Literary Analysis Argument Essay The Great Gatsby

What is a Literary Analysis Argument Essay? In a literary analysis essay, you are choosing something in the text that is worth examining closely and making an argument based on what you discover. You are arguing that your perspective and interpretation is valid. You will need a arguable claim (thesis statement) that can be proven with evidence from the text and your interpretation of that evidence (reasoning) The best topics will form from your own reading of the text. I am giving you options to choose from, but you are welcome to come up with your own.

Who is our audience? My teacher Someone who read the book Someone who is interested in knowing or thinking more about the book Someone who needs a better understanding of the book Someone who has not read the book You

Introduction Paragraph Start with a hook to get your reader’s attention Introduce the prompt topic and the book including author’s first and last name and the title Includes the claim (thesis statement)

Claim (Thesis Statement) Needs to be arguable: The Great Gatsby mostly takes place in fictional East Egg, West Egg, and the Valley of Ashes. Think… What could you argue about the setting? What makes it important? How does the setting affect other aspects of the novel? What could you prove? X

Body Paragraphs Start each body paragraph with a transition sentence Make sure you have a topic sentence. Make sure you provide support from the text and incorporate quotations correctly – a quote cannot be a sentence by itself! Include for all quotes: (Fitzgerald #) Make sure you explain all of your quotes and evidence and the connection to your claim is clear Don’t assume your audience will make the same assumption you want them to make. End your body paragraph with your warrant / wrap up.

The four elements of a good paragraph (TTEB) A good paragraph should contain at least the following four elements: Transition, Topic sentence, specific Evidence and analysis, and a Brief wrap-up sentence (also known as a warrant) –TTEB! A Transition sentence leading in from a previous paragraph to assure smooth reading. This acts as a hand off from one idea to the next. A Topic sentence that tells the reader what you will be discussing in the paragraph. Specific Evidence and analysis that supports one of your claims and that provides a deeper level of detail than your topic sentence. A Brief wrap-up sentence that tells the reader how and why this information supports the paper’s thesis. The brief wrap-up is also known as the warrant. The warrant is important to your argument because it connects your reasoning and support to your thesis, and it shows that the information in the paragraph is related to your thesis and helps defend it. Taken directly from: The Purdue Owl Writing Lab

Body Paragraphs

Transitions… Transition sentences serve the purpose of connecting your paragraphs and creating flow with your writing. Traditionally, you are taught that transitions go at the of your body paragraphs. However, as you become a more sophisticated writer, you should try putting them at the beginning of your body paragraphs before the topic sentences.

Quoting Quotes can never, never, never, stand alone and be a sentence by itself – never! Quotes need to be introduced, explained, and cited correctly. There are three ways to do this: 1. Tagging: Nick says, “_______________” (Fitzgerald 16). Fitzgerald writes, “_____________” (18). 2. Incorporating with the sentence: Fitzgerald describes the Valley of Ashes as “a fantastic farm where ashes grown like wheat” (23).

Quoting 3. A complete sentence introduction: Fitzgerald’s description of the valley of ashes shows that it is an unpleasant place: “This is the valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and grotesque gardens” (23). You can only do it this way if the introduction and quote are both complete sentences. Experiment with all three ways and incorporate in your paper.

Long Quotes Quotes of four lines or more have special formatting. They do not contain quotation marks and instead are in an indented block of text. Citation goes after punctuation mark – this is different from short quotations! Example from Purdue Owl: Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)

Conclusion Paragraph Restate the thesis statement Summarize main points End with an insightful conclusion – give the reader something to think about. (Something that is general) Remember this is the last thing your reader will read. What do you want them to walk away from your essay understanding?

Check your verb tense… Make sure you are using PRESENT TENSE when writing about literature. If you are talking about Fitzgerald’s life, use past tense.

Sophisticated Language Keep your word choice in mind. Try not to use the word quote when introducing or explaining your quotes.

Common Errors – Sentence combing What are some ways that you can combine independent clauses? Coordinating Conjunction (these are the FANBOYS) Example: My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird, but I also really enjoy The Great Gatsby. Do not forget the comma! Only put the comma before the conjunction if you have two independent clauses. Notice – because is not a coordinating conjunction – do not use a comma before because.

Common Errors – Sentence combing Semi-colon: You can use a semi-colon to join two independent clauses. Example: My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird; I also really enjoy The Great Gatsby. You cannot use a comma to join independent clauses. This is called a comma splice.

More comma errors Remember if the dependent clause or phrase comes at the beginning of the sentence use a comma. If it is at the end of the sentence, you should not use a comma. Again, you should not use a comma if it is at the end of the sentence.