How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay



How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay

When writing a literary analysis essay, your main objective is not to write a simple book review. Rather, your goal is to write an essay that discusses your interpretation of the literature. There are a few general guidelines you should keep in mind when writing a literary analysis essay.

One tip you should keep in mind while writing a literary analysis essay is that you should always write in the present tense and never in the past tense. For example, you might write “In George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm,’ the animals take over the farm and develop their own independent society” rather than “In George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm,’ the animals took over the farm and developed their own independent society.”

You should also avoid putting yourself into the literary analysis. This means you should write in the third person and never use the words “I” or “you.” There may be exceptions to this rule, however, depending upon your instructor. In fact, some will request a more informal literary analysis that will include the usage of these words. When in doubt, however, it is safer to use the third person.

Since literary analysis essays are not meant to simply be a book review or summary of the book, you should not retell the story in your essay. Rather, you need to form a thesis about the piece of literature and then explain and support the thesis you have developed.

Although you are not summarizing the plot when you write a literary analysis, you will need to pull elements from the plot when writing your literary analysis. For example, when providing an analysis, you will use information from the piece of literature to help support your position. For example, if writing a literary analysis of “The Telltale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe, you might make the assertion that the narrator is insane. You can then use the fact that the narrator said he could hear “all things in the heaven and in the earth” to help support your claim.

Since you are writing a literary analysis, which is a critical look at the piece, you should use as many literary terms as possible. Some terms that you should try to include and to use when analyzing the piece include:

• Character • Theme • Setting

• Point of view • Symbols • Imagery

• Figurative language • Plot • Conflict

By using these terms, you can create a more professional and respectable piece that reflects your understanding of literature. For example, rather than saying “The story shows that people are like animals by giving the animals human characteristics,” you should say “The piece contains vivid symbols and images to reveal the animalistic nature of humans.” Although both pieces express the same idea, the second sentence reveals a stronger understanding of literature and literary terms.

ASSIGNMENT

Your final assignment for this course is to combine the essay writing skills with the QPS skills and write a literary analysis essay – more specifically, a character analysis essay. You will choose a main character from the novel you are reading at home and complete a full character analysis. Use the previous lessons in the character analysis to help you determine character traits. If you are stuck, use this link for trait ideas:

Remember, a literary essay should contain an introduction, an essay body, and a conclusion. The introduction should introduce the topic and the work that will be analyzed (the title and the author) and contain a well-written thesis statement. A thesis statement is what prepares the reader for what he or she will encounter in the rest of the essay. After the thesis statement, the plan will be three character traits that will make up your three body paragraphs. Use the powerpoint/slide show as your guide for this essay. There is a copy of the complete sample essay below, using the short story “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes. The story can be found here:

TIMELINE:

Week 1 (June 3 – 10) Choose three character traits, and design an essay outline with quotes for evidence of these traits. This outline must be approved before you move forward with writing the complete essay.

Week 2 (June 10-17) Write the essay.

SAMPLE ESSAY (actual student essay) on “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes.

When great teachers are mentioned, most people think of biology instructors, football coaches, Girl Scout leaders, and others in similar positions. However, some of the greatest teachers may be individuals not normally classified as teachers. Roger, a character in the short story “Thank You, Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, encounters such an unusual teacher on a city sidewalk. The story tells not only of their meeting, but also the kindness Roger experiences following the encounter. Because she is a fearless, trustful, and generous woman, Mrs. Jones teaches Roger a lesson he will remember.

Roger is a would-be thief. About eleven o’clock one night, he runs up behind Mrs. Jones and tries to snatch her purse. However, Mrs. Jones is fearless; when Roger falls down on the sidewalk, she “simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue jeaned sitter” (Hughes 78). While some women would have avoided confrontation with a stranger under similar circumstances, Mrs. Jones does not. In fact, she is quite the opposite; she picks him up and shakes Roger “until his teeth rattled” (Hughes 78). She then gives him a directive: “Pick up my pocketbook boy, and give it here” (Hughes 78). Mrs. Jones shows no fear in her encounter with Roger.

Not only does Mrs. Jones display courage, but she also proves to be a trusting person. She decides that Roger needs to wash and to eat and that she will take him to her home in order to do so: “I got a great mind to wash your face for you,” (Hughes 78) she tells Roger. She continues to lecture him: “You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?” (Hughes 78). In just a few words, she assumes the role of a teacher and a mother substitute. She not only takes Roger home, but she also continues to display a trusting nature once they arrive. When she gets up to prepare supper, Mrs. Jones “did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse which she left behind her on the daybed” (Hughes 79). Roger begins to respond to Mrs. Jones in a positive way. Hughes tells the readers that Roger “did not want to be mistrusted now” (79). Her belief in Roger is beginning to create a trusting relationship between them.

In addition to her bravery and trusting nature, Mrs. Jones’s is a very generous person. Her generosity to Roger extends beyond her sharing a meal with him. When Roger tells Mrs. Jones that he tried to steal her purse in order to get money for a pair of blue suede shoes, Mrs. Jones then does a remarkable thing. She takes money from her purse and says, “Now here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s—because shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet” (Hughes 78). She then bids him goodnight, and at that point, Roger wants to express his gratitude but cannot find words more eloquent than a simple “thank you.” However, Hughes leaves the readers with the definite impression that Roger has been profoundly touched by the generosity of Mrs. Jones.

Some teachers are brilliant instructors due to their superior education. Others make excellent teachers because they are adept as communicators. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones emerges not from a university, but rather from a hotel beauty shop to become Roger’s teacher. Her courage, trust, and generosity communicate more to Roger than mere words ever could, and he will likely be positively changed from this encounter.

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