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Literary Analysis Essay Guidelines
I.
Introduction:
Your introduction should include the following components:
1. The hook:
- The hook is the lead which consists of several sentences which are meant to grab the reader’s
attention. The hook is usually created by starting the essay with an anecdote (story), a quotation,
a shocking fact, or a meaningful statistic.
What is an anecdote and how do I use it?
- An anecdote is just a fancy word for a story. An anecdote is not just any ordinary story; it is a
story that is an amusing, dramatic, or an attention-getting incident. Since most people enjoy a
good story, an anecdote is a great way to begin an essay. Just make sure the story is related to
the topic of your essay. Not any story will do.
Example:
HOOK
The young man with the hammer hoisted himself onto the top of the wall.
All around him on the wall and on the ground, people chanted and cheered. The
young man knelt down, with his hammer, and began to chip away at the cold,
gray concrete. Little by little, the wall began to crumble. As I watched in
amazement, it was hard to comprehend the fact that I was watching the Berlin
Wall coming down. The removal of the Berlin Wall signified the fall of not just a
wall, but an entire system of government. The fall of the Berlin Wall ended
communism in Germany and created the growth of capitalism in Eastern Europe
which allowed for globalization to spread through Europe and into Asia, creating
the current global state of affairs.
How do I use a quotation in my introduction?
- Another good hook is using a quotation as a way to stimulate the interest of the reader. Using a
quotation as a hook suggests that you have researched and thought about your topic. Avoid
using quotations that are very lengthy or too complex. Avoid opening with a quotation from a
dictionary. If you need help finding a quotation try: www.coolquotes.com.
Example:
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H.L. Mencken defined ‘Puritanism’ as “the haunting fear that someone,
somewhere, may be happy.” The clerks at the Department of Motor Vehicles
must be puritans. They seem to do their best to see that each person who comes
in to get a license or registration, has to wind through a confusing maze of lines,
must wait an eternity for help, and has to remain standing the entire time.
Therefore, it is imperative that the Department of Motor Vehicles should expand
their budget, hire more clerks, open more windows, and offer more seats in the
waiting room.
Always make sure you can a). understand and can paraphrase your quote and b). You’re making
a connection between the quote and your topic.
HOOK
How do I use a shocking fact in my introduction?
- A shocking or startling fact is a good hook to use because it is often the best way to grab the
reader’s attention. A surprising or shocking fact makes your readers curious and they will want
to continue reading your essay. When using this technique, it is sometimes a good idea to
include the source of your information. Make sure the fact is related to your topic.
Example:
HOOK
Fully half the fatal automobile accidents in Maryland involve a drunk
driver, according to the State Division of Motor Vehicles. We should support
concerned citizens who are now demanding that three strict laws be passed to
alleviate this problem. The state should pass these laws which crack down on
drunk driving by taking away the licenses of repeat offenders, allowing for more
jail time in cases of a DUI arrest, and increasing drunk driving fines and penalties
for first-time offenders.
How do I use statistics in my introduction?
- A statistic works the same way as a shocking fact; it will add emphasis to the topic of your
essay and will stimulate the interest of your readers. Once again, it’s a good idea to include the
source of your information.
Example:
HOOK
Television is so popular that over 128 million sets are now being use in 98
percent of American households. According to the A.C. Nielsen Company,
which takes television surveys, each week the small screen holds the attention of
children under five for an average of 23.5 hours and adults for an average of 44
hours. Indeed, the typical viewer spends more time on any other activity except
sleep. Yet, far from being the ‘idiot box’ that it is often called, television offers
viewers many benefits. Television may be educational as well as entertaining.
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Things NOT to do in an introductory paragraph:
- Never apologize. Never suggest that you don’t know what you’re talking about, that you’re not
enough of an expert in this matter or that your opinion doesn’t count. This causes the reader to
lose interest in your paper.
Avoid phrases like:
In my humble opinion . . .
I’m not sure about his, but . . .
I think that . . .
I believe that . . .
It is my opinion . . .
- Never announce your intentions. Do not flatly announce what you are about to do in your
essay. Get into the topic and let your reader perceive the purpose in the topic sentence or thesis
statement.
Avoid phrases like:
In this paper I will . . .
The purpose of this essay is to . . .
I intend to discuss . . .
This paper aims to talk about . . .
I want to discuss . . .
- Never use a dictionary or encyclopedia definition. THIS MEANS NO WIKIPEDIA! Although
definitions are extremely useful and it might serve your purpose to devise your own definitions
later in the essay, you should avoid using an everyday, worn-out definition. Create one of your
own.
- Never dilly-dally. Just get to the point! Move your essay along confidently. The longer you
take to get to your topic the more likely it is that you will get off-topic and lose the reader’s
interest.
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2). Introduce the author and the title of the work:
Example:
In William Shakespeare’s, Elizabethan play , Hamlet, he has a narrow definition of women.
3). Background information
This gives your reader some context or background information for your thesis.
During the Elizabethan period women had few rights; they could neither own property nor ask for a
divorce. Women were not even able to vote in elections until 400 years after Shakespeare’s death.
Furthermore, it was deemed inappropriate for women to act in Shakespeare’s or any Elizabethan plays for
that matter. In turn, the female parts were played by pre-pubescent boys.
4). Thesis statement:
This is the main idea of your whole essay, without a thesis you have no claim, no argument, no
essay.
Example:
Most of Shakespeare’s female characters lack depth and are perceived in one of two ways, as a heartless
seductress, or a weak innocent.
5).Optional transition sentence, introducing ideas for next paragraph.
Example:
The two main female characters in Hamlet are Ophelia, who is the young daughter to the advisor
to King Claudius, and Queen Gertrude, the wife of King Claudius and former wife of King
Hamlet.
II.
The body paragraph:
1. The topic sentence:
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Your topic sentence is like a mini-thesis statement, a sub-topic of your thesis, which will
include a transition. This is a claim you will evidence with quotes and back up with
commentary.
Example:
A). When Hamlet finds out his mother, Gertrude, remarried within three months of his
father’s funeral he begins to have a hateful attitude towards her, which skews the way he
feels about Ophelia and her ilk.
This topic sentence and by extension, paragraph would provide context and maybe even a
counter or justification for hamlet’s behavior. Be sure if you do this it doesn’t undermine
your argument.
B). At the beginning of the play Ophelia is introduced as a confused weak young lady,
who happens to be in love with Prince Hamlet.
2). the quote:
You want to make sure the quote you choose evidences or proofs your topic sentence.
You want to make sure you signal your quote and cite in MLA format.
Example:
Signal: Ophelia admits to her father that Hamlet had poured out his feelings to her to
which Polonius responds that he “ would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,/
Have [her] so slander any moment leisure,/ As to give words or talk with the Lord
Hamlet.” (I.iii.55-57).
3). The commentary/analysis:
You never leave a quote naked. Your commentary proves that your quote backs up your
claim/topic sentence. A great ratio to remember:
For every quote you insert you should have two commentary sentences. This ensure there
are more of your own words than someone else’s via quotes.
Example:
Ophelia immediately replies that she will obey. Although women had few options than to
obey their fathers, she still could have put up some semblance of an argument. This
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proves she has no backbone whatsoever.
III.
The Conclusion:
Your conclusion should not merely parrot your introduction or your thesis, but instead
should connect to some larger universal ideas related to your theme. In doing so you
answer the “so what” question at the end of your essay. Make sure your conclusion has a
conclusive transition that does not include any variation of the word “conclude.”
Example:
Women:
Obviously, the women of today are no longer viewed so narrowly, but
Shakespeare’s plays serve as constant reminder of a time when women were restrained
by society. Shakespeare’s perception mirrored that of Elizabethan society. Overall,
women have been viewed as inferior to men since the dawn of time, dating back to the
Garden of Eden, when Eve was blamed for Man’s fall. Only within the last century have
women made strides for equality, starting with the nineteenth amendment, which finally
gave women a voice.
Suicide:
In the end, although Hamlet seems to accept his own tragic ending, he doesn’t act
on his suicidal thoughts. Rather he makes a half-hearted attempt to fight and loses the
battle. Through Hamlet, Shakespeare addresses the everyday struggles of the human
condition, and although life is sometimes overwhelmingly difficult, most of us (like
Hamlet) decide to continue living. Tragically Hamlet did not recover from his losses and
he self destructed. Life is full of triumphs and defeats and it’s how we respond to those
defeats that determines our resiliency.
Madness:
Ultimately, Hamlet’s “antic position” backfired and overcame him. The human mind is a
powerful thing, but Hamlet was not mentally strong enough to battle his own psychosis. If
someone “acts” or puts on a mask long enough it transforms them into something
unrecognizable. In the end Hamlet perceives his “madness” as a dual personality of which
he has no control. Even today at a time when we have made great strides in understanding
the human mind, we have stilled just touched the tip of the iceberg and we may never
understand everything there is to know about the complexities and power of the human
brain.