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THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY

Writing a Literary Analysis

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Literary analysis involves: examining all the parts of a text (character,

setting, tone, theme, imagery, etc.) thinking about how the author uses those

elements to create certain effects. literary essay assignment asks, “How does

this piece of literature actually work?” “How does it do what it does?” or, “Why might the author have made the choices he or she did?”

Features of Literary Analysis Essays

ANALYSIS

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• To analyze some aspect of a novel, play, etc.

• To state a thesis – a strong, clear claim about some aspect of the story.

• To support that thesis with examples and direct quotations.

• To present your analysis in a logical order.

Features of Literary Analysis Essays

GOALS

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1. Ask questions 2. Collect evidence 3. Construct a thesis 4. Develop and organize arguments 5. Write the introduction 6. Write the body paragraphs 7. Write the conclusion

Process of Writing an Essay

PROCESS

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1. Introduction – states a thesis2. Body paragraph one – support 13. Body paragraph two – support 2 4. Body paragraph three – support

35. Conclusion

Composing the 5-paragraph essay

COMPOSITION

6 Diagram of the 5-paragraph essay

COMPOSITION

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Your introduction should include the author’s full name and the title of the story, novel, play, etc.

Short story titles should be in quotations marks.Titles of novels and plays get underlined instead.

Examples: In Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations…

Great Expectations, one of Charles Dickens’s most enduring novels…

Include Title and Author

INTRODUCTION

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Provide any necessary context that leads up to your thesis.

Answer the “So what?” question:Why is this topic important, and why is your particular position on the topic noteworthy?

Present your thesis with a strong, clear claim.

Give Some Background on Story

INTRODUCTION

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Be vague“Great Expectations is an interesting novel.”

Open with any grandiose assertions:“Since the dawn of time, writers have been fascinated with the topic of free will.”

Wildly praise the work or author:Dickens is perhaps the greatest writer in the English language.

Your Introduction Should NOT:

INTRODUCTION

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A strong thesis statement has several basic features: • It focuses on a single main point about a topic.• It is neither too broad nor too narrow.• It is specific.• It is surprising, i.e., not obvious. Answer to “So

what?”• It is something you can show, explain, or prove by

evidence from the text.• It is a forceful statement written in confident, firm

language.

Make a Strong, Clear Claim

THESIS

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A thesis statement is not:

• A simple statement of factGE depicts life in Victorian London.

• A summary of part of the plotGE is a novel about how Pip tries to impress

Estella.• An evaluation of the story (good, bad, etc.)

GE is a most confusing and unbelievable novel.

YOU MUST MAKE A CLAIM THAT IS DEBATABLE & “PROOVABLE”!

What a Thesis Statement Is Not

THESIS

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Your THESIS should typically:• be stated in a single sentence• be followed by a “method of development”

NOTE: Your “blueprint statement” should not sound like a science lab report”.

• be the final sentence in your first paragraph

Make a Strong, Clear Claim

THESIS

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The Great Gatsby describes New York society in the 1920s.

No. It’s not debatable. It is a statement of fact.

Both George and Lenny change a great deal in Of Mice and Men.

No. It’s too obvious. How do they change? or why do they change?

Good or bad? (1)

THESIS

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Dr. Frankenstein’s monster tells us a lot about the human condition.

No. Too vague. What exactly does the monster tell us about the human condition? What does “a lot” mean?

Good or bad? (2)

THESIS

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Through the course of the novel Bradbury suggests that television – this was a new invention when Bradbury was writing the novel in the early 1950’s –has the capability to transform people into passive, mindless creatures. Bradbury supports this suggestion especially through the characters of Captain Beatty, Mildred Montag, and Clarise MacClellan.

Good or bad? (3)

THESIS

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A bell jar is a bell-shaped glass that has three basic uses: to hold a specimen for observation, to contain gases, and to maintain a vacuum. The bell jar appears in each of these capacities in The Bell Jar, Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel, and each appearance marks a different stage in Esther’s mental breakdown.

Good or bad? (4)

THESIS

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Each support paragraph:• illustrates, explains, or proves your

main claim – the thesis.

• contains and details a particular point that relates to the main claim.

• includes a topic sentence that supports the thesis statement.

Provides examples and quotations from the text.

Supporting Your Claim

SUPPORTS

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This is an excellent way to illustrate your major supports. Get in the habit of using at least one important quotation in each body paragraph.

Example: Romeo describes the emotional pain of love: “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, / Too rude, too bois’trous and it pricks like thorn” (1.4.25-26).

Beware: Do not use extensive quotations – keep to short ones.

Use Quotations from the Story

QUOTATIONS

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Remind readers of your thesis, but don’t restate your thesis.

An effective conclusion:

• reminds readers of the main point• summarizes and reinforces the support paragraphs• provides an insight beyond restating the thesis

Add Some Insight to the Conclusion

CONCLUSION

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STYLE

Style concerns the artful expression of your ideas.

Ask yourself: How can I best introduce and develop my topic so that it will interest my readers?

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Avoid using the first person “I” and “we,” “me” and “us”.

Avoid: We can clearly see that Joe Gargery is acting magnanimously.

Improved: Joe Gargery is acting courageously.

Always Write in the Third Person

3RD PERSON

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Avoid saying, “I feel…” or “I believe…” or “I think…” Just state what you believe in strong, clear language.

Avoid: I believe that Dickens uses Herbert as a foil to Pip.

Improved: Dickens uses Herbert as a foil to Pip.

Always Write in the Third Person

3RD PERSON

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Avoid the use of second person “you”. Stay in the third person.

Avoid: This would lead you to believe Joe is a courageous as he is honorable.

Improved: This incident shows that Joe is a courageous as he is honorable.

Always Write in the Third Person

3RD PERSON

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…when giving background about the story.

Avoid writing, “This story is about…” or “My essay will show....” Just relate what you have to say about the story in strong, clear language.

Avoid: Old Man and the Sea is a story about an old man who fight a 1,000-pound marlin on the open sea.

Improved: In Old Man and the Sea, an old man struggles with a 1,000-pound marlin on the open sea.

Just State the Facts

LANGUAGE

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…and avoid using colloquial or slang expressions.

Avoid: “Pip has a little problem. How do I put this lightly? He’s crushing big time on Estella.”

Avoid: Something is seriously wrong here. Let me clear it up for you.

Use Formal Language

LANGUAGE

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Use the literary present tense when writing of events in the story – not past tense.

Avoid: After Santiago killed the dolphin, he swore he would never again leave port without salt.

Correct: After Santiago kills the dolphin, he swears he will never again leave port without salt.

Use the Literary Present Tense

TENSE

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Again, this is an excellent way to illustrate your major supports. But do not ever use the word “quotation” to introduce a quote or refer to a quote.

Example: Romeo describes the emotional pain of love: “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, / Too rude, too bois’trous and it pricks like thorn” (1.4.25-26).

Beware: Do not write out a quotation and then write: “This quote is saying that…”

Use Quotations from the Story

QUOTATIONS

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When you are writing an analytical paper, you should never “editorialize.” In other words you should not make judgments, give advice, or offer opinions. Keep to ANALYSIS and EXPLANATION.

Avoid: It’s funny how Pip continues to like Estella…

Avoid: Why does the only pretty girl in the story have to die?

Avoid: Something is seriously wrong here…

Avoid EditorializingANALYSIS

29 FORMAT

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John Q. StudentA.P. English LiteratureMr. Rose21 September 2012

Your Title Goes Here

Use a proper heading

HEADING

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Your heading should be single-spaced

But the essay itself should always be double-spaced.

Remember to Double-Space

FORMAT

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The title of your essay should: Reflect the content of your essay Include the name (or author) of the text Centered (rather than aligned left)

The title of your essay should NOT:• Be underlined or have quotation marksExcept for those words that are in the title of a book or story.

Always Give Your Essay a Title

TITLE

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Examples:

Wuthering Heights & the Cult of Revenge

Bradbury’s Parlor People in Fahrenheit 451

Always Give Your Essay a Title

TITLE

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Assignment: Great Expectations essay

• Underline your thesis statement• State your thesis in a single sentence.• Your thesis should be followed by a “method of development.”• Your introduction should give some background of the story.• You must have three major supports – three body paragraphs.• You must have a conclusion that does more than restate the thesis.• You must include at least one quotation in each body paragraph.• You must properly format your essay.• You must give your essay a title that reflects the essay.• You must use third person and present tense.

Essay must be printed out and ready to turn in at the beginning of the class period.