Literary Analysis Mini Lesson: Establishing Context

Establishing Context

Literary Analysis Mini-Lesson:

What is the Purpose of Literary Analysis?

The purpose of a literary analysis is to demonstrate why the author used specific ideas, word choices, or writing structures to convey his or her message.

What is Literary Analysis?

Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.

What is the Goal for this Lesson?

Be able to identify the information that should be included in each of the 6 sentence types in a literary analysis essay.

Idea Transition and Context

• Length: 2-3 Sentences

• Goal: Explain what the quote means in the context it was said, and tie it to your answer in your topic sentence. Don’t just say it means something; explain why/how it means that.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is describing the goal of the Idea Transition & Context?

• Directly answer the question you have been asked by turning the question into a statement.

• Provide background or a situation that causes the character to make the statement you are using as your quote.

• Explain what the quote means in the context it was said, and tie it to your answer in your topic sentence.

• Explain how the quote reveals a character’s belief/feelings about something or someone.

• Restate the main point of your topic sentence and explain how reveals the thematic message, author’s purpose.

Multiple Choice

How many sentences should your Idea Transition and Context be?

• 1 Sentence

• 1-2 Sentences

• 2-3 Sentences

• 3-5 Sentences

• 7-11 sentences

Establishing Context - Example

Example: Ponyboy feels that Darry does not care about him and often complains about how Darry would get rid of him if given the chance. However, Darry has sacrificed a lot for his family, especially after their parents died. In order to make sure his brothers did not end up in a group home, Darry gave up a college scholarship to work as a roofer.

Guiding Questions for Idea Transition and Context

• Which characters are being discussed in the quote? 

• What needs to be known about these characters for the audience to understand the quote? 

• How do the circumstances around the quote make the quote significant?

• What events in the story led to the quote?

Multiple Select

Which of the following are questions that should be answered as part of your idea transition and context? MARK ALL THAT APPLY

• What needs to be known about these characters for the audience to understand the quote?

• How do the circumstances around the quote make the quote significant?

• What events in the story led to the quote?

• How does the quote reveal what a character is thinking or feeling?

• How does the quote prove that your answer to the question is correct.

To transition and establish context you should follow these steps...

• Step 1: Reflect on the question, select an event, and find evidence.

• Step 2: Re-Read AT LEAST 1 page before and 1 page after the quote

• Step 3: After re-reading the section, answer the guiding questions.

• Step 4: Use the guiding questions to write your 2-3 sentence transition and context.

Multiple Select

What steps must you take when transitioning and establishing context?

• Re-Read AT LEAST 1 page before and 1 page after the quote

• After re-reading the section, answer the guiding questions.

• Use the guiding questions to write your 2-3 sentence transition and context.

• Think about what the character is feeling, thinking or believing.

• Explain how the quote shows stereotypes.

Lesson Review

Ready to check your understanding? Continue on to see how well you remember the key ideas from the lesson.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is describing the goal of the Idea Transition & Context?

• Directly answer the question you have been asked by turning the question into a statement.

• Provide background or a situation that causes the character to make the statement you are using as your quote.

• Explain what the quote means in the context it was said, and tie it to your answer in your topic sentence.

• Explain how the quote reveals a character’s belief/feelings about something or someone.

• Restate the main point of your topic sentence and explain how reveals the thematic message, author’s purpose.

Multiple Choice

How many sentences should your Idea Transition and Context be?

• 1 Sentence

• 1-2 Sentences

• 2-3 Sentences

• 3-5 Sentences

• 7-11 sentences

Multiple Select

Which of the following are questions that should be answered as part of your idea transition and context? MARK ALL THAT APPLY

• What needs to be known about these characters for the audience to understand the quote?

• How do the circumstances around the quote make the quote significant?

• What events in the story led to the quote?

• How does the quote reveal what a character is thinking or feeling?

• How does the quote prove that your answer to the question is correct.

Multiple Select

What steps must you take when transitioning and establishing context?

• Re-Read AT LEAST 1 page before and 1 page after the quote

• After re-reading the section, answer the guiding questions.

• Use the guiding questions to write your 2-3 sentence transition and context.

• Think about what the character is feeling, thinking or believing.

• Explain how the quote shows stereotypes.

Nice Work!

Now that you have finished, you can start working on the "Finding Quotes Activity" In Schoology.

You will select a character for your third body paragraph, find 3 quotes for the character, and establish context for each quote.