Writing a Literary Analysis Essay A Helpful Guide to Relieve Your Stress

FIRST STEP – Choosing a Theme What theme are you going to write about in your essay? What theme appears in several different key scenes throughout the book? What theme has strong textual evidence in the key scenes? What theme are you drawn to as a writer or understand very well?

SECOND STEP – Literary elements What literary elements show your theme well and appear in key scenes? Remember, you can choose character, conflict, motif, or setting. You must use 1 element in each body paragraph.

THIRD STEP – Creating a thesis sentence You must include your theme and literary elements in your thesis. The thesis is the map that shows your audience where you are going in your essay. What are you proving? Ex: Through various characters and conflicts, Harper Lee exemplifies that…..

FOURTH STEP – Outlining and Pre-writing Now you must decide what examples from the book that you will use in each body paragraph. Also, you must consider how you will structure each paragraph. 1 character paragraph showing theme for Scene 1(1 example with quote and commentary) 1 conflict paragraph showing theme for Scene 2 (1 example with quote and commentary) Periods 1,3,and 5, you will have a third paragraph with a literary element (setting, symbol, or motif) and example with quote and commentary.

FIFTH STEP – Introduction Your introduction will lead into your thesis sentence which contains your theme and your literary elements. Remember to TAG the novel in your introduction. EX: Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a timeless piece of literature that has had an impact on many generations.

SIXTH STEP – Conclusion What will you write in your conclusion? Remember to show how the novel and your theme is still relevant today. What meaning did you see in the book, and how does it apply to life today? Think about our Socratic Circle discussion for ideas.

A Few Reminders….. Remember to write your essay in the ORDER of your thesis sentence. Remember to include TOPIC SENTENCES for each body paragraph. You do not need to TAG the novel or mention the chapter number in your topic sentences. Remember to spell characters’ names correctly, underline titles, use apostrophes for possession, and use the correct character for your quotes. Strong verbs for commentary: displays, shows, conveys, illustrates, exemplifies and relates. Remember to avoid personal pronouns like “I” or “you.” Remember to make sure verbs are in present tense.