1 / 14

Literary Analysis Essay

Literary Analysis Essay. Composition. Purpose. A literary analysis broadens understanding and appreciation of a piece of literature. Think as you read: What theme is the author attempting to convey? In other words, what is the author saying about life and/or people?

yaphet
Download Presentation

Literary Analysis Essay

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Literary Analysis Essay Composition

  2. Purpose • A literary analysis broadens understanding and appreciation of a piece of literature. • Think as you read: • What theme is the author attempting to convey? In other words, what is the author saying about life and/or people? • What techniques are employed to convey theme, mood, etc.?

  3. Thesis Statement • A thesis for a literary analysis must be persuasive in nature. • A formula for the most basic analysis thesis could look something like this: • In (title), (author's name) uses (1st literary device), (2nd literary device), and (3rd literary device) to (analyze/criticize/explain/etc.) (some aspect of human nature). • In "If you Were Coming in the Fall," Emily Dickinson uses simile, diction, and syntax to describe how people wait, hoping to fall in love.

  4. Literary Elements • A literary analysis should focus on one or a combination of the following major literary elements: • Theme - but never alone! Only how it is brought out through use of other techniques. • What message about life and/or people is the author trying to convey?

  5. Conflict • Conflict – internal? external? Who’s involved? • Person vs. person • Person vs. him/herself • Person vs. society • Person vs. nature • What does the conflict(s) reveal about the theme?

  6. Characterization • Characterization: • Direct characterization: the author tells the reader directly about a character. • Indirect characterization: revealed through dialogue, character’s own thoughts, actions, thoughts of others, physical description. • Consider why that character is important in the story. How is s/he used to develop the theme?

  7. Setting • Define the setting(time and place of story). • What does the setting reveal about the theme? Is the author commenting upon the time period in which the story is set?

  8. Symbolism • Symbolism – objects, actions, descriptions, characters can all represent deeper ideas • Analyze the choice of symbols and what they are meant to symbolize or reveal. • How does the symbolism develop the theme?

  9. Point of View • Point of view • 1st person: told from character’s perspective and voice • 3rd person omniscient – narrator knows all characters’ thoughts and feelings • 3rd person limited – narrator knows one character’s thoughts and feelings; told from author’s voice • How does it affect character development? • Would it matter if the narration was different? Why? • How does the point of view develop the theme?

  10. COMMENTARY: So What? • Always go one step further in your commentary and be sure to answer the question “So what?” • Always explain your point. • The story is set in the South. • So what? • The main character is a hypochondriac. • So what? • The road symbolizes choice. • So what?

  11. Quotes • An effective literary analysis essay relies upon quotes to strengthen the analysis. • A quote should not be more than a few words. Generally, there is no need to quote an entire sentence. • Choose only the most important word(s) to quote. • Explain the quote without referencing it directly by saying “This quote shows…” or “This proves…” • Cite all quotes: “Quoted” words (Page #).

  12. QUOTE INTEGRATION • Quotes must be smoothly integrated into a sentence of your own. Without quotations marks, the reader should not be able to tell where your words end and the quoted words begin. • Contextualize quotes by providing the context and speaker (if quoting dialogue): • When he hears her answer, Jessup “flies off the handle” and tells her to “Get lost!” (94). • If you need to change words within a quote, use brackets [new word] around the new word. • After the trial, Scout tells Jem that she “heard [Miss Gates] say it’s time somebody taught [the black people of Maycomb] a lesson” (247).

  13. WHILE YOU READ • While you read the story, highlight and label passages regarding the following: • Setting • Symbolism • Characters (personality traits, descriptions, telling statements) • Conflict • Fairy tale techniques • Tragic hero qualities • Anything you think may be important

  14. THE ESSAY • This essay will be a 4-paragraph essay: • Introduction • 2 body paragraphs, each exploring one literary element • Conclusion • No Works Cited necessary • Parentheticals (page numbers) are required

More Related