Literary Analysis Essays Odysseus is an EPIC hero! He’s holding on till the end of the night. He’s gotta be strong, He’s gotta be fast, He’s gotta be larger than life!

Your Splendid Introduction 3 Key Parts An OPENING to capture the reader’s attention Your (the point you will prove in your essay) Outline the main points of your essay (what you will talk about in your body paragraphs) Thesis

Title and Author You must include the title and author in your introduction Homer The Odyssey

The Odyssey by Homer **Sample Introduction Epic heroes must represent the values and beliefs of a culture. In The Odyssey by Homer Odysseus proves himself worthy of the title epic hero. He does this by being both brave and clever.

Introduction Quote, Statement or Question ______________________________ Thesis- In “The Odyssey” by Homer Odysseus proves himself to be an epic hero by being both ______ & ______. Outline key points. Odysseus had to be ____ when. He had to show ____ because ________.

Body Paragraphs commentary (your opinion) Topic Sentences- the first sentence in your body paragraph. It MUST have commentary (your opinion) Topic Sentences tell your reader what your paragraph will be about If my essay was about how Harry Potter is a fabulous hero because he is good at quidditch and defeats “he who must not be named” what are some sample topic sentences for my paragraph on quidditch?

Topic Sentences- the good, the bad and the ugly Good Example- Harry Potter is by far the best quidditch player at Hogwarts Bad example- Harry Potter plays quidditch. Ugly example- I love Harry Potter! (this has nothing to do with your thesis)

The Odyssey Topic Sentences- If my essay is about Odysseus being brave and clever. One body paragraph is on him being brave. Now in your row come up with a sample topic sentence for a body paragraph on Odysseus Remember topic Sentences- are the first sentences of your body paragraph. They include a subject and an opinion. They do NOT include specific facts! Odysseus shows he is an epic hero by being brave in many dangerous situations throughout The Odyssey.

Concrete Details Concrete Details= your EVIDENCE. CDs (concrete details) are quotes or facts from the story that you will use to prove your topic sentence. Concrete detail sentences present examples that support what you said in your topic sentence

Concrete Details This is an example of why HP is an excellent quidditch player. Harry Potter often captures the golden snitch winning the game for Gryffindor. * One example of Odysseus’s bravery is when he goes to find his men who have been turned into pigs by Circe

Transitions Transitions are words that go in Of your concrete details One example, First, Another example, For instance, In addition, FRONT

Commentary- your opinion and analysis Commentary is your opinion and analysis of your concrete detail. The job of commentary is to PROVE how your Concrete detail proves your topic sentence When you write commentary, you are Commenting on how the concrete detail proves the truth of your topic sentence Commentary is the WHY or the FEELINGS Why did Odysseus do something? Or how do you imagine he felt?

Commentary Help Commentaries are to add analysis and insight to your CDs. Insight and analysis = something I don’t already know Evil/Bad Commentary- Odysseus was brave when he traveled to Hell to meet Tiesias. This states the obvious! Of course you have to be brave if you are going Into Hell. Tell me something I don’t know! Fabulous Commentary- Odysseus felt it was hopeless, he was still willing to travel to Hell because of his love of Penelope was worth the danger

The job of commentary is to show how your CD proves your topic sentence One example of Odysseus being brave is when he goes to rescue his men, who have been turned into pigs, from the Goddess Circe This shows that Odysseus could have just left them behind, but he would have felt guilty and plus Odysseus likes to play the hero. Odysseus was probably afraid, but he knew it was his fault his men where turned into pigs so it was his job to save them.

Magical List of Commentary Starters Commentary starters go in front of your commentary. Remember the whole point of commentary is to ANALYZE your CDs. Tell me why/how your CDs prove your topic sentence! Obviously, This means, This example shows, It is clear that, It seems like, Most would agree that, It is as if, This example reveals, This illustrates that, This proves that,

Organizing your Essay Introduction Body Paragraph Conclusion Hook, Thesis, Outline your main points Introduction Body Paragraph Conclusion TS (topic sentence) CD (concrete detail – don’t forget your transition*) CM-commentary (analyze not summarize) CD CM CS- concluding sentence Restate your thesis, summarize your main ideas, closing statement/idea

Time to write your fabulous essay! The End! Time to write your fabulous essay! You are a hero! You are brilliant! You can and will Write a fabulous essay!