What you need to know about building a successful and stylish argument Literary Analysis What you need to know about building a successful and stylish argument

Introductions Hook First impression of the paper! Should avoid all prompt wording Start NEAR prompt, but DO NOT answer the prompt directly Can talk about particular theme, character, nature of the work as a whole, historical info THAT RELATES TO PROMPT. Boring: There are many themes in this work. One of them is X and Remarque reveals is through Y and Z.  Thesis: Answer the prompt clearly in exactly one sentence. Somewhere in these 2-3 sentences, mention book name and author.

How to Build a Successful Body Paragraph Planning Basic foundation: Find a pattern, think something about it. Annotate/mark/post-it your book to be ready Choosing CDs: Should be directly related to thesis AND topic sentence. Ex. TS: Remarque uses imagery to show effect of war on the soldiers. “ One of the recruits has a fit. I have been watching him for a long time, grinding his teeth and shutting his fists. These hunted, protruding eyes, we know them too well…He had collapsed like a rotten tree” (Remarque 109). What 5-7 word phrases can be taken and embedded to support the TS? Reader should be able to look ONLY at quoted material and see how it supports TS and Thesis. NEED AT LEAST TWO CDs PER BODY PARAGRAPH

How to Build a Successful Body Paragraph Put chunks in a thoughtful order to show the progression of your ideas. Should not read as a random list of metaphors (CD1: This is ____! CD 2: This is _____ too!) How does the pattern change/grow? What are the layers of meaning? Your CD will point to the answers to these questions!

How to Build a Successful Body Paragraph: Topic Sentence Once you’ve gathered your examples, write a topic sentence that explains what idea binds them together. Find the pattern, name it, and relate back to thesis. Average: Remarque uses metaphors to show the horror of war. (missing YOUR idea) Better: Remarque uses metaphors comparing men to animals to reveal the horrors that the soldiers go through.

How to Build a Successful Body Paragraph CD’s: Embedding Embedding shows your grasp of the text and mature writing skills. Choose a SMALL quote: 5-7 words. If taking out words in between, use “…” To change words (usually verbs and pronouns) use [brackets]. Change the [whole] word, not just one [l]etter. CITE page number at the “END OF THE SENTENCE” (Palmer 7).  notice punctuation

What to put in your CD other than the quote CD should include context: what is happening, who is saying what to whom, where are we in the story? Focus on the STORY vs. the writing (Remarque writes, “we become instant human animals”) If your CD does not support thesis and TS, the whole chunk becomes weak.

How to Build a Successful Body Paragraph: Commentary Commentary is NOT: A sentence explaining what happens in quote (quote summary) A sentence explaining what is happening in the story at that moment or AFTER that moment (plot summary) An explanation of WHY the quote is a particular literary device. Avoid quote and plot summary.

How to Build a Successful Body Paragraph: Commentary Commentary is: Two sentences that explain How quote reveals meaning What the meaning is How it relates to the thesis An examination of the specific given quote—how does the device reveal something? What does it reveal?

How to Build a Successful Body Paragraph: Concluding Sentence and Conclusions Concluding Sentence: last sentence of BP Summarize paragraph in a non-robotic way. Can function as a transition to next BP (body paragraph) Conclusion: Last paragraph of essay Summarizes argument Connects to larger point, theme, issue in work Makes paper feel finished Connect to hook if possible

Misc. Information Avoid: 1st and 2nd person (I, me, my, you, your, we, us, our) Past tense---always write in present tense General words: good, bad, happy, sad, things, stuff, really, very Quality judgments: “amazing metaphors, masterful writing” “The reader”—already implied in the act of writing the essay “This shows that”—take it out and keep writing. The sentence will still make sense and get directly to the point!

Abbreviated Essay Structure Intro: Hook Thesis Body Paragraph (x2-3) TS CD CM CS Conclusion