1. Your Guide to a Mature Literary Analysis
Essay Writing 101
Your Guide to a Mature Literary Analysis

2. General Structure There are three major components to every essay:
Introductory Paragraph
Body Paragraphs
Conclusion Paragraph

3. Introductory Paragraph
The first paragraph must include:
Creative Catch (Hook)
A famous quote, rhetorical question, personal story, etc. that relates to the topic of the essay and engages the reader
2-4 sentences
Thesis Statement
The most important sentence in any essay!
Always the last sentence of the introductory paragraph
Includes the title(s) and author(s) of the text(s) being analyzed and the specific purpose of the essay
Example: The first-person point-of-view of James Hurst’s The Scarlet Ibis has a significant effect on the narrator’s characterization of Brother and Doodle.
You may need a transition word or phrase before the thesis.

4. Body Paragraphs
Every body paragraph begins with a topic sentence that presents the general idea of the paragraph
Does NOT refer to the paragraph specifically or repeat the thesis statement.
After the topic sentence, every body paragraph follows a specific pattern:
Narrative Framework (NF)
Quote (Q)
Comment (C)

5. Narrative Framework
Sets up the quote by providing enough information to let the reader know what is occurring in the text at the time the quote appears.
Example: When Brother first describes his reaction to Doodle and his disabilities, he explains that “it was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow” (1).
Does NOT summarize or repeat the quote!

6. Quote
The actual word, phrase, or sentence copied directly from the text to support the thesis
Always surrounded by quotation marks
Includes the page number from the text where the quote appears; it is in parentheses after the quote and before the ending punctuation
Example: When Brother first describes his reaction to Doodle and his disabilities, he explains that “it was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow” (1).
A good body paragraph includes at least two quotes that support the thesis. A great body paragraph includes three or more. One quote is NEVER enough.

7. Comment
A specific explanation of HOW and WHY the quote supports the argument of the essay
Example: When Brother first describes his reaction to Doodle and his disabilities, he explains that “it was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow” (1). Brother is selfish because he cares more about himself than he cares about Doodle and is even willing to kill Doodle so that his own life doesn’t have to be so difficult. Instead of helping Doodle, he chooses to let Doodle suffer and only help himself.
Does NOT summarize or repeat the quote!

8. Body Paragraphs: Organization
Because each body paragraph should have at least two quotes, the basic organization is as follows:
Topic Sentence (TS)
Narrative Framework (NF)
Quote (Q)
Comment (C)
Transition Word (TW) NF Q C
Repeat the pattern of NF-Q-C as many times as is necessary, separating each set with a transition word
You may need a transition word or phrase before the first NF-Q-C.

9. Conclusion Paragraph A minimum 3-5 sentences in length
Answers the question, “So what?” to explain why it is important to understand what has been proven in the essay.
Takes the information proven in the essay one step further to present a deeper point related directly to the thesis statement
Though it may mention key points, it should NEVER summarize or repeat what has already been proven in the essay

10. Rules of Thumb NEVER use first-person point-of-view
I, me, my, mine
NEVER speak directly to the reader
You
NEVER refer to the author(s) of the text(s) being analyzed by his/her first name only

11. More Rules of Thumb
NEVER refer directly to paragraphs, quotes, or the essay itself
In this essay…
In this paragraph…
This quote proves…
NEVER announce what you’re going to say
The following information will explain…
The details here will prove…
This demonstrates that…

12. A Few More Rules of Thumb
When including a quote within a quote, the inside quote is surrounded by single quotation marks, which are typed as an apostrophe
Example: “My teacher said, ‘Read The Scarlet Ibis for homework tonight.’”
If quoting the beginning and end of a sentence, but omitting the middle, include periods of ellipsis in place of the omitted text
Example: “It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow” (1).

13. Even More Rules of Thumb
ALWAYS provide a title for the essay that is NOT the title of the text(s) analyzed and does NOT include the word “essay”; creative titles are best
When referring to the title of a text within a typed essay, it is best to put it in italics because that works for every type of writing
Otherwise, the generally accepted rule is that briefer texts have titles within quotations, while lengthier pieces have titles underlined

14. Still More Rules of Thumb
ALWAYS double-space; 12-pt font; Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman; black ink; fronts only; one-inch margins
ALWAYS start the first page with a heading aligned to the left side of the page, double-spaced, as follows:
Student Name
Teacher Name
Class Name
Due Date
ALWAYS include the title in the center on the line beneath the heading; NEVER underline, make bold, enlarge, or put in italics or quotations

15. First Page Format
Megan Myers Ms. Kretzer Class 2 26 November 2010 The Misunderstood Brother In the early 20th century, Americans were led to believe that we could improve our society by eliminating those who were considered to be too weak or unintelligent to have children of their own through a practice. known as eugenics. This included neglecting those who were disabled.