Do, however, underline the titles of longer works. Surround shorter works in quotation marks. Snappy Title

8. Memory Hint: Use the mnemonic SPACE to remember which works belong in quotation marks: S hort story titles P oem titles A rticle titles C hapter titles E ssay titles. Snappy Title

9. Memory Hint: Use the mnemonic New England (NE) Map to “guide” you toward the works which belong in quotation marks: N ovel and Newspaper titles E pic poem titles M agazine and movie titles A lbum titles P lay and Periodical titles Snappy Title

10. Your title MUST be Aligned with your Thesis

11. INTRODUCTORYPARAGRAPH Contains… Pivot-Point Occa$ion Hook (Stinger) Projected Organization Thesis

12. The INTRODUCTORYPARAGRAPH is FUNNEL SHAPED

13. The INTRODUCTORYPARAGRAPH • Starts BROADLY by connecting with the audience. • Finishes NARROWLY by stating the essay’s thesis and upcoming “proofs.”

14. A Hook is… One to three sentences that cleverly captures your reader’s attention.

15. Helpful Devices for Crafting Hooks Question Alliteration Consonance Assonance Chiasmus Paradox Pun Irony Metaphor Simile Oxymoron Understatement Avoid false drama!

16. An Occa$ion consists of… • Several sentences that establish a relevant CONTEXT which hints at the potential personal payoff for reading your essay.

17. Examples • Anecdote • Celebrity appeal • Cultural commentary • Historical context • Etc.

18. Helpful Devices: • Baby-steps • Slo-mo • Dialog • Etc.

19. A Pivot-Point is… • ONE sentence that echoes back to the occasion and signals forward toward the thesis.

20. Pivot-Point • EXAMPLE: Today’s comedians often cover their pain with humor, and similarly Stevie Smith’s poetry explores such contradictions between feelings and behaviors.

21. A Thesis is… ONE sentence that “powers” your entire essay. It’s the essay’s motor. It’s the point you are trying to prove. In a thematic essay, your essay’s thesis is the literature’s theme.

22. Thesis EXAMPLE: Smith creates a paradox of a living death in “Not Waving But Drowning.”

23. Projected Organization (PO) ONE sentence that enumerates-- in the exact order you will later present them-- the “PROOFS”that support your thesis. Typically, you should use three proofs.

24. Projected Organization (PO) NOTE: Your PO MUST be written in grammatically parallel form.

25. Projected Organization (PO) Hamlet’s indecision causes his apparently contradictory thoughts, emotions, and actions. Parallel form: This PO is in the form of a string of nouns. EXAMPLE

26. Projected Organization (PO) Your PO may also be a string of phrases tacked to the beginning or end of your thesis sentence.

27. Projected Organization (PO) Being promoted, earning an advanced college degree, and winning the lottery ironically leads to Lumpy’s suicide. This PO is in the form of a string of gerund phrases.

28. Projected Organization (PO) Samples of proofs you could use in your PO: • Three characters • Three stanzas • Three symbols • Three aspects of the literature’s theme • A character’s attire, behavior, and feelings • The setting, dialog, and imagery

31. BODY • Usually consists of three SECTIONS. • Sections are presented in the exact order stated in the PROJECTED ORGANIZATION. • Each section contains a TOPIC SENTENCE at its beginning which ties back to one segment of the PO. • Sections may contain more than one paragraph depending on how much supporting evidence you need to prove your point.

32. BODYPARAGRAPHS • Set up the quotation by providing a CONTEXT which contains only the 5W,H essential to clarifying the quotation. • You should assume your reader only has a passing familiarity with the text.)

33. BODY SECTION #1 • Use additional, similarly structured paragraphs as needed by each body section.

34. BODY SECTION #2 • Use additional, similarly structured paragraphs as needed by each body section.

35. BODY SECTION #3 • Use additional, similarly structured paragraphs as needed by each body section.

36. The CONCLUDINGPARAGRAPH

37. The CONCLUDINGPARAGRAPH • Starts NARROWLY by REPHRASING the essay’s thesis and “proofs.” • REVERSES the introduction’s PIVOT-POINT sentence. • States the PAYOFF by revisiting and completing the introduction’s OCCASION. • Finishes BROADLY by leaving the reader something profound to think about.

39. The CONCLUDINGPARAGRAPH • PowerPoint ™ Presentation by Greg DeCubellis