Getting the most points on
your Literary Analysis Paper
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Read the Directions Carefully
Choose:
A. Poem + Short Story
Or
B. Poem + Play
*
Do not use a Myth, Fairytale, Parable, or
Essay
Analysis
• Choose how you are going to analyze the two
works you have chosen
• Choose 4 of the following : character, audience,
theme, literary motif, symbolism, overall
message.
Summary versus Analysis
• A summary re-tells a story.
• An analysis examines the cause or effect of an
incident in the story, compares or contrasts 2
characters, explains how an event occurred
etc…
Ex: Mary had a little lamb
• Summary: Mary had a little lamb. It followed her
to school. No lambs were allowed in school. The
children laughed.
• Analysis: one reason Mary may have brought
the lamb to school was to get attention. All the
children “laughed and played”, making Mary
feel at the center and popular.
Summary Page
• 1 page, single space, brief summary of both
works.
* This will be the last page of your Literary Analysis
Paper.
Writing Your Essay
Basic essay parts
• Introduction [lead in, transition sentences, thesis]
• Body Paragraphs [ topic sentences, good
examples, and quotes]
• Conclusion [restates thesis in different words,
summarizes main points, gives your opinion]
Introduction + Title
• Clever Title
• Interesting attention getter
• Transition sentences that announce the two
works
• Thesis Statement + plan of development
Body Paragraphs
• Topic sentence with transition
• Main points supported by quotes from the two
works
• Clear illustration how the quote supports your
point
Using quotes in Essay
Using a quote requires 3 sentences
1. Your Idea
2. Quote
3. Explanation how quote supports your idea
Quote Examples
1.Mary appears to have a fetish for lamb wool
2. Dr. Benton states that “ Mary’s proclivity for her
lamb makes her pet it often and bring it with her.”
(Benton 22)
3. Her constant need to touch and stroke her lamb
illustrates Mary’s obsession.
Conclusion
• Restate your thesis in different words
• Tells what you’ve learned by analyzing the two
works
• What did you learn about poetry, short stories
and plays?
• Note- get extra credit for posting your outline.
• Note- get more extra credit for posting your rough
draft.
• Note – get even more extra credit by helping
others with their rough drafts.