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THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY
Writing a Literary Analysis
ANALYSIS
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Features of Literary Analysis Essays
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?”
GOALS
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Features of Literary Analysis Essays
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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.
PROCESS
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Process of Writing an Essay
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Ask questions
Collect evidence
Construct a thesis
Develop and organize arguments
Write the introduction
Write the body paragraphs
Write the conclusion
COMPOSITION
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Composing the 5-paragraph essay
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Introduction – states a thesis
Body paragraph one – support 1
Body paragraph two – support 2
Body paragraph three – support 3
Conclusion
COMPOSITION
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Diagram of the 5-paragraph essay
INTRODUCTION
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Include Title and Author
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…
INTRODUCTION
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Give Some Background on Story


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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.
INTRODUCTION
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Your Introduction Should NOT:



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.
THESIS
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Make a Strong, Clear Claim
A strong thesis statement has several basic features:
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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.
THESIS
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What a Thesis Statement Is Not
A thesis statement is not:
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A simple statement of fact
GE depicts life in Victorian London.
A summary of part of the plot
GE 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”!
THESIS
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Make a Strong, Clear Claim
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
THESIS
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Good or bad? (1)
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?
THESIS
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Good or bad? (2)
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?
THESIS
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Good or bad? (3)
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.
THESIS
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Good or bad? (4)
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.
SUPPORTS
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Supporting Your Claim
Each support paragraph:
•
illustrates, explains, or proves your main claim
– the thesis.
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contains and details a particular point that
relates to the main claim.
includes a topic sentence that supports the
thesis statement.
QUOTATIONS
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Use Quotations from the Story
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.
CONCLUSION
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Add Some Insight to the Conclusion
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
•
STYLE
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HOW YOU EXPRESS YOUR IDEAS
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?
3RD PERSON
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Always Write in the Third Person
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.
3RD PERSON
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Always Write in the Third Person
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.
3RD PERSON
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Always Write in the Third Person
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.
LANGUAGE
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Just State the Facts
…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 1,000pound marlin on the open sea.
LANGUAGE
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Use Formal Language
…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.
TENSE
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Use the Literary Present Tense
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.
QUOTATIONS
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Use Quotations from the Story
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…”
ANALYSIS
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Avoid Editorializing
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…
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FORMAT
HEADING
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Use a proper heading
John Q. Student
A.P. English Literature
Mr. Rose
21 September 2012
Your Title Goes Here
FORMAT
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Remember to Double-Space
Your heading should be single-spaced
But the essay itself should always be double-spaced.
TITLE
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Always Give Your Essay a Title
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 marks
Except for those words that are in the title of a book or story.
TITLE
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Always Give Your Essay a Title
Examples:
Wuthering Heights & the Cult of Revenge
Bradbury’s Parlor People in Fahrenheit 451
Assignment: Great Expectations essay
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• 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.