How to write a literary analysis essay

trey y miles

Step 1: Choose a book to analyze, preferably one written over 100 years ago, originally in another language, and not at all based around plot. Anything with long, boring monologues about the trivial nature of the church or anything with a mention of suffering and the hopelessness of the human condition will suffice.

Step 2: Using your browser of choice, search “book title quotes” where book title is the title of your book.

Step 3: Copy the quotes you find online into a document that you then share with 3-4 friends that happen to be classmates as well. If the quotes come with analyzation, that’s perfect, just copy and paste (saves time) and hope you don’t have to submit to turnitin (which you don’t so that’s never been an issue). When writing, assert total confidence over every word in the book. You read it, you know it all, in fact, you even know it better than the author. You know what the author meant to say. You know the author better than they know themselves. Get out there champ and knock this essay out of the park.

Pro-tip: Thesis’ and topic sentences need commas in the middle. (Ex. Jimmy likes, meat)

Step 4: One to two days after the essay is due, schedule a conference with Mr. Mcateer, telling him that you were “sick” the last couple of days, and you “just don’t get it”. Wait for him to give you the answers, but be patient because it can take a little while to get them out of him.

Pro-tip: If you only have three body paragraphs but you need four, copy and paste your third paragraph to make a fourth.

Step 5: Lastly, take the answers that Mr. Mcateer gave you, the quotes you copied online, throw in some page numbers, a couple different variations of tension, antithesis, complexity, juxtaposition, ambiguity and share the document with Mr. Mcateer, who will then tell you to print once you get to school, (but don’t print and then share, it’s important that he asks you to print after you have shared it with him). If you don't want to turn in your essay, don't fret. Simply attempt to slide your work in with other assignments several months later.

Pro-tip: Try to invent words as you write. Non-sensical transformations of nouns to verbs works best (Ex. verbization, verbing, nouning, studenting, etc.).

Viola! You now have an essay.

How to Write a Literary Analysis By Charlotte Decker and Jordan Smith

How to Write a Literary Analysis

By Charlotte Decker and Jordan Smith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a16Kgh7j8zk

1. Read the book and notice things

It is important to read the book you are analyzing and notice themes, character development, and most importantly author’s purpose.

For example:

Daniel is strolling cooly through school. Daniel’s vans are blue. They become red. Daniel’s vans change color. Finally, Daniel’s vans are white. A viner approaches and whips out phone, eying and recording his vans. He says, “Damn, Daniel. Back at it again with the white vans!”

Why does the author emphasize his white vans? Take note of the possibly purposeful theme of vans.

2. Pick topic

Choose area of things you noticed that most resonate with you. For example, Daniel’s thematic white vans.

3. Write thesis

Your thesis is key to the line of inquiry of your essay. Create a thesis using complex sentence structure, independent clause, dependent clause, subordinating conjunctions and all.

For example:

Through the author’s strategic repetition of white vans, the author emphasizes how damn cool Daniel’s white vans are.

4. Pick quotes and analyze; relating to thesis

Choose quotes of importance that chronologically contribute to the development of your argument. Be sure that quotes lead to inference, not summary. Quotes dense with literary elements and not with plot text are cool. Analyze dissecting the author’s purposeful language in relation to their overall purpose and your thesis.

For example,

“Damn, Daniel. Back at it again with the white vans!” (last line)

The author strategically incorporates the literary technique alliteration with his opening statement in the viner’s dialogue, “Damn, Daniel”. Doing so, emphasizes the awe that the viner feels upon seeing the legendary white vans. The author further employs methodical punctuation in order to excite the reader, especially with the concluding exclamation point.

5. Form introduction

Form your introduction with the following structure.

• Big world problem
• for example, Vans production
• Preview of literature
• for example, author name and vine name
• bridge to thesis and general overview of your topic
• Thesis
• (stated above)

6. Form topic sentences

Form at least three planned body paragraph, stating intent regarding each body paragraph. Topic sentences should be complex

For example:

• By initially opens with Daniel’s blue vans, the author introduces Daniel as a character owning one of vans.
• Through changing Daniel’s vans color, the author develops complexity within Daniel’s character.
• Through the inclusion of the alternate perspective provided by the viner, the author reveals the final awesomeness of Daniel’s white vans.

7. Write your conclusion

Restate your thesis and form your conclusion in somewhat of an upside nature of the structure of your introduction.

Bandaging Broken Branches

Bandaging Broken Branches

The trees that grow all around us,

The trees that grow all around us,

They seem to be limitless to me.

They seem to be limitless to me.

They all seem to grow around us

Trees, that be to me, limitless.

Slow moving explosions that burst within,

Slow moving explosions that burst within,

My heart has never healed any holes.

My heart has never healed any holes.

My heart, moving explosions that burst slow,

has never healed any holes within.

The roots grow firm from the ground,

The roots grow firm from the ground,

Sturdier than the tree holding me up.

Sturdier than the tree holding me up.

The tree grows up from the ground

Holding me sturdier than the firm roots.

Healed trees seem to be moving

Around me, my roots grow from

Within the ground burst slow, to us

The firm grow, the limitless tree

That has heart holes holding up roots.

To all the tree, never has explosions.


I wrote this paradelle because I like trees. :)

Elegy for Lost Infinities - Poetry Midterm

here it be

Paradelle Made Public - Paradelle for Liam Neeson

In all honesty, I'm not sure where this came from. I just began writing sentences that came to my mind, and soon enough, I realized there could be a connection to Taken within my paradelle.

Paradelle for Liam Neeson

If there is a Heaven, there is a Hell.

If there is a Heaven, there is a Hell.

For every shot fired, a shot taken.

For every shot fired, a shot taken.

For every shot taken, there is a Hell,

if Heaven fired.

City of Lights, Paris is.

City of Lights, Paris is.

Restaurants and art fill the streets.

Restaurants and art fill the streets.

Paris is restaurants and art.

Lights of city fill the streets.

Paris and London, two opposites.

Paris and London, two opposites.

One is rich, one is cultured.

One is rich, one is cultured.

Paris is cultured, one two opposites.

And London is rich.

There is a city of opposites

Light and the rich fill the streets.

Heaven, Hell, Paris, London,

For every art restaurant,

If cultured two fired, one shot

TAKEN.

Paradelle For a Man Preparing a Flower

Paradelle for Chipotle

Paradelle for Chipotle: Mary Jane Ripley and Maddie Zomb