Writing Workshop

Literary Analysis

Appropriate Verbs

• Emphasizes * Juxtaposes

• Compares* Demonstrates

• Suggests * Exemplifies

• Creates * Identifies

• Implies * Mirrors

Guidelines

• Identify the author by the last name after first using full name

• Write about literature in present tense

• Avoid “I think,” “I believe,” or “I feel”

• Avoid speculation about scenarios or motivations; anchor your analysis in what the text says

Other Guidelines

• Focus on the text; do not write about the author’s life unless asked to do so

• Avoid praise and other forms of compliment; explain what the text means and why certain details are important, not how great you think the author is

Proper Citation

• All quotes must be correctly cited.

• If you state the author’s name in the sentence just put the page number in parentheses.

• Example: Daphne Du Maurier suggests that the narrator “is so very different from Rebecca” (87).

Citations Continued

• If you do not state the author’s name then include author’s name and page number.

• Example: Mrs. Danvers becomes even more sinister, possessing the “face of an exulting devil” (Du Maurier 218).

• Once you state the author, subsequent quotes just need the page number.

Quotations

• Do not over-quote -- 20% quoted material is maximum

• Choose a quote that helps support your point. Don’t use a quote that just explains what happens; use a paraphrase in that case

• Include only the best part of the quote – “the golden nugget”

Possible Prompts

• Explain how a character changes over the course of the story

• Compare characters from two different stories or within the same story

• Identify and discuss an important theme in a text

Quick Write Rubric

• Rubric can be found on the class home page. Please save it in an easy to find spot on your computer so you can refer to it often.

Ideas 10

• Writing reflects original thought

• Ideas are “fresh” and offer a unique perspective

• Writer seems to care about the topic and ideas

• Writer genuinely explores possibilities and speculates on options.

Support 10

• Ideas supported with specific evidence from the text

• At least 2 relevant quotes (properly cited) are effectively integrated into body of quick write

Mechanics 10

• Free from spelling and punctuation errors