Writing a literary analysis paragraph

1. Writing a literary analysis paragraph It’s easier than you think!

2. Why are we doing this? • Helps answer a question we ask about the text FULLY • Helps elaborate our ideas • Helps organize our thoughts • You will sound terrifically smart and be wildly successful • We’ll use this same format when writing body paragraphs for essays • Aren’t you excited?

3. Step 1: Topic sentence • The first sentence is the topic sentence • It tells your reader what your main argument or claim is. • Should answer a question • Below, I answer the question “What type of person is Sheila in ‘The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant’?" • Try to use the title of the work you are referencing in the topic sentence EX: In “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant,” Sheila is a self-centered girl who unwittingly costs the narrator the fish of a lifetime.

4. Step 2: Evidence • There should be at least 2 pieces of evidence in a paragraph. • Show that the argument you make in the topic sentence is true • Uses specificevidence (quotes) to help support the point you’re making. • Make sure you LINK (show) how the evidence proves your argument to be true. EX: In the story, Sheila is unaware that the narrator is interested in her, despite the fact that he watches her “spend her days sunbathing on a float Uncle Sierbert had moored in their cove.”It is clear that the narrator is around Sheila all of the time because he knows her routine and becomes an expert on her moods, but in all that time Shelia learns nothing of the narrator. Furthermore, Shelia is so caught up in her own interests that she does not notice the narrator’s fishing pole on their date and rudely says that fishing is “definitely dumb.” If she were not so self-centered she would have seen the pole and remained silent.

5. Step 3: Concluding sentence • Recaps/summarizes your argument • Don’t assume the reader knows how your support fits your argument. • “Don’t leave me hangin’!” or “Connect the dots” EX:Sheila shows that she only thinks about herself, which ultimately keeps a relationship from developing between herself and the narrator.

6. In “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant,” Sheila is a self-centered girl who unwittingly costs the narrator the fish of a lifetime. In the story, Sheila is unaware that the narrator is interested in her, despite the fact that he watches her “spend her days sunbathing on a float Uncle Sierbert had moored in their cove.”It is clear that the narrator is around Sheila all of the time because he knows her routine and becomes an expert on her moods, but in all that time Shelia learns nothing of the narrator. Furthermore, Shelia is so caught up in her own interests that she does not notice the narrator’s fishing pole on their date and rudely says that fishing is “definitely dumb.” If she were not so self-centered she would have seen the pole and remained silent. Sheila shows that she only thinks about herself, which ultimately keeps a relationship from developing between herself and the narrator. Add them all together…. Topic sentence Ev i dence Concluding sentence

7. YOUR TURN. MWAHAHAHA • Using the template I’ve given you, write a paragraph answering the following question: In the story ‘The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant’ what does the bass symbolize to the narrator? • If you answered the question fully, you should have a good start at an analysis paragraph • Part 1= Topic Sentence • Part 2= Evidence (with links to the topic) • Part 3= Concluding sentence