The piece of literature is used as a foundation for analysis of social, ethical or research problem. b. I’ll break down the process into two phases to help you get started. You’ll also want to avoid the dreaded “I factor” of first-person writing. a. Then start developing your ideas under each subheading using your analytical skills. Different Types of Literary Analysis Essays . It essentially presents an argument or an interpretation about that work. Each body paragraph will work to support your thesis. You should start it creatively in order to gain your reader’s interest. A well-known Christian allegory is C.S. What do you have to say about this book, and how do you plan to support your position? Now I have to start thinking about how to support this stance, just like an argument. Write a working thesis. Ron Weasley confirms this notion early in Sorcerer’s Stone when treating the scar with reverence on the Hogwarts Express. True analysis means approaching your text like a detective. Ryan G. has an MFA in Fiction Writing from a literature-based program. Writing literary analysis is often a time-consuming activity that requires a lot of research and skill. Your answers will help you form your claims. Harry Potter’s lightning-shaped forehead scar represents a hero’s badge of achievement for thwarting Voldemort as well as his fame and status in the Wizarding world. Typically, you’ll use summary, paraphrasing, and direct quotes from the literature you’re analyzing as evidence. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series. The goal of this essay is to analyze major or minor problem in the piece of literature. Before we dive right into analysis strategies, it’s important to note that analysis is not a summary. Walk like me; talk like me. It should not be confused with a literary analysis essay, as it does not need a thesis statement or a general discussion of the book as a whole. Step-by-step refinement of rhetorical analysis thesis statement. But analysis requires more from you. Then, dive right into a detailed discussion of the text. through character representation, whether intentional or not. When in doubt, use quotations. He is also a Kibin editor. can all be analyzed. You can often start with characters in an analysis because authors usually express opinions about race, culture, religion, gender, etc. It should state your position clearly and provide a basis for further analysis. While these terms have different meanings, you can approach them with the same strategy in your analysis essay. Use your outline or a writing plan as a skeleton of your paper. You could write an analysis essay that argues how Aslan’s journey represents Jesus’s story in the Bible. No new information should appear in your conclusion, so make sure you’ve wrapped up your analysis before you get to this point! If so, visit your university library or its website to start researching your topic. Where does the story take place, and why is this important to your analysis? But never fear – I’m here to help you conquer your literary analysis essay in this blog post! Step #1: consider all possible angles of approaching your analyzed material. An argument essay uses a form of analysis that includes arranging and organizing a subject according to classes or categories. I also recommend not looking directly at your sources while writing the primary body paragraphs of your paper. And this skill will help you not only in high school or college but in daily life as well. As an author may express certain opinions through their characters, what they have to say about places can also be provocative and revealing. Analysis is typically the last skill your brain learns, and most students don’t encounter this term until college. In your literary analysis, you’ll want to focus on whether or not these events are significant to your claim. Plot, characters, and setting all leave clues to deeper meaning, and your job is to discover them. Your argument will focus on a thesis, which you will present as a thesis statement. Who, what, where, when, why/how – think about these when writing your notes and outline: Who is the author? Novels are full of symbols and allusions, and most authors have something to say about the world. Your assertion or “sub-claim” that is relevant to your thesis. A typical literary analysis essay always has an introduction, body part, conclusion. This section will make up the bulk of your paper. You can apply a similar approach to any of the critical lenses. Their backgrounds, appearances, beliefs, actions, etc. You’ve probably written book reports before, and you know that these are pretty simple because you basically retell a book’s major events to prove you’ve read it. Here is a great link to a sample MLA paper that shows you the ropes. How does this time period affect your interpretation? 1) The introduction is the first paragraph in your literary analysis. You could also explore whether Tolkien opposes war or glorifies it, depending on how you interpret the novels. To understand what a chronological essay is, look at an example. A step-by-step guide to literary analysis. Conflict is the struggle between two opposing forces, typically the protagonist and antagonist. Think about metaphor by analyzing how The Lord of the Rings’ plot is a metaphor for the events of World War II. You can analyze a book’s themes by first brainstorming some ideas and thinking about the impression you get when reading it. 2. You’ve probably written book reports before, and you know that these are pretty simple because you basically retell a book’s major events to prove you’ve read it. In order to better understand what literary analysis essay is, we will consider several essay types: Problematic Literary Analysis Essay. The key to writing an analysis paper is to choose an argument that you will defend throughout your paper. The most common approaches that students use today are Feminist, Marxist, Post-modern, and Psychoanalytic. If you’re struggling to come up with your own ideas, then you can definitely fall back on critical approaches or “lenses” through which you can view and analyze your topic. In order to do this, you will have to compose a thesis statement. When writing a smart literary analysis, you should focus on: And when you’ve done all that, Kibin will be standing by to proofread your work! Okay, so there are no bears, but all good essays are well organized, and a literary analysis is no exception! There are quite a few of these, so I’ll just focus on one here as an introduction. If a novel uses allegory or metaphor, then its story represents some real-world event(s) or criticism thereof. Your professor can always read the book you’re analyzing, so you don’t have to recount the plot. What evidence from the text will you use? Get inspiration from over 500,000 example essays. What links can you draw between the author’s life and those of the characters in the story? The Purdue OWL suggests starting with a list of typical questions. An argument provides your claim but also supports it. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing. Instead, the literary commentary should only analyze and reflect on a specific passage. Your academic writing “voice” should be concise not wordy, confident not cocky. Introduction Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of … He teaches English composition courses, tutors a diverse student body in a writing center, and designs online learning modules for comp and business writing. Psst... 98% of Kibin users report better grades! Why does that word – analysis – strike fear into the hearts of so many college students, and just what the heck is a literary analysis, anyway? When analyzing literature, you’ll first want to consider the following elements from a different perspective than when you’re just reading a book. Often, you’ll only have to focus on your own ideas and simply support your claims with logic and evidence from your text. We all are surrounded by literary works, from books to tv shows. Evidence from the text that can support the assertion. Plot is the pattern of events that make up a story. A smart literary analysis focuses on how a book or story’s plot, characters, settings, or themes are used by an author. When is the story set? A literary analysis essay discusses a particular aspect of a work of literature. The thesis should state a writer’s opinion, but it should also allow readers to … If you wanted to take this one step further, you could also explore whether or not Lewis’ interpretations could be seen as accurate and why. What constitutes masculinity and femininity? Its job is to recap the main ideas in your essay and reassert your thesis. A logical evaluation of that evidence – show the reader how the evidence supports your assertion. Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield. You may already know the basics, but let’s cover the specifics: The introduction needs three things to be successful: an interesting hook, background on your topic, and a strong thesis that makes a clear analytical claim. What is happening in the story? Why/how do you justify your claims? Guidelines for Writing a Thesis or Dissertation, Linda Childers Hon, Ph.D. Outline for Empirical Master’s Theses, Kurt Kent, Ph.D. ... ex post facto analysis. It is a short part but it has to catch an attention of your audience, use all your writing talent. Literary Analysis Literary analysis is an academic genre in which works of literature or other texts (e.g., video, article, advertisement) are examined, interpreted, and evaluated. Students often make this mistake and end up with bloated and pompous prose, which is when professors like to unload a lot of ink from their grading pens! Harry Potter’s lightning-shaped forehead scar represents a badge of achievement for thwarting Voldemort. If you need to create a paper about a specific historical event, you should start from the beginning of this event or even earlier events that lead to it.If an event was organized by a specific group, tell the motives of this group, how did they get to this idea, and how did they start working on it. In this phase, you should choose the work you want to analyze and then consider your approach. If writing about the first Hunger Games novel by Suzanne Collins, for example, you might apply the feminist critical approach. Revised on September 18, 2020. What events are significant and why? Your professor can always read the book you’re analyzing, so you don’t have to recount the plot. Here are some of the questions on the OWL’s feminist criticism page: Here is my answer to these questions that I could use to get started: Traditional gender roles are rejected as Katniss Everdeen exhibits more fortitude, confidence, and intelligence than most of her male counterparts, Peeta, in particular. You can use an online tool, such as Easybib, to create your citations, but be sure to double-check these for accuracy! Just like characters, setting can be easily analyzed. Intro and Body and Conclusion and Bears, oh my! Analysis and argument actually have a lot in common, and if you’ve written argumentative essays, then you can probably write an analysis essay. To write a literary commentary, start by reading the text and creating an outline. It is a short part but it has to catch an attention of your audience, use all your writing talent. An assertion makes a claim and can work as a topic sentence, but an argument is more complex and complete. 1) The introduction is the first paragraph in your literary analysis. Or the conflict comes in the form of a natural or supernatural force. “Gandalf the White” is certainly a representation of good, while evil is implied by the “Black Gates of Mordor.” You could continue by focusing on Tolkien’s language used for good or evil characters and settings. Characters are the people or “players” in a story. Conflicts often follow this traditional form, but sometimes characters experience internal conflict. I’ll focus on both approaches in my handy list below, so read on! Double-check with your professor about her expectations. Getting Started. Think about historical context as this can be very important. Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. Tables and/or figures should be used to illustrate and summarize all numeric information. Sometimes, you may want to explore how an author creates meaning through these elements; otherwise, you may want to criticize the author’s methods and their work’s message. This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft. There are many ways to approach a literary analysis, and I hope this post gives you a “leg-up” in starting your own. A typical literary analysis essay always has an introduction, body part, conclusion. You are smart, so don’t try too hard to sound smart. But analysis requires more from you. The main conflict in a story can often reflect an author’s opinion about the world they live in or the issues of their day. Brainstorm and outline during this phase. In an argumentative paragraph, you offer a specific assertion/claim, evidence to support it, and commentary to show how that evidence is relevant. What are the power relationships between men and women (or characters assuming male/female roles)? What are your initial ideas? Your thesis statement should represent the point you would like to make in your essay. Characters are great for analysis because they are the ones causing and reacting to the events in a story. Before we dive right into analysis strategies, it’s important to note that analysis is notasummary. Instead, your job in analyzing is to mak… In analyzing The Lord of the Rings, you could discuss how Tolkien uses light and dark imagery as symbols of good and evil. To write academically, train your “voice” to be: I can’t stress this last one enough. Writing a literary analysis is a skill that you should master if you're a philology or linguistics student. You should start it creatively in order to gain your reader’s interest. Does his or her background have any impact on the writing? You may be saying, “where do I start?” Glad you asked! Most literary analysis essays will typically appear in MLA format, so you’ll want to make sure you get this step right. You may also be expected to cite the book or story you’re analyzing in MLA. Recall the assertion vs. argument section from above – an analytical paragraph should include the following: The conclusion is your final paragraph. However, you may be expected to use other sources, such as scholarly publications, to support your analysis. With the use of our writing services, you will not only receive quality literary analysis essays even on the most challenging topics, but you will create a more professional piece that depicts you as one with a deep understanding of literature. Provided the Academic Center for Excellenceby 3 Writing a Literary Analysis Paper 5. In this case, you will do an analysis of a specific topic. An argument essay describes a series of actions, steps, or changes that bring about a desired result. Whether you’re coming up with your own theme-based approach or you decide to use a critical approach, so long as you take your time and brainstorm, take notes, and outline effectively, you should be off to a good start! However, the novel still relies on traditional masculine and feminine characteristics as most of the female characters appear ethical, soft-spoken, and passive, whereas most of the male characters are aggressive and less ethical in their actions. Using evidence to support your assertions, Strong organization – Intro, Body, and Conclusion. Literature review guidelines will help you to write a perfect paper. Instead, your job in analyzing is to make a claim or thesis about the text and to spend your essay supporting your ideas. Literature reviews should involve several pieces of information like the reason for writing a review, a brief discussion of the topic, an organized list of all academic sources used, in addition to a comprehensive evaluation of each one. There are different types of this kind of paper. For a successful literary analysis essay, third-person writing is the way to go! See the difference? In the same scene, Hermione Granger immediately recognizes Harry because of his scar and only remarks about a smudge on Ron’s face, revealing the disparity between supposedly “normal” characters and how Harry’s scar and its history define him as the special hero character. The analysis will need a strong thesis that states a writer’s perspective but also allows it to be debated. Let’s review. That’s a big subject, so you have to start somewhere. 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