LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER: OF MICE AND MEN



LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER: OF MICE AND MEN (CP)

GOAL: Compose a five paragraph paper which breaks down one of the themes or motifs of the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This paper is not a summary of the novel; it is an analysis which focuses on one of the themes or motifs discussed in class. Your job is to pick one you feel most comfortable with (and have the most knowledge of), and write an essay proving how the author conveyed this particular idea throughout the novel. This is NOT an opinion paper, so you need to avoid using any personal pronouns, such as “I, me, and you,” etc.

PARAGRAPH 1 ( Introduction

• Begin with an interesting, thought-provoking attention grabber. (e.g. Impossibility of American Dream( Many say that dreams are impossible, so why do people still dare to dream? John Steinbeck’s Great Depression era novella attempts to answer just that.)

• Must contain a thesis statement, which states the topic of your paper (e.g. Impossibility of American Dream( Many characters in Of Mice and Men dream of unreachable goals that, deep inside, they know are not accomplishable.).

o The theme or motif that you have picked to write about must be very clearly stated in your introduction, and must include your statement of what point the author is trying to make

• Introduction of 3 subtopics: 3 examples supporting your chosen theme/motif (e.g. ( George and Lennie’s dream, Candy’s dream, Curley’s wife’s dream could all be sample body topics).

• Concluding/transitional sentence

PARAGRAPHS 2,3,4 ( Body paragraphs

• Your body paragraphs must have a topic sentence, concrete details with commentary, and end with a concluding sentence.

• Body paragraphs should have a good use of transitional terms, and avoid using any personal pronouns.

• Commentary examples may include, but are not limited to the following: direct quotes with page numbers, examples from the book, anecdotes, facts about the time period, etc.) Direct quotes are used only as support and are not to be the primary part of body paragraphs. Therefore, avoid lengthy quotes. Furthermore, be sure that each quote used is explained, and not simply dumped into the paragraph. Be sure to include the page number from which the quote was pulled (in parentheses).

PARAGRAPH 5 ( Conclusion

• This is your final paragraph, and must tie up all loose ends.

• It must restate the topic, and drive your analysis home.

• Restate the following items (using different words): thesis, body topics.

• End with an interested and thought-provoking clincher.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download