Writing Literary Analysis - PC\|MAC

Writing Workshop

informative text

Literary Analysis

In the stories in Unit 4, reality does some shifting, sliding, and squirming. To get a grip on it, you needed to figure out key details as you read. You'll do the same kind of work when you write a literary analysis. This type of essay requires you to analyze, or explain the meaning of, a literary text.

Complete the workshop activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

write with a purpose

writing task

Write a literary analysis in which you examine one or two elements of a literary text, such as plot, characters, or theme. Develop an original interpretation of the text, using evidence that is supported consistently.

Idea Starters ? conflict in "The People Could Fly" ? character development in The True Confessions of Charlotte

Doyle ? mood in "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed"

the essentials

Here are some common purposes, audiences, and formats for an analysis of literature.

purposes

? to analyze a literary work in more depth

? to help other readers understand and enjoy literature

audiences

? classmates and teacher

? Web users ? readers

interested in literature ? book-group members

formats

? essay for class ? blog post ? magazine article ? speech ? critique in a

book-review magazine ? discussion

common core traits

1. development of ideas

? presents an engaging introduction that identifies the title and author of the text

? develops a controlling idea that offers an analysis of one or two literary elements

? supports main points of analysis with relevant concrete details and quotations from the text

? provides a concluding section that supports the analysis

2. organization of ideas

? organizes ideas in a logical way ? uses appropriate transitions

to create cohesion and clarify relationships among ideas

3. language facility and

conventions

? maintains a formal style ? includes precise language ? uses comparative forms

correctly ? employs correct grammar,

capitalization, and spelling

532 unit 4: mood, tone, and style

Writing Online

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Planning/Prewriting

Getting Started

choose a literary text

Think of a literary text that profoundly affected you and that you would like to analyze in more depth. Review your Reader/Writer Notebook to recall your responses to texts you have read this year. Also consider the Idea Starters on page 532.

think about audience and purpose

Keep your audience and purpose in mind as you plan your analysis. Your audience includes your classmates and your teacher, who are knowledgeable and interested readers. Your primary purpose is to enhance their understanding and enjoyment of the text. You also want to convince your audience to accept your interpretation, using evidence to support your ideas.

develop a controlling idea

Capture the main idea of your analysis in a controlling idea, or thesis statement. For example, if you plan to write about the changes a character undergoes throughout a story, then your controlling idea should briefly summarize those changes. In the rest of your analysis, you will explain those changes--and their causes--in further detail.

identify your key points

Once you have developed a controlling idea, you need to determine the key points that will support it. It may help to skim or reread the literary text with your controlling idea in mind. Ask yourself: What facts, details, or examples in the work prove what I've stated in my controlling idea?

W 2a?f Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. W 5 Develop and strengthen writing by planning.

ask yourself: ? Which story or selection did I enjoy most? ? How is a specific literary element--such

as setting, plot, point of view, theme, or character--used in the text? ? What can I say about the text and its literary elements that would interest other readers?

ask yourself: ? Who is my audience? What do I want this

audience to know about the literary text? ? What elements might my audience find

confusing or intriguing? ? What details, examples, and reasons will help

convince my audience that my interpretation of the text is valid? ? What domain-specific, or specialized, vocabulary will my audience need to know to understand my analysis?

what does it look like?

Controlling Idea: In The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Charlotte's experiences with the captain and the sailors change her ideas about how to judge people and how she wants to live her life.

what does it look like?

Key Point 1: Charlotte's views have been influenced by her father. Key Point 2: Charlotte's view of the world affects her initial positive impression of Captain Jaggery. Key Point 3: Charlotte's views of the captain change dramatically when she sees how he treats the crew.

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Planning/Prewriting continued

Getting Started

collect evidence

To be effective, your analysis must include evidence--quotations, concrete details, and reasons that support your key points. The evidence you provide must be relevant--in other words, it should develop and strongly support your controlling idea. Here are some kinds of evidence you might include:

Direct quotations: sentences or phrases taken directly from the work, which you must place in quotation marks

what does it look like?

Captain Jaggery calls the crew "dirty beasts who demand the touch of the whip."

Concrete details: your own description of specific events, dialogue, and facts from the work that prove a point you want to make

Reasons: statements that explain something in the text or reveal why you have reached a particular conclusion

Mr. Doyle gave Charlotte a journal and expected her to write (with correct spelling) about the events of the voyage.

Charlotte's view of the captain begins to change when she sees how badly he treats the crew.

organize your ideas

In a literary analysis, you should organize your ideas in a logical and cohesive, or unified, way. For example, you can organize your key points in the order in which they occur in the story or in order of importance. Select the organizational strategy that works best for your analysis. Then create an informal outline.

what does it look like?

1. Influence of Charlotte's father ? wants her to be well educated and "proper" ? expects her to write about voyage in journal 2. Charlotte's initial view of Jaggery ? seems like a proper Englishman ? shares her father's views about girls' behavior

0%%2?2%6)%7 Share your controlling idea with a peer who is familiar with the text you plan to analyze. Then ask: What evidence would convince my audience to accept my controlling idea? Search for more quotations, details, and reasons, as necessary.

YOUR In your Reader/Writer Notebook, develop your writing plan. Draft your controlling idea. Then list your key points, as shown on page 533.

TURN Reread the work, looking for a variety of relevant evidence to support your key points.

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Writing Workshop

Drafting

The following chart shows how to organize a clear and effective literary analysis.

W 4 Produce clear and coherent writing. W 9a (RL 1, RL 3) Cite textual evidence to support analysis; analyze how elements

of a story interact. L 1 Demonstrate command of English grammar and usage.

Organizing a Literary Analysis

introduction

? To grab your readers' attention, begin with a quotation or a surprising statement. ? Remember to include the exact title of the literary work and the author's name. ? State your controlling idea clearly so that readers know what your essay will focus on.

body

? Focus each body paragraph on a key point related to your controlling idea. Incorporate transitions to show how ideas are related.

? Use precise language to explain your key points and evidence. Avoid vague or empty words like things or really.

? Maintain a formal style. Avoid slang, and define domain-specific vocabulary as needed.

concluding section

? Restate your controlling idea, but use different words than you did in the introduction. ? Offer a fresh insight into the literary work that elaborates on your controlling idea and

makes your audience want to read the work for themselves.

grammar in context: using comparatives

When organizing evidence in order of importance, writers often use forms of comparison.

The comparative form of an adjective or adverb compares two items. When using this form, add the ending -er or the word more to the adjective or adverb. The superlative form compares three or more items. In this case, add -est or the word most.

Comparative Form

The sailors have an even greater influence on Charlotte than Captain Jaggery has.

Superlative Form

The harshest part of Charlotte's voyage occurs when Captain Jaggery kills two sailors.

Charlotte survives, but more important is the bond she forms with the sailors.

Charlotte's most impressive accomplishment is her changed attitude about people.

YOUR Develop a draft of your analysis by following the structure above. Use comparative and superlative modifiers to indicate which evidence is

TURN most important.

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Revising

In the revision stage, you look closely to determine whether you've expressed your ideas in the most effective way for your purpose and audience. The information in this chart can help you revise, rewrite, and improve your draft.

LITERARY ANALYSIS

Ask Yourself

1. Does the introduction identify the author's name and the title of the work the analysis focuses on?

Tips

Highlight the author and the title.

Revision Strategies

Add a sentence or a phrase naming the author and the title.

2. Does the introduction have a controlling idea that explains the analysis?

Underline the controlling idea.

Add a sentence that clearly states the controlling idea and sets up the

writer's analysis.

3. Do the key points presented in the body paragraphs support the controlling idea?

Bracket the key point discussed in each

paragraph of the body.

If necessary, revise the body paragraphs to clearly explain the connection between each key point and the controlling idea.

4. Does the writer provide relevant evidence to support each key point?

Draw a box around each supporting quotation,

detail, or reason.

If necessary, add quotations, concrete details, and reasons to support the key

points.

5. Does the writer maintain a formal style?

Circle contractions and informal language.

Reword text to avoid contractions and replace informal language with precise, formal vocabulary.

6. Does the concluding section restate the controlling idea and offer a fresh insight into the literary text?

Highlight the sentence that restates the controlling idea, and draw a wavy line under sentences that say something insightful about the text.

If necessary, reword the controlling idea and revise or rewrite the concluding section to clarify why the

text is significant.

YOUR 0%%2?2%6)%7 Exchange essays with a classmate. As you read your classmate's analysis, focus on the evidence he or she offers and judge

TURN whether that evidence clearly supports the controlling idea. If not, give concrete suggestions for improvement or reworking.

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Writing Workshop

analyze a student draft

Read this student's draft and the comments about it as a model for revising your own literary analysis.

W 2b Develop the topic with relevant details. W 5 Strengthen writing by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new

approach. W 9a (RL 1,RL 3) Cite textual evidence to support analysis; analyze how

elements of a story interact.

A Girl's Adventure

by Sophia Eckerle, Paradise Canyon Elementary School

1

"Not every thirteen-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial,

and found guilty." This is the opening sentence of The True Confessions Of

Charlotte Doyle, a novel by Avi. The novel takes place in 1832. It tells the

story of Charlotte, who has finished her schooling in England and must

sail home to America. She sails on the Seahawk, a rundown ship under the

command of Captain Jaggery, a strange character. Charlotte's experiences

with the captain and the sailors change her ideas about how to judge people

and how she wants to live her life.

2

As a wealthy and protective father, Mr. Doyle wants to shape Charlotte's

future. He sends Charlotte to the expensive Barrington School for Better

Girls in England. He has very high expectations for her and wants her to

become an educated proper young lady. Before her journey, Mr. Doyle gave

Charlotte a journal and expected her to write (with correct spelling) about

the events of the voyage.

3

At the start of the journey, Captain Jaggery is a proper Englishman--

one a thirteen-year-old girl could look up to. Like Charlotte's father, the

captain believes that a young girl should wear fancy dresses and devote herself

to studying instead of parading around with the crew wearing men's clothes.

In her introduction, Sophia mentions the title of the work and the author's name.

Sophia states her controlling idea about the main character at the end of her first paragraph.

She does not explain how the main idea of this paragraph supports her controlling idea.

,%!2.?(/7 Support Your Controlling Idea Sophia supports her characterization of Jaggery with details, but she does not explain how this relates t0 her controlling idea. To fix the problem, she added details that describe the influences on Charlotte's view of the world.

sophia's revision to paragraph 3

Charlotte's views have been largely influenced

by her father. Because of this, she sees

as

At the start of the journey, Captain Jaggery is a proper Englishman--

one a thirteen-year-old girl could look up to. Like Charlotte's father, the

captain believes that a young girl should wear fancy dresses and devote herself

to studying instead of parading around with the crew wearing men's clothes.

Charlotte is fooled into thinking the captain is trustworthy

because of his meticulous clothes and manners.

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analyze a student draft continued

4 Charlotte's view of the captain begins to change when she sees how

badly he treats the crew. He calls the crew "dirty beasts who demand the

touch of the whip." Charlotte sees that this is not true.

5

When the men mutiny against him, the deterioration of Captain

Jaggery's mind continues. He kills two of the sailors for an attempted

uprising. Charlotte decides that the captain is mad. Changing her fancy

clothes for the clothes of a common sailor, she joins the crew. She has

learned that the sailors who treat her kindly are the ones to trust, not the

cruel captain. His high rank and his nice clothes are not important. Jaggery

retaliates by giving her the hardest work on the ship, destroying the barrier

between the aristocrats and the working class that Charlotte joined. In this

way, he contributes to Charlotte's changing attitudes.

6 Charlotte's father and Captain Jaggery influenced Charlotte's life

and led to her adventures aboard the Seahawk. By the end of her ordeal,

Charlotte was happy to run to the arms of her protective father.

Sophia includes a quotation from the novel to illustrate a character's nature.

She explains how the details of the story support her controlling idea.

Sophia's concluding section does not return to her controlling idea or leave readers with any new insights.

,%!2.?(/7 Strengthen Your Concluding Section In a literary analysis, a concluding section must restate the controlling idea in a different way and also should provide fresh insights into the work. In other words, the conclusion needs to leave readers with something to think about or a reason to be interested in the work. Sophia's original concluding section did little more than describe the end of the novel. Her revisions, shown in blue, strengthen her concluding section by clarifying her analysis.

sophia's revision to paragraph 6

Charlotte's father and Captain Jaggery influenced the course of Charlotte's life, but perhaps the men on the ship influenced her more. Though at first happy to return to her father, Charlotte's experiences with the sailors forever changed the way she thought about the world. Read this exciting novel to appreciate all that Charlotte learns through her adventure and the surprising decision she makes about her future.

YOUR Use feedback from your peers and teacher, as well as the two "Learn How" lessons, to revise your essay. Evaluate how well you have

TURN achieved your purpose and provided an analysis that will intrigue your audience. If needed, try a new approach.

538 unit 4: mood, tone, and style

Writing Workshop

Editing and Publishing

W 5 Strengthen writing by revising and editing. L 2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and

spelling when writing.

You've refined the development, style, and organization of your analysis. Now, in the proofreading stage, you must catch and correct errors in grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation. These kinds of mistakes can distract your audience and make them less likely to accept your ideas.

grammar in context: capitalizing correctly

In your literary analysis, you will mention the title of the text you are focusing on and the author's name. As you edit your draft, be sure you are following the rules of capitalization. For example, when you mention an author, capitalize the first name, the last name, and any initials.

Rudyard Kipling Avi Booker T. Washington O. Henry

[Like all personal names, authors' names are capitalized.]

In the title of a text, always capitalize the first and last word and all of the important words in between. Do not capitalize articles (such as a and the), coordinating conjunctions (such as and, or, and but), or prepositions of fewer than five letters (such as for, to, and of), unless they begin or end the title.

"A Day's Wait"

Out of the Dust

"It Was a Long Time Before"

"One Perfect Rose"

[In these titles, each word is capitalized except for the preposition of and the articles a and the.]

As Sophia edited her essay, she realized she had incorrectly capitalized the preposition of in the title of a novel.

This is the opening sentence of The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle, a novel by Avi.

publish your writing

Share your literary analysis with an audience. ? Submit your analysis to a magazine for young people. ? Publish your essay as a blog posting or on a book-review Web site. ? Adapt your essay into a critique that you deliver to your audience.

YOUR Correct any errors in your analysis. Make sure you have correctly capitalized any titles and authors' names. Check for spelling and

TURN punctuation mistakes. Then publish your final essay for others to enjoy.

writing workshop 539

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