Literary Analysis

Literary Analysis Chunking Method

Analysis • Analysis: To take a part and examine closely. • Literary analysis: take apart a text (a piece of literature) and examine it carefully with a specific purpose/intention.

Analogy • Just as a scientist would take a part and examine a moon rock to determine its mineral make up, a writer takes a part a text to look at the literary elements and author’s style. • A scientist makes a hypothesis • A writer make a thesis statement • Both need to be proven with specific evidence and explanation for the evidence provided!

Never, Ever • Avoid using I, ME, MY, MYSELF • Avoid I believe, In my opinion, I will tell you, I think • Avoid the word “thing(s)” • Don’t use “You, YOUR, Yourself” because this is breaking the fourth wall • All subjects should be the character names and corresponding pronouns (Rainsford and he)

ALWAYS, FOREVER • Put short story titles and poetry in italics or quotes • Example “The Most Dangerous Game.” • Punctuation always goes INSIDE the quotation mark • Indent paragraphs • Use PRESENT TENSE. Literature is alive! • Put a comma after all appositives (AFTER A NOUN, IT’S A WORD OR PHRASE)

Body Paragraph • Focus statement: identify topic/point/purpose and introduce the title and author • Clear details from the story • Clear explanations, reasons, opinions, thoughts for each detail • Closing sentence

Thesis Statement • Include author’s name (give them credit! It’s difficult to get published) • Include title (need to know what text you are examining (analyzing) • Have a topic WITH supporting reasons • Example topic: Rainsford is dynamic. BORING! In Richard Connell’s short story, “The Most Dangerous Game,” it is evident that Rainsford is a dynamic character because his attitude, tactics, and ideas toward hunting change from the beginning to the end.

Concrete Detail • Specific, relevant detail directly from the text! This is the proof and evidence that comes from the text! • Use a quote from the story • Use a summary

If you use a quote… • Introduce the quote • Use correct punctuation. • Make sure it relates to topic • Try to add citations (you should do it) • Rainsford’s attitude toward hunting changes when the narrator states, “Rainsford knew now how an animal at bay feels” (25).

If you summarize • Be clear, be specific, be detailed • Try to use the page number, too • When General Zaroff approaches each trap, Rainsford begins to feel like the animals that he once hunted; he feels fear and pain (25).

Commentary • Use 2 after each Concrete Detail • Commentary: Your ideas, reactions, responses, explanations, reasons, opinions

Commentary • Identify why you chose this particular example • Tell why it is significant/important • Always connect back to the topic

Commentary • This is significant because…(insert your opinion) • This shows that… • This means… • Therefore… • In this way… • It is evident…

Closing Sentence • Don’t REPEAT topic sentence • Draw your own conclusion based on the evidence you provided

EXAMPLE • EXAMPLE OF THE CHUNKING….LET’S DO THE COMMENTARY TOGETHER!

Rainsford, the protagonist in Richard Connell’s short story, “The Most Dangerous Game,” is a dynamic character since he alters his views and attitudes about hunting from the beginning of the story until the end. Specifically, in the beginning Rainsford says to his friend, Whitney, “The world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the hunted (13). ” This shows that ……………………………………………………………………… Furthermore, ………………………………………………………………………… However, his initial reaction changes when he uses logic to outsmart General Zaroff because he reveals, “Now I know what it feels like to be a beast at bay” (25). This is significant because ……………………………………………………… Evidently,……………………………………………………………………………….Even though Rainsford believes that animals have no feelings, his attitude towards animals change when he, the hunter, becomes the hunted.

Literary Analysis