Writing a Literary
Analysis Essay
AP Literature and Composition
Practice
What is a Literary Analysis?
O The literary analysis essay is NOT a book
report where you simply summarize the plot
or provide your opinion of a novel.
O The purpose of a literary analysis is to
carefully examine a work of literature or an
aspect of the work of literature.
O It begins by making critical claims about the
books, characters, style, theme. It analyzes
the effects and outcomes of the author’s
choices.
What to consider when
creating a focus:
O Characterization
O Setting
O Types of conflict
O Sequence of events
O Narration
O Rhetorical devices
O Consider any elements of fiction
How to begin
O When creating your own focus, you will make
judgements about WHAT a work of literature
means, and HOW it means it.
O What refers to big picture themes
O How refers to the devices and methods the
author used to help the reader see the big
picture ideas (theme/message/central
ideas)
When Given a Prompt, pay careful
attention to the real question
O Example Prompt:
O A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents
something or that creates a range of associations
beyond itself.
In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify
meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or
play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay
analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and
what it reveals about the characters or themes of the
work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
Break Down the Prompt
O What is the purpose of the opening
sentence of the prompt?
O What is the purpose of the next few lines?
O How many parts does the question aspect
have? What is the connection between the
parts?
Let’s Practice: Writing a thesis
O A thesis is a ONE sentence statement that
answers the prompt. It should lay out all aspects
of the prompt.
O Often times it may address 3 focal points of the
essay, but it doesn’t have too. (less formulaic if
you don’t but can be help with organization if
you do).
O If your essays suffer from organization problems
or lack of tying it all together, it would be better
to be formulaic than unorganized and lacking
clarity.
O AP graders may give allowances for a thesis not
being fully formed until the end, but our class
expectation is to have one properly done in the
intro. (if it is a true timed essay, I will consider
exceptions)
Symbol Thesis
O How does the Symbol
Function:
Is it there to reveal info
about the characters or
develop the theme?
O What does it reveal
about that element?
Intro Paragraph
O Begin broadly but try to be interesting: Ideas
O
O
O
O
to consider: begin with a definition, a look at
the topic as a whole, use part of the
background from the prompt to introduce
the idea.
Become more specific as you go
Lead in to novel
Transition to thesis
End with thesis
Consider your intro like an upside
down triangle, it begins broadly and
works its way to the main point of the
paper
Body Paragraphs
Follow this format for success!
Body Paragraphs Must Contain:
O An introduction sentence!!! That makes a clear
O
O
O
O
O
connection to the essay’s thesis and ties together the
focus of this paragraph-Do not begin with your first
point
I- Introduce your first point (supporting detail,
reason). This is the element of analysis that you have
surmised yourself. It is based on the reading but it is
not text evidence. It is your idea.
C- cite an example in the form of a quote or
paraphrased text.
E- explanation of how your example truly does
support your main idea as stated in topic
sentence/thesis.
Repeat this ICE bundle 2-3 times per body paragraph
Concluding sentence!!! Sum up the main idea. Do not
end with a quote or the explanation of an isolated
quote
Let’s Practice with Topic
Sentences:
O Break the answer to the prompt into
multiple parts and select one part to be the
focus of this paragraph.
O If the symbol reveals something about a
character how can that be subdivided?
O By various revealed elements
O Does it reveal info about multiple characters
O A combination of the two?
O Does is develop the theme?
O If so how? Split into multiple ways.
Introduce Your Ideas-I
O This should be the individual ways you think
your symbol develops Lady Macbeth for
example.
O We will practice
Properly incorporating quotes
O A quote must be a part of a sentence you
have created to be integrated into your
essay. If not, it is just dangling unattached.
O So the I process isn’t introducing your quote,
it is introducing the quote. The C process
introduces the quote as it cites it.
O Let’s practice with your quotes:
Now Explain it!
O Don’t drop a quote and run.
O Your implications or assumptions about how
a quote supports your view are not magically
clear to everyone else. You may see a quote
one way while the reader takes it another. As
a good writer it is your job to make your
points clear, it isn’t the reader’s job to know
all that is in your head.
O Show the reader how the quote truly
supports your main idea.
Amount of ICE
O A good paragraph needs 2-3 example sets
(pieces of ICE) to clearly make your point.
O Three is ideal, but two can work.
Concluding Paragraphs
O The main job is to restate the essay’s main
idea (thesis) and to tie together any last
minute ideas or to link all body paragraphs
clearly together.
How will this essay be
structured?
O For a compare and contrast: 1:1 comparison
within each paragraph Or a one paragraph : one
paragraph comparison
O For what & How thesis: divide by the amount of
whats and tie the how into every body
paragraph. For instance if your symbol provides
info about Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and
Malcolm that could be one body paragraph each
or one ICE group for each in a short answer
essay. In the E-explain part of each ICE group,
you would explain how that example develops
the focus.
Your Turn with a Short Answer
Essay
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Topic Sentence
I one
C
E
I two
C
E
I three
C
E
Concluding Sentence