Tense

1. Tense • When you are writing a literary analysis, you should always write in PRESENT TENSE. • For example: Scout struggles on a day-to-day basis with the discrimination she is exposed to. • Instead of: Scout struggled on a day-to-day basis with the discrimination she was exposed to. • If you are talking about a literary text, you speak about the author in the past tense: • Harper Lee wroteTo Kill A Mockingbirdto demonstrate the prejudice in the Southern States. • Instead of: Harper Lee writes To Kill A Mockingbird

2. Fluff • Avoid fluff comments to make paper longer. Fluff language such as “very,” “like,” “things,” “stuff,” “good,” “bad,” should not be used within your paper unless it is in a quote, or figurative language such as similes and metaphors.

3. Appositives • APPOSITIVES • An appositive is a word or group of words that identifies or renames another word in a sentence. Appositive constructions offer concise ways of describing or defining a person, place, or thing.  This will be beneficial for you to help clarify information for the reader so it will be easy to follow.  This also will allow you to cut back on lengthy summaries. Commas typically separate appositive phrases from the rest of the sentence. • For example: • Abigail Williams, once a servant to the Proctor Household, is angered at Elizabeth Proctor for her firing.  Abigail sets her sights on John Proctor, Elizabeth’s husband, as a method of revenge. • *The underlined phrases are Appositive phrases that help clarify meaning for the reader.  If you delete the phrases, the sentences still make sense and are complete.

4. Thesis Statement • The best essays have a clearly defined thesis, or argument, that the whole essay attempts to prove or support. Choose a thesis that is interesting.  Know the difference between topic and thesis.   • Say you decided to write on the following topic on the novel To Kill A Mockingbird: Atticus Finch as an Ideal Parent.  A poor thesis statement would be: This essay will explore Atticus Finch’s parenting skills in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This thesis is not interesting and certainly not original.  The content of the essay may be good, but the essay, as an argumentative essay, fails.   • A slightly better thesis statement could be: “In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch’s parenting style is complex.”  With this thesis, you at least have something to argue, even though what you’re going to argue is not very interesting.

5. Develop the Thesis • To further develop the thesis, try the following tests: • Does my thesis pass the “So What?” test? If a reader’s first response is, “So What?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue. • Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering?If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change.  It’s o.k. to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper.  Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary. • Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader.  See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

6. Question your Thesis • Therefore, using the above questions, you can ask this about your thesis: • “In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch’s parenting style is complex.”  So what? Why is this important to the text? How are they complex? Why are they complex?What are you trying to say about the text?” • A much better thesis: • “In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is an ideal parent BECAUSE of his ability to fulfill many roles as a single-parent father. • This provides an argument and provides a foundation for your paper.

7. Introduction Paragraph • The introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of your essay and sets up the foundation for your paper.  It introduces the main ideas of your paper.  Consider it your first impression. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so you need to draw your audience’s interest.  Your introduction paragraph should follow three easy steps: • Step 1)The attention getter (usually 2-3 sentences) is the first impression, so you should make it so the reader wants to keep reading.  You can use interesting facts, quotations, anecdotes, stories, among others to capture the interest of your reader.  Don’t start out talking specifics about your topic and/or the text that you are analyzing. • Step 2)Background information.  In this section, you give necessary background information of the text by introducing the name of the author, the text, a brief summary of the text, and any other necessary information that will make it easier for your audience to understand your paper. • Step 3Your thesis statement.  This is the overall argument you are trying to prove.  Your claim should be the last sentence of your thesis. Your introduction’s goal is to draw the reader in and build to the thesis.  Do not start out your intro paragraph with a thesis. • DO NOT INCLUDE CITATIONS OR SUPPORT IN YOUR INTRODUCTION.  Save that for your body paragraphs.

8. Assert- Support- Interpret • The A stands for assertion, or your overall argument of an overall paper, and paragraphs.   • The S stands for support, which is the evidence you use to help back up your Assertion.   • And finally, the I stands for Interpretation, which should follow a quote or piece of evidence.  Keep in mind, the interpretation is not a recap or restating of a quote, it is your analysis of the quote of how and why the quote is important to your overall piece of writing.  Your interpretation should explain what the important evidence is and should connect it back to the Thesis.   • Always keep the point of the paper fresh in the reader’s mind.

9. Typical Paragraph • A typical paragraph outline should look like this: • Assertion:Not only does your paper have an assertion, or thesis, but each paragraph should be considered a mini-assertion or paragraph topic. • The mini-assertion would be a breakdown of your overall paper assertion.A: Introduce the first piece of evidence with an assertion/set upS: State the evidence that is being used to enhance your assertionI:  Interpret the support and connect it back to your paragraph assertion and overall thesisA: Introduce the next piece of evidence with an assertion/set upS:  State the evidence that is being used to enhance your assertionI:   Interpret the support and connect it back to your paragraph assertion and overall thesis • Conclusion and Transition to lead to next paragraph • REPEAT THIS STEP AS NEEDED!

10. The Conclusion Paragraph •  Final impressions are important, almost as important as first impressions.  A concluding paragraph is the last impression you will make on your reader, so make it good!  • Your concluding paragraphmust: • RESTATE YOUR THESIS IN A FRESH WAY.  Do not use the same wording that you used in your thesis. • Conclusions are often the most difficult part of an essay to write since many writers think they have nothing left to say when they finish their last body paragraph. • A writer needs to keep in mind the conclusion is often what the reader remembers best, so the conclusion should be just as effective as the rest of the essay.

11. Suggestions for Conclusion Paragraph • Synthesize; do not summarize:  Don’t simply repeat things in your paper. The reader has read it. Show the reader how the points you made and the support and examples you used were not random.  Explain how they fit together. • Answer the question “So What?”: Show the readers why this paper was important, meaningful, and useful. • Redirect your readers: Give your reader something to think about: perhaps a way to use your paper in the “real world.” If your introduction went from general to specific, make your conclusion go from specific to general. Think globally. • Create new meaning: You don’t have to give new information to create a new meaning. By demonstrating how your ideas work together you can create a new picture. Often the sum of the paper is worth more than its parts. • YOU SHOULD NOT- GIVE ANY EVIDENCE IN A CONCLUSION, OR STATE ANY NEW INFORMATION THAT HASN’T BEEN GIVEN SOMEWHERE ELSE IN YOUR PAPER.