How to Write a Literary Analysis



LITERARY ANALYSIS BODY PARAGRAPH OUTLINE

I. 1st body paragraph

|Topic Sentence/Supporting Claim: The purpose of the topic sentence is to relate the details of the paragraph to your thesis statement and to |

|tie the details of the paragraph together. Focus on one aspect of the claim made in the thesis, but try to find a new wording so it does not |

|become redundant. Ex.: An examination of Yunior’s actions in response to his father exposes the hierarchical relationship between Yunior and |

|his father. |

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|Evidence #1: Textual evidence consists of summary, paraphrase, specific details, and direct quotations. Use I.C.E. for all textual evidence: |

|introduce with a signal phrase, cite using MLA, and explain below in the warrant. Make sure to include relevant context for the quote as |

|needed (who, what, when, where, etc.) Ex.: For instance, in a scene at home before the family attends a party, Yunior’s actions in response to|

|being confronted by his father expose his father’s dominant role and Yunior’s deep-rooted fear of his father. In his narration, Yunior reveals|

|that when asked why he had eaten before the party, he “didn’t dare glance at him… better to stare at his belly button” (Diaz 26). |

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|Warrant #1: Good literary analysis essays contain an explanation of your ideas and evidence from the text that supports those ideas. The |

|warrant should clearly link the claim to the evidence and explain how the claim is supported by this evidence. A possible template is: The |

|fact [restate evidence] shows [restate claim] because [explain why]. |

|Ex. The fact that Yunior explains the importance of facing his father with his full attention but an averted gaze shows the history of the |

|power imbalance between them because Yunior has developed a routine stance in interactions with his father to minimize conflict. It is obvious|

|that this is not the first time Yunior has had to face his father’s temper. |

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|Evidence #2: Evidence #2 should use I.C.E. as well. It should build on the first piece of evidence (maybe it comes later, chronologically; |

|maybe it is more important or significant to drive home the point brought up by E#1, etc.). Use transitional words to show how this piece of |

|evidence relates to the evidence discussed last: next, later on, more significantly, instead. |

|Ex.: When Papi next pulls him to his “feet by [his] ear,” he describes the tears that result as “more out of reflex than pain” (Diaz 26). |

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|Warrant #2: The 2nd warrant should also clearly link the claim to the evidence and explain how the claim is supported by this evidence, as |

|well as continuing to build on the analysis begun in Warrant #1. The fact that the tears are described as a “reflex” supports the inference |

|that Yunior is often treated roughly by Papi. This scene shows that Yunior is submissive and his father is dominant in their interactions, yet|

|the fact that Yunior did in fact eat when he knew it would displease his father suggests a crack in the foundation of this hierarchy. Yunior |

|actually points out earlier that he “should have reminded [Mami] not to feed [him] but [he] wasn’t that sort of son” (Diaz 25). |

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|Concluding sentence/transition: Use the last sentence to drive home the claim proven by this body paragraph, link the supporting claim to the |

|overall thesis claim, and to set up the claim that will be made in the next paragraph. |

|Ex. The reader can thus infer from Yunior’s actions in this scene that Papi has more power than Yunior, but his control is not total since |

|even though he can still alpha Yunior face to face, he does not maintain complete authority in his absence. |

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II. 2nd body paragraph

|Topic Sentence/Supporting Claim |

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|Evidence #1 |

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|Warrant #1 |

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|Evidence #2 |

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|Warrant #2 |

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|Concluding sentence/transition |

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III. 3rd body paragraph

|Topic Sentence/Supporting Claim |

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|Evidence #1 |

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|Warrant #1 |

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|Evidence #2 |

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|Warrant #2 |

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|Concluding sentence/transition |

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