WRITING A LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY The only guide you will ever need to get a fantastic grade on the essays you write for Ms. Zamanis

This PowerPoint will demonstrate how to write an outline and thesis statement. You should already have the bulk of your outline work done, as you’ve already written down quotes and short analysis.

Example Prompt: “What role does setting play in The Great Gatsby? Write an analysis in a 5 page essay.” How do we know what to do once we’ve decided on which prompt to write?

ANALYSIS OF THE PROMPT : The topic usually has 2 or more components: Prompt: “What role does setting play in The Great Gatsby? Write an analysis in a 5 page essay.” 1.THE STATEMENT/QUESTION: Figure out exactly what the prompt you’ve chosen is asking you to write about. “What role does setting play in The Great Gatsby?” 2. INSTRUCTION: The ‘instruction’ tells you how to approach your essay “Write an analysis in a 5 page essay.”

STRUCTURE OF A LITERARY ESSAY The basic format of all essays is the same: 1.Introduction – Usually 4-5 lines allowing the reader a glimpse of the focus of and direction your essay has taken. This also includes your thesis. (The beginning of your literary journey.) 2.Body – Divided into paragraphs, the body allows you to present relevant information in a logical and organized manner. (The different “stops” you make while on your trip.) 3.Conclusion – Usually 6-7 lines rounding off your discussion and explaining what the evidence has revealed in relation to the topic. (The final destination.)

WRITING A THESIS ■The easy way to write a thesis: Topic + Position + Reasons = Thesis ■Step One: Identify your topic –What general topic are you writing about? ■Step Two: Identify your position on the topic –Every thesis has to have an argument- what is yours? What do you believe to be true about your topic? ■Step Three: Name your reasons –What specific reasons do you have for believing what you believe about your topic? What evidence do you have for your position?

WRITING A THESIS: Example Topic + Position + Reasons = Thesis Prompt: “What role does setting play in The Great Gatsby? Write an analysis in a 5 page essay.” ■Topic: Setting in The Great Gatsby ■Position: Setting plays a very important role ■Reasons: I think this because the setting mirrors themes and characters in the novel, like the Valley of Ashes’ symbolic representation of the decaying of American society and the extravagance of West Egg where Gatsby lives. Put it together: “Setting in The Great Gatsby plays a major role in the novel, as the setting mirrors themes and characters in the novel, like the Valley of Ashes’ symbolic representation of the decaying of American society and the extravagance of West Egg where Gatsby lives.”

HOW TO WRITE AN INTRODUCTION: A broad statement introducing the topic in a general way: e.g. The setting of a novel often indicates meaning in stories. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is no different. A quote/event that links to the statement: (If possible) e.g. From the glittering city of East Egg to the apartment in New York City, Fitzgerald’s settings give the reader insight to meaning and character. YOUR THESIS STATEMENT: Setting in The Great Gatsby plays a major role in the novel, as the setting mirrors themes and characters in the novel, like the Valley of Ashes’ symbolic representation of the decaying of American society and the extravagance of West Egg where Gatsby lives.

Plop them all together for your Intro: The setting of a novel often indicates meaning in stories. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is no different. From the glittering city of East Egg to the apartment in New York City, Fitzgerald’s settings give the reader insight to meaning and character. Setting in The Great Gatsby plays a major role in the novel, as the setting mirrors themes and characters in the novel, like the Valley of Ashes’ symbolic representation of the decaying of American society and the extravagance of West Egg where Gatsby lives.

HOW TO STRUCTURE THE BODY ■Remember to use words that link each paragraph to the next in a logical manner. ■Each paragraph must contain ONE idea ONLY. ■Try as far as possible to write each paragraph in the order the events occurred in the novel. ■Determine how many paragraphs you need to devote each to the statement and instruction.

PARAGRAPHS: “THE TOPIC, QUOTE, COMMENT TECHNIQUE” ■Topic: Make a statement relating to topic –The Valley of Ashes represents the decaying American Dream in the 1920s. ■Quote: Find a quote to support your statement. – Fitzgerald describes the Valley of Ashes as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (pg 29). ■Comment: In your own words, write down your observation. – The lower classes who inhibit this region all live in poverty and hopelessness, and they cannot leave, illustrating how the American Dream is impossible for them to achieve.

Outline Organization: 1.Introduction: –Topic Sentence/Hook/Intro to Topic –Thesis 2.Body Paragraph: –Topic #1 –Evidence/Quote –Analysis/Comment (how does the evidence prove what I’m trying to prove?) 3.Body Paragraph: –Topic #2 –Evidence/Quote –Analysis/Comment (how does the evidence prove what I’m trying to prove?) 4.Body Paragraph: –Topic #3 –Evidence/Quote –Analysis/Comment (how does the evidence prove what I’m trying to prove?) 5.Conclusion: –Some sort of concluding statement summing up your work thus far ■NOTE: YOU MAY NEED MORE THAN 3 BODY PARAGRAPHS TO WRITE 5 PAGES