YOUR Literary Analyses

Titles If you can stand it on a shelf, underlined. The Alchemist The Godfather The Everglow If you can’t, in “quotes”. “Masque of the Red Death” “Party in the U.S.A.” “Sonnet 58”

An analysis cannot be one HUGE paragraph ORGANIZATION An analysis cannot be one HUGE paragraph When you analyze something, you need to keep your thoughts and incites organized

Cliché Phrases Right off the bat, In the story/novel, In the end, Not only does this… … every step of the way … run the show. Page-turner! Great examples of this… JUST SAY IT. No need for explanation or informal phrases if you use SOLID textual evidence.

Cliché Lines Good characterization is the most important thing in a novel. Characters are the most important part of any novel.

Don’t explain… tell! “Quote.” The underlaying meaning of this is that.. “Quote,” which means… “Quote.” This quote is trying to say… JUST TELL IT! “You don’t know me. You’re just a mean girl. A bad person” Juliet exclaims standing up for herself, yet reasoning with her observations.

Who vs. That “The boy WHO is listening to these tapes is so besotted in Hannah, that he could have plotzed at any moment.” “Gradually a character WHO always followed the rules changed to someone who broke them on a daily basis.” His idea THAT resembles more of a dream than an reality…

Vocabulary GOOD: As Tessa takes her final steps toward death, fortuitous things occur to her that make the redoubtable situation her second priority. FLUENT. BAD: In Fitzgerald’s book with a mundane, bright, perfidious teen and a great looking… FORCED.

Conclusion Leave the reader with some type of parting word. Conclusions should answer questions, such as "why should we care?” DO NOT introduce anything new. It is THE END. DO NOT contradict. The most important thing is to tie everything together and put it in perspective for the reader Not a summary

Analysis vs. Summary Analysis: He struggles with his own personal antagonist as he becomes buried inside himself. He “played hero” and reached his goal of saving the life of a “swank” or rich girl. Without the author’s successful use of characterization, the novel would be insipid, with no real “crazy” to match the inhabitants inside. In the dystopian society of Delirium, love is not an option. Because o her strange beginnings, Claire is emotionally immature, but brought to light by the birth of her son and her newfound feelings for him. The days are like a rollercoaster, there’s never any consistency, and sometimes it gets built up so high, only to be dropped down in a matter of seconds.

Analysis vs. Summary Summary: As the story continues… As soon as… After… Next… At the end… RULE OF THUMB: If you find yourself re-telling or listing events chronologically in the story, STOP.

Quality > Quanitity In an essay, you are assigned to organize your thoughts, reflections, and summaries over an established number of words or pages In an analysis, there are established numbers of words or pages… but it’s all quality. RULE OF THUMB: LESS IS MORE.

Using Quotes When inserting quotes into your text, use PARTS of the quotes, not HUGE chunks of dialogue “The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features… [2 more lines]… a thin and bony nose.” Use parts of it instead, for example:

Using Quotes Steinbeck describes the “strong featured” protagonist characters as “small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes”. FOCUS ONLY ON THE MOS T IMPORTANT/VIVID QUOTES TO BACK UP YOUR ANALYSIS.

Use third person point of view (he, she, it, they, their, etc.) NOT a personal journal (I, me, we) NOT an instruction manual (you) “... is a book that makes you think and keeps you interested”

Thesis Statements – The Bad The symbolism of this book represents life, and every important aspect of it. This necklace represents two completely different things to two different people. He sadly died, but using imagery he will show you what heave is like throughout the story. From here, the book skips ahead about nine an dhalf years to a less insipid time.

Thesis Statements – The Meh Paulsen greatly shows how a mundane, unperfidious young boy does the one and thing a young boy would do in life. In this novel, Daser presents a full spectrum of characters, from those who are humble and mean well, to those who are less favorable. There is a plethora of imagery in The Grapes of Wrath in which the reader feels like they’re in the era of the Great Depression. Nicholas Sparks brings up her past and the real her, revealing more of who Katie really is and why she is that way.

Thesis Statements – The Good In the importunate journey down a wasted America, The Road teaches the true meaning of father and son. The author balances mystery and confusion throughout Cuckoo’s Nest by using direct and indirect characterization to detail each patient and worker’s life in the ward. By moving away, experiencing love, besottment, and loss, and using these feelings as her roborant in Son, Claire’s true, inner personality is manumissed, as she is finally fulfilled.