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Literary analysis focuses on an in-depth evaluation
and informed interpretation of literature. Ultimately, it
is the critical process of dissecting a piece of
literature by examining its stylistic and structural
elements, as well as considering HOW and WHY
these elements have been constructed by the
author in a specific way.
To successfully analyze a piece of literature in this
class (a short story, media text, play or novel), you
will need to be able to accurately comprehend the
literary elements, figurative language and writing
techniques that shape a written story, in addition to
remembering that authors make specific choices for
particular reasons/effects.
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Your goal for your own literary analysis is to
thoughtfully identify the author’s choices, and then
attempt to explain their significance (or purpose), as
well as their ultimate effect on the literature as a
whole, and the reader.
You should be familiar with the point/proof/analysis
structure for formal writing. Remember that your
analysis is also meant to explain why your point
(argument) and your proof (evidence) supports your
thesis statement (central position). This will be
particularly important when writing your persuasive
paragraph, textual analysis test, and literary essays.
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A mere summary of the details in a piece of writing. DO
NOT SIMPLY RETELL THE STORY! THIS IS NOT ANALYSIS; THIS
IS MIMICRY!
Only identifying a literary element or the specific use of
a device without also explaining its greater purpose,
effect, and deeper meaning.
Connecting the literature to your personal life, and
discussing its ultimate meaning to you without using a
critical lens/theory to guide your examination. STAY
FOCUSED ON THE LITERATURE UNLESS INSTRUCTED
OTHERWISE!
Assumptions about what COULD HAVE happened in the
literature had something different happened is not
ANALYSIS. Do not surmise, ANALYZE!
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Plot
Setting
Character
Theme
Narrative Perspective
Figurative Language
Style (Diction/Tone)
Structure (Sentence and Paragraph)
Consider:
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The traditional plot graph
(introduction/exposition, inciting incident/trigger
event/crisis, rising action, climax, falling action,
conclusion/resolution)
Foreshadowing (carefully placed hints as to
what will happen next in the story)
Plot structure (Is it linear or non-linear? Consider
the use of flashbacks, “in medias res”, etc.)
Conflict (person vs. person, person vs. self, etc.)
Consider:
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Time (time of day, time of year, time in history)
Place (historical, geographical and physical)
Atmosphere (consider the overall mood of the
setting and how it is supposed to make the
characters and the reader feel)
Pathetic Fallacy (when the weather reflects the
emotional state of the characters)
The social climate (unrest, rebellion, peace,
dystopia, utopia)
Consider:
 What a character looks like, says (is what the
character says different than what they MEAN),
thinks, does, and what other characters say about
him/her is IMPORTANT! Also, character motivation
can be explored, as well character RELATIONSHIPS!
 Characterization (description and traits) vs.
Character Development (change in character)
 Static/Flat Characters vs. Dynamic/Round
Characters (no change in character vs. change in
character)
 Character Archetypes (a character model – the
rebel, the damsel in distress, the fool, etc.)
 Character foils (characters who share some
superficial similarities and one KEY difference)
Physical
Intellectual
Emotional
Social
Consider:
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Identify the main ideas/central messages of a piece
of writing using specific evidence from the text to
support your interpretation.
A theme should be developed from the beginning of
a text to the end (it is not an isolated event in the
story; it is a repeated message or idea)
Express your chosen theme in MORE than one word
– i.e. Instead of saying that the theme of a story is
friendship, say that the theme examines the
unbreakable bonds of friendship or instead of saying
that the theme of a text is love, ask what it is ABOUT
love that is being explored? THIS will shape a
stronger theme and narrow your focus!
Consider:
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What narration style is being used to tell the story
(is it a first person narrator or a third person
omniscient narrator?)
Who is the narrator and do they have a role in
the action in the text?
Is the narrator biased and one-sided in their
views and delivery of the events in the story?
What is the effect of this bias on readers?
What are the advantages/disadvantages to
having the story told from the chosen
perspective?
Consider:
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How are a variety of figures of speech or nonliteral language and comparisons used to
enhance the writing style of the literature?
Examine the type of device being used (a
metaphor, a simile, irony, alliteration, etc.) and
then ANALYZE the PURPOSE and EFFECT of that
device on the story/poem/novel/play.
Consider how these devices help you as the
reader VISUALIZE characters, events, and
important details in the literature.
Metaphor:
 A direct comparison between two unlike things
in order to suggest a resemblance and enhance
or exemplify the characteristics of one or both
objects/people being compared.
Examples:
 All the world's a stage, And all the men and
women merely players.
 High school is a prison of which there is no
escape.
 Life is a rollercoaster filled with ups and downs.
Onomatopoeia:
 A word that imitates a sound
 The naming of a thing or action by a vocal
imitation of the sound associated with it
Examples:
 The hinges on the rusty door creaked loudly.
 The venomous snake hissed a warning to nearby
hikers.
 The annoying fly buzzed passed William’s sweaty
ear amid the dense summer heat.
Personification:
 A literary device in which an inanimate object or
abstract concept is given human qualities or
abilities.
Examples:
 The immense oak tree stretched its ancient arms
high in the air, so that its twisted fingers could feel
the radiant warmth of his close friend, the sun.
 The serene snow flakes quietly whispered to the
people below that winter was on its way.
 Opportunity knocked boldly on the door, but fear
could not bring itself to answer.
Hyperbole:
 An obvious and purposeful statement of
exaggeration used for emphasis, dramatic
effect, and to make a clear point.
Examples:
 I told you a million times that this was a bad
idea!
 When I tripped on stage in front of the entire
school, I almost died of embarrassment!
 I am so tired that I think I might sleep for a year!
Situational Irony:
 The use of words to defy readers’ expectations,
when the direct opposite of what is anticipated
to happen in a certain situation actually occurs.
Examples:
 A bylaw officer gets his/her license suspended
for unpaid parking tickets.
 An ambulance runs over and kills the person
they were attempting to save.
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What are 2 other forms of irony?
Allusion:
 A figure of speech that makes reference to
recognizable people, places, events, literary works,
myths, or works of art, either directly or by
implication.
Examples:
 After my surgery, my intersecting stiches and my
collection of jagged scars made me feel like
Frankenstein’s monster.
 We could never find the right time to be together
even though we both secretly knew we could make
each other very happy. Every time I was single, he
was dating someone. I was beginning to think that
we were like Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers;
perhaps our love was not meant to be.
1. An example of figurative language that Frost uses in his poem
is symbolism, which is conveyed through the two roads that are
discussed. Frost uses these two roads to symbolize two different
pathways that could be chosen; two different options that the
traveller/speaker could choose from. The speaker mentions that
there are two pathways, one that is well-worn and another that is
less travelled. The pathways can symbolize two different life
choices, and the traveller ultimately chooses the more unusual
route that has changed his life. In the poem, the speaker says,
“Two paths diverged in a wood, and I,/I took the one less
travelled by,/And that has made all the difference” (Frost 18-20).
The symbolism here is clear to the reader, and is used effectively
as it leaves the reader pondering upon the different possibilities
that the author could be writing about. It is obvious that Frost is
writing about changes, and a choice which has greatly affected
his life.
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GOOD STRUCTURE, BUT AN INCORRECT INTERPRETATION!
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Robert Frost thoughtfully employs both metaphor and symbolism as
examples of figurative language in his poem. Of the two
metaphorical roads explored in the poem, the speaker says, “the
passing there/Had worn them really about the same” (Frost 9-10).
In fact, the speaker also mentions that both roads “that morning
equally lay/In leaves no step had trodden black” (12-13). This
means that neither of the roads is less traveled by, thus changing
the meaning of the poem entirely. Two paths in the woods and forks
in roads serve as effective metaphors for a person’s life, specifically
its crises and important decisions. Identical forks, in particular, also
symbolize the contrast between one’s free will and one’s fate. An
individual is free to make a choice, but they often do not really
know beforehand what they are choosing between. A person’s life
journey is therefore determined by both choice and chance, and it
is impossible to separate the two. Consequently, the speaker is not
a hero for taking the road less travelled, as the outcome of taking
one of two equally trodden roads essentially comes down to a
matter of chance, and nothing more.
EFFECTIVE STRUCTURE AND A CORRECT INTERPRETATION!
2. A key theme developed through this poem is the theme
of self knowledge acquired through nature. This theme is
clearly exemplified through the ironic tone of the speaker
when he/she says, “I shall be telling this with a
sigh/Somewhere ages and ages hence” (Frost 16-17). The
speaker’s “sigh” is the key here (16). From this it is clear that
the speaker anticipates his own future insincerity when
discussing his supposedly remarkable decision to take the
road less travelled. The speaker predicts his/her own need,
later on in life, to rearrange the facts and inject a sense of
individuality into the account. He/she knows that he/she
will be inaccurate, at best, or hypocritical, at worst, when
he/she holds his/her life up as an example of making the
less popular choice. This reveals the speaker’s moment of
self discovery, resulting from the two paths in the wood, but
it is not the knowledge that the reader first anticipates for
the speaker based on the poem’s title.
1. The narration in the short story “Just Lather, That’s All” is
particularly effective in creating suspense for the reader
because the first-person narrator is a barber, who is also a
secret rebel, who must shave his enemy, Captain Torres.
This character information is delayed at the beginning of
the story, and is shockingly revealed when the narrator
confesses, “Yes, I was a secret rebel…” and “Torres did not
know I was his enemy” (Tellez 2). In addition, suspense is
also created through the narrator’s description of his
thought-process when deciding whether or not he should
murder Torres, as well as the detailed account of him
shaving Torres. For example, the narrator says, “One of the
tiny pores could be opened up and issue forth its pearl of
blood”, which creates an image of blood and killing in the
reader’s mind, therefore enhancing the suspense in the
story, because the reader is unsure as to whether or not the
narrator will go through with the murder (2).
2. In the short story, “Just Lather, That’s All”, diction is used
strategically in order to emphasize the narrator’s struggle
between his responsibilities as a barber, and his duties as a
rebel. The words “rebel” and “barber” are frequently
juxtaposed in order to highlight the inner conflict that the
narrator faces while he shaves Captain Torres (Tellez 2).
Consequently, this creates an uneasy and tense tone
throughout the story. This is proven when the narrator states,
“Yes, I was secretly a rebel, but I was also a conscientious
barber, and proud of the preciseness of my profession” (2).
In addition, the narrator repeats many words throughout the
story in order to create tension and suspense, as well as to
emphasize the uneasy tone of the piece. For example, the
narrator repeats the words “razor” and “blood” several
times, which ultimately underscores his desire to cut the
throat of his enemy, once again pointing out the inner
conflict that is presented in the text (2).
Consider:
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Analyze the diction (word choice) of a piece of
writing. Diction can help to identify the setting of
a text (historical period and place), as well as
reinforcing the mood of a story (consider the
cadence of the language).
Examine whether or not the language is formal
or informal, and what the ultimate purpose of the
writing is (this is the VOICE of the writing) – Is it to
be persuasive, instructive, reflective, etc.?
Also, consider the TONE of the piece (what is the
narrator’s attitude toward his/her subject
matter?).
Consider:
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Syntax (how the sentences are constructed)
Paragraphing (how the paragraphs are divided)
Chapter length and formatting – What is the
effect?
Page formatting (how the words look on the
page) – What is the effect?
Are images/charts/diagrams included to
highlight the text of the story? What is the effect?
Is the text concise or long-winded/detailed?
What is the effect?
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Look at what you have stated in your analysis
and ask yourself, “so what?” Consider: What is
the ultimate significance of your point, proof,
AND analysis in your particular piece of writing?
Explain the deeper meaning behind your
argument and supporting quotations.
Be insightful – Do not simply state the obvious or
repeat/reiterate information from the text (INFER,
QUESTION, CONNECT)
Keep questioning! The better the questions that
you are asking, the better your analysis will be!
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Ask yourself, “what is the most important detail
or element here?”
Examine the CAUSE, EFFECT, and RESULT of
events in the text.
Explore similarities and differences between
elements of the text (characters, plot points,
settings, etc.)