Literary analysis Introduction

As you read the sample essay in groups...

Annotate:
- person with blue marker annotate the claim
- person with the red marker annotate the evidence
- person with the green marker annotate the reasoning
- person with the yellow marker annotate the hook and the background information.
ALL MEMBERS HIGHLIGHT VOCABULARY TERMS. (LISTED UNDER ESSAY)

After you finish reading and annotating, then you may complete this quizziz with your group!

What is a Literary Analysis?

Literary analysis is a genre of writing in which a writer analyzes literature to determine how a text expresses a theme or deeper meaning. In a literary analysis, the writer makes a claim about the meaning of the literary work and supports his or her claim, or thesis, with text evidence.

It's all about planning!

As you are planning your literary analysis essay, you will need to choose an organizing structure to present your ideas in a clear and logical way. An organizing structure is the order or pattern that a writer uses to structure and present ideas or events. Possible organizing structures include order of importance and compare and contrast.

Why and Who?

When organizing your writing, it is important to consider the purpose, audience, topic, and context of your writing task. Context refers to the occasion or circumstances surrounding your writing task, such as whether you are writing in a timed or open-ended situation or writing to deliver an oral presentation.

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of literary analysis?

• say the theme of the story

• interpret a piece of literature by assessing the overall message of the story and how that message is communicated through literary elements and literary techniques

• to persuade the reader to read the story

• to structure the essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion

Multiple Choice

This is the part of the introduction that grabs the readers attention.

• Reasons

• Leading statement/Hook

• Conflict

• Claim

Multiple Choice

The difference between a rockstar hook and a legendary hook is that legends

• Use first person in a story.

• write general statements that are boring.

• relate back to the theme and do not use first person.

• Quotes directly from the text.

Multiple Choice

Which one is not an example of a hook?

• Question

• Story

• Description

• Joke

Multiple Choice

What is not included in background information?

• claim

• conflict

• main characters

• setting

• genre

Multiple Choice

In order to have legendary writing you need to have at least _____ reasons to support your claim.

• 2

• 1

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

The claim/thesis statement is

• the writers opinion on the topic they are writing about.

• ownership in writing

• the first line of an introduction paragraph.

• a question an author asks.

Multiple Choice

The theme of a story is ...

• the problem the character is facing.

• the location of the story.

• how the main character solves his problem.

• the lesson or big idea the author is trying to teach about.

What can we learn from analyzing conflict in literature?

Think about the conflicts faced by the characters in the texts from this unit. Choose two or three selections from the unit and write a literary analysis that interprets the theme, or general message about life, that each text expresses. In your analysis, be sure to explain how the conflict and its resolution (or lack of resolution) helps to develop the theme.

Conflict

A serious disagreement or argument; a clash or disagreement between people, ideas, and interests.

Open Ended

What is the over arching conflict in Romeo and Juliet?

Resolution

The act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict.

Open Ended

How is the conflict in Romeo and Juliet resolved?

Open Ended

How does the conflict in this story and its resolution help to develop the theme (love vs hate)?

Open Ended

Cite one piece of textual evidence from the textbook in ACT 5 (using MLA format) that shows the theme of the story (Love VS Hate).

Multiple Choice

What is something you should examine in a literary analysis?

• Presidential candidates
• Use of figurative language
• Author biographies
• You own autobiography

Multiple Choice

How many paragraphs is a literary analysis?

• It has to be at least 10 pages long.
• 2 paragraphs
• 4 or 5 paragraphs
• 3 paragraphs

Multiple Choice

What do phrases like these signal? 

"This essay is about...."

"This article is about..."

"This book is about..? 

• summarizing

• analyzing

• going beyond summary

• original thought

Multiple Choice

Which of the following criteria does NOT indicate that your writing is going beyond summary and focusing on analysis?

• it explains how or why an aspect of the text is significant

• it focuses on the author's main points

• it makes an orginal argument

• it looks closely at languge and explains how the text works to get the message across

Multiple Choice

Which of the following criteria indicate that your writing is focusing on summary alone?

• stating something obvious

• using chronological order

• describing what/where/to whom

• All of these are correct

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not true of the process of analyzing? 

• Analysis examines the relationship between ideas and points

• Analysis evaluates the quality of the evidence used to support the ideas

• Analysis provides alternative explanations or debates

• Analysis does not require the writer to explain the connections or evidence

Multiple Choice

Analysis of a literary text often includes: 

• focus on the literary elements of the text

• focus on the theme of the work

• breaking down and explaining the evidence from the text

• all of these are correct

Multiple Choice

Which of the following steps are important for avoiding just summarizing and moving on to analysis? 

• formulating an argument or an arguable thesis

• stating what's obvious

• telling the events of the story

• rewording the text

Multiple Select

When you analyze a text, you should

(mark all that apply)

• find specific brief passages that support your interpretation

• pay attention to patterns, repetition and themes

• look at specific words, images, and figurative language

• ignore the rhetorical situation

Checklist for Organizing Literary Analysis Writing

• Review your thesis.

• Review the text evidence you have already gathered and your notes about that evidence.

• Decide on the most logical and strategic organizational structure for your purpose, audience, topic, and context for writing. 

• Identify an organizational structure that will help you clearly and logically express your ideas for your purpose, audience, topic, and context for writing.

• Structure your ideas using an outline or a graphic organizer.

Multiple Select

What should NOT be included when you begin to structure your ideas for your essay?

• your thesis or claim

• supporting text evidence

• the final draft

• points to reiterate in your conclusion

Multiple Select

What are two questions you can ask yourself as you think of the most logical and strategic way to organize the structure of your essay? Check all that apply.

• What is my reason for writing?

• Who will be reading my writing?

• Where can I get a good cheeseburger late at night?

• What is the topic, or subject, of my writing?

• What is the context, or occasion, for my writing? Will I be presenting my written work?

Multiple Choice

What is the layout of a literary analysis?

• Conclusion, Introduction, Conclusion
• Introduction, Body Paragraphs
• Introduction, Body Paragraphs, Bernie Sanders
• Introduction, Body Paragraphs, Conclusion

Poll

I feel confident writing a literary analysis independently:

• Strongly Agree

• Agree

• Somewhat

• Disagree

• Strongly disagree