Freshman composition teachers often assign students literary analysis essays, but what is a literary analysis? And how do you write one? Let's start by learning the difference between a summary and an analysis because the number one mistake I see students making when attempting this genre (type of writing) is that they end up summarizing and never get around to analyzing. This often results in a poor grade or a comment from the teacher asking you to "redo" the assignment. What is an analysis? Well, we know it is not a summary. In other words, you should not restate plot points or events while drafting your analysis essay. You may need to summarize---as part of your writing process or briefly in your introduction---before getting to your analysis, but the summary of whatever you're supposed to be analyzing is not the same thing as actually analyzing it. To analyze means to study something carefully through a process of examination. Therefore, at the heart of every analysis is an argument (or opinion) about how well an author achieved his or her stated (or implied) purpose. In other words, you need to decide
What makes it a literary analysis? Literary describes the type of writing you are analyzing. Typically for assignments like this, you'll be given or asked to choose a short story, poem, song, or some other kind of creative writing for the purpose of analyzing. To analyze, you'll need to identify various techniques or literary devices used by the author. Learning various devices (techniques) authors commonly used will help with this. Your teacher will likely provide a list of possible devices, but you can also check out this website of 45+ literary devices. How do I write a literary analysis essay? As with any essay, you will need all the parts of a typical college essay: an introduction, body, and conclusion; however, before you stress about your thesis, topic sentences, organization and grammar, take a deep breath and read through the following steps specific to writing a literary analysis essay: Step 1: Read and annotate Too often I meet with students who are so anxious to turn in their essay for a grade that they do a poor job reading and annotating. Sometimes they completely skip this step. (Yikes!) The truth is, you cannot successfully analyze anything you're unfamiliar with, so get familiar with your text, whether it is a short story, poem, song, etc. I suggest you read through your text at least 3-5 times. The more times you can read it, the better! Be sure to annotate. In other words, take notes while you read:
Step 2: Identify purpose or theme Why did the author write this text, do you think? Is there a lesson (theme) to be learned? What is it? And, no, you do not need to do outside research to discover these answers. (So no googling for "answers," please. It won't help you as much as you may think!) I admit that some teachers will ask for a research component to a literary analysis, but not usually. Instead, ask yourself what you (as a reader) "get out" of this text. Be as specific as possible. So, instead of saying "this text is about freedom," you might say "the lesson in this short story is to never take your freedoms for granted." Step 3: Look for and point out literary devices used by the author As mentioned earlier, the thing that makes your essay an analysis is your argument (opinion) of how well you think the author did at expressing his/her purpose or message in the text. You can form whatever opinion you want about the author's decisions (techniques for writing), but you need to back up it up. To do this, you'll need to be familiar with the types of literary devices used by the author and be able to identify these literary devices as they are used in the text. I suggest breaking up your body paragraphs by different devices, so maybe a paragraph on symbolism, another on personification, etc. But it's up to you how you support your opinion. Just make sure you point out and share how the author attempted to achieve his/her purpose. Step 4: Develop an analysis-focused thesis Your thesis should tell readers your opinion about how well the author achieved his/her purpose and/or how. Having such an argument (opinion), remember, is at the heart of a literary analysis essay. Doing this ensures that you are indeed analyzing, and not simply summarizing your text, which will result is a better grade for this genre. So, for example, you might say something like
Check out the brief video below if you need a refresher on thesis statements, but remember that the best place to put your thesis is usually the last sentence in your introduction. Concluding Tips
I get that you want to do the thing that will be graded, but believe me when I say how much better your analysis will be if you take the time to study your text and take the time to learn about literary devices that may show up in your text. This will also ensure that you don't simply summarize and lose points for not analyzing. As always, remember that writing is a process. It's okay if you don't "get it" the first time. We often discover our opinions as we write, so be open to multiple drafts or versions of your essay before turning in your final draft. Also, don't be afraid to reach out to a writing tutor. We understand the challenges of the writing process and the common pitfalls while writing in this genre. Oftentimes, we're able to pick up on errors (big and small) simply because we're not as emotionally attached to your writing as you are. Let me know in the comments if these tips were useful, and best of luck!
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