• Arguable Thesis – make a claim that goes beyond “facts” or summary of what happens
o Verb choice=transformative
o Look at something that is not explicitly stated
o In literature, you often argue something about:
§ The piece’s larger themes (how the text is an example of the larger, real world; for example, how the plot resolution may show a common result of a certain type of relationship)
§ Or about an idea one of the literary elements (such as plot or characterization or imagery’s symbolization)
o Put the story into a larger context! Try to discuss the piece “as an example of ….”
o Be analytical, not evaluative: your emotional judgment or your own beliefs don’t matter; your intellect does. Think: every character detail or action may symbolize something deeper than just in the individual moment for that character.
§ Example: Perhaps a story’s main character is a stoner with a bad job. Rather than just summarizing how you feel about stoners with blue-collar jobs, you need to recognize what that character represents about, say, societal pressures and their impact on relationships.
o Writing Style: academic essays are not casual or informal, and therefore the language and the structure of your arguments/points are not to be either. You cannot just say what you want and think your opinion is your opinion!
§ In academics, logical support and logical examples need to be provided.
§ Also, you need to write in a consistent point of view.
· For analysis essays, write in the 3rd person
§ Write in present tense for the primary tense. Use past tense to put historical ideas into context.
· Example: Segregation still existed in the 1950s, so when Sonny says, “….” (pg. #).
Work Cited Pages
• Alphabetize by last name à which last name comes first depends on the type of source. For our stories in an anthology…always the writer of the story or poem, then the editors, etc.
In-text Citation (
• Make sure that the source citing is named (in the introduction, preferably) first!
o If citing multiple sources, this becomes imperative, and how much you put in the ( ) becomes a question of logic.
• Quoting lines of poetry:
o Linebreaks: use the “/” symbol where a line breaks
o If you are quoting two lines that are separated by a stanza break, then use “//”
o If you are quoting two lines that have lines between them, then “line /…/line” (lines 1, 3)
o ***Logic: no matter the format, whenever a poem is reprinted the lines maintain their same line. Line 5 is always line 5, unlike in reprinted editions of fiction and non-fiction!
Introductions & Thesis Statements for Literary Analysis
Vital Context (background information needed to understand subject)
• ALWAYS name the author’s complete name and the text you are analyzing in the essay.
• Introduction to larger topic (such as stating what the specific family relationship is that you are analyzing in the essay, and perhaps some common, specific points of view held on that topic)
• The hook of your essay – that first sentence – begins to narrow down the larger topic into a clear context. Generally, the more specific your hook is, the more specific and developed your thesis can be.
o If you start too generically, too distant in view, your essay will likely be average to below average in its development of content and organization.
Vital Argument/Purpose of Essay
• Thesis claim/argumentative points (statement now seems too misleading for many): What are you focusing on proving in the essay?
o Make sure to name your subject
o Name a literary element that gives lens (see below)
o “…because…” (see just below)
• Subtopic claims: what are some claims or points that develop from thesis (these are repeated in body as topic sentences, right?!?)
o What are “becauses” that stem from your argument.
o Show your hand: Show your points in introduction; an essay is not a game of poker.
• Literary element focus: each literary element is like a camera lens that dictates/filters how you are dissecting the subject
