How To Write Literary Analysis - 4174 Words

How To Write Literary Analysis The Literary Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide When you read for pleasure, your only goal is enjoyment. You might find yourself reading to get caught up in an exciting story, to learn about an interesting time or place, or just to pass time. Maybe you’re looking for inspiration, guidance, or a reflection of your own life. There are as many different, valid ways of reading a book as there are books in the world. When you read a work of literature in an English class, however, you’re being asked to read in a special way: You’re being asked to perform literary analysis. To analyze something means to break it down into smaller parts and then examine how those parts work, both individually and together.†¦show more content†¦You can help direct your reading and brainstorming by formulating your topic as a question, which you’ll then try to answer in your essay. The best questions invite critical debates and discussions, not just a rehashing of the summary. Remember, you’re looking for something you can prove or argue based on evidence you find in the text. Finally, remember to keep the scope of your question in mind: Is this a topic you can adequately address within the word or page limit you’ve been given? Conversely, is this a topic big enough to fill the required length? Good Questions â€Å"Are Romeo and Juliet’s parents responsible for the deaths of their children?† â€Å"Why do pigs keep showing up in Lord of the Flies?† â€Å"Are Dr. Frankenstein and his monster alike? How?† Bad Questions â€Å"What happens to Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird?† â€Å"What do the other characters in Julius Caesar think about Caesar?† â€Å"How does Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter remind me of my sister?† Step 2. Collect Evidence Once you know what question you want to answer, it’s time to scour the book for things that will help you answer it. Don’t worry if you don’t know what you want to say yet— right now you’re just collecting ideas and material and letting it all percolate. Keep track of passages, symbols, images, or scenes that deal with your topic. Eventually, you’ll start making connections between these examples and your thesis will emerge. Here’s a brief summary of the various parts thatShow MoreRelatedHow Can Confessional Poetry Help Us Express Ideas And Beliefs We Wish Our Teachers Know?1056 Words   |  5 PagesPreviously acquired knowledge and skills applied in this lesson - Literary Elements: tone, theme, mood, author’s purpose, repetition - Poetry Analysis Elements: speaker, impression, context - Students must actively participate in classroom discussion and respond to teacher and peers in a respectful and educational manner. - Open-ended exit ticket response Goals, Objectives, and Standards 1. 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