WRITING ABOUT DICTION
Required Elements Of Literary Analysis
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When writing for literary analysis, your finished
composition will have three required elements,
regardless if it’s a paragraph or a full-length essay:
A claim about a specific literary device. This is your thesis.
 Examples that support your claim. This is your chosen
diction.
 Analysis of why your example is appropriate. This is often
called the COMMENTARY. The commentary is your own
thinking and is the most important part of the writing, and
when done correctly, most of your paragraph or essay will
be commentary.
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Thesis statements
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When writing about literature, the author and title of
the work must be identified.
Thesis statements are required for all writings. The
thesis will clearly define for the reader what you are
trying to prove. A literary analysis thesis will have two
portions that we will call the concrete and the abstract.
The concrete portion will typically revolve around a
literary element (characterization, diction, symbolism,
etc.) that exists in the piece. This is something you can
point to in a piece of literature.
The abstract will be the writer’s attempt to explain the
EFFECT the concrete element has on the piece. This is
your opinion about the literary element.
Sample Thesis
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What portion would be the concrete in the thesis below?
What would be the abstract?
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Sample thesis:
In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” Washington Irving uses
figurative language to create a story with a spooky
mood.
 Sample thesis:
 In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” Washington Irving uses
figurative language to create a story with a spooky
mood.
Our Thesis Today
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Today you will write a brief literary analysis on the
diction Edgar Allan Poe uses in “The Pit and the
Pendulum.” We will all begin with the same thesis:
 In
"The Pit and the Pendulum" written by Edgar Allan
Poe, the author uses ____________ to establish a
_____________ mood.
 You may choose to expand your thesis to focus on a
specific aspect of diction (connotative diction, abstract
word choices, etc.) or you may leave it more openended by just saying diction.
Writing the Analysis
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First, you analyzed a passage for mood, and the
diction that impacted it by creating a graphic
organizer.
Next you will use those graphics to help build your
paragraphs.
Your paragraph must contain a thorough discussion
of at least two choices in diction that helped
establish the mood. The two words that you discuss
should be the ones listed in the outer ring(s).
Structure of the Paragraph
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Thesis statement (already written)
Example #1 of Diction—enclose the word in quotation
marks and give the page number in parenthesis: (364).
Commentary —What is significant about the diction? How
does that word have an effect on the mood—This is your
own words. The commentary will be several sentences.
Example #2 of Diction—enclose the word in quotation
marks (pg. #)
Commentary repeats for the second example
Concluding Sentence: DO NOT WRITE A STATING THE
OBVIOUS CONCLUSION SENTENCE! Think about the
author’s purpose!
Sample Diction Analysis
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Edgar Allen Poe’s use of diction in "The Masque of the
Red Death" helps establish a fearful mood. As he
introduces the problem the characters are dealing with,
he describes a disease that is “so fatal.” This choice of
word to describe the illness that is affecting so many has
a powerful negative connotation. The meaning of fatal
lets the reader understand that this disease wasn’t just
“serious” or “severe,” but rather one in which death can’t
be avoided. This reinforces the mood of fear in the
opening lines.
This sample must now give a second example of the
diction used, and then comment on it.
Student Sample #1
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In "The Masque of the Red Death" written by Edgar
Allan Poe, the author uses diction to establish a spooky
mood. Poe uses the word “darkness” to describe the
attitude the Red Death left over the country. Darkness
is an abstract and cacophonous word with a negative
connotation associated with the unknown and
mysterious. By using this word, Poe shows the fearful
sadness and ruin left in the country, as well as the pain
and misery that accompanied the massive amount of
death. It shows there is no light in the future of the
kingdom which causes the reader to feel afraid and
sympathetic towards the victims of the disease.
Student Sample #2
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In “The Masque of the Red Death,” written by Edgar
Allan Poe, the author establishes an angry mood
with the use of diction. When the prince sees the
man dressed as the Red Death, “his brow reddened
with rage.” This diction chose to describe his
feelings towards this man with a negative
connotation. The meaning of rage lets the reader
know that he wasn’t just mad, but extremely angry.