Literature Bootcamp 101
Learning Objective:
Students will develop a basic working understanding of literature
analysis skills.
What is literature analysis?
• Literature analysis is a breakdown of the story to develop a
deeper understanding of the literature.
• Analysis is usually a reader’s interpretation of a theme of the
literature.
• Literature analysis determines the techniques used by the
author to create a certain effect on the reader in order to
interpret or understand the story- or the author’s intent.
• When writing or presenting a literary analysis, it is
important to use the appropriate “jargon” to express our
ideas or interpretations.
Plot Structure:
Plot structure: What is it good for?
• Use plot structure to discuss:
– Story development
– Character development
– Theme development
– Usually plot structures are in sequential order and are causal (cause and
effect).
• Beware of flashbacks, flash-forward's, and foreshadows. These are used to give
necessary background information, but may throw off the sequence of a story. These
should be discussed as separate elements of literary analysis.
Create a plot structure for 1984, by Orwell.
Create a plot structure for KR:
Consider the question:
As Amir remembers an Afghan celebration in which a sheep must be
sacrificed, he talks about seeing the sheep’s eyes moments before its
death.
“I don’t know why I watch this yearly ritual in our backyard;
my nightmares persist long after the bloodstains on the grass have
faded. But I always watch, I watch because of that look of
acceptance in the animal’s eyes. Absurdly, I imagine the animal
understands. I imagine the animal sees that its imminent demise
is for a higher purpose.”
Why do you think Amir recalls this memory when he witnesses
Hassan’s tragedy in the alleyway? Amir recollects the memory again
toward the end of the novel when he sees Sohrab in the home of the
Taliban. Discuss the image in the context of the novel.
Discuss the character development of Amir using
the pyramid structure
Hassan in the
alleyway
Sohrab in the home
of the Taliban
Memory of the
slaughtered sheep
Annotating. When you break it down,
what are you looking for?
Learning objective:
Students will learn to apply annotation of literature
in literature analysis.
Emergency words:
 Diction
 Denotation
 Connotation
 Symbolism
 Imagery
 Vocabulary from basic literary elements (plot structure,
setting, character, tone, mood, atmosphere, etc).
How does the opening line of 1984 by George
Orwell begin the establishment of our story?
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were
striking thirteen.
The Beginning:
 It was a pleasure to burn.
-Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
 It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in
possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
-Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
 Call me Ishmael.
-Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Dog Story by Ms. Old
 Warm Up: Create a plot structure diagram for the Dog
Story.
 Practice activity:
 Identify how the author uses repetition within the story.
Explain the purpose or effect of the technique within the
story. Write an analytical paragraph in response.
 Your paragraph should include a quote or example, have a
central assertion (topic sentence), supporting sentences,
and a conclusion sentence.
In the “Dog Story”, Ms. Old wrote, “It was almost nice, almost
sweet, the trust we had in each other in that moment. She trusted I
wouldn’t leave her to die alone. I knew it. I trusted her to die quickly. She
knew it.” Ms. Old uses repetition in this passage that creates an emphasis
on the finality of the act occurring in this scene. The choice and repetition
of the words “seemed” and “almost” emphasizes the tone of uncertainty
and the sense of an illusion and disconnect that has developed
throughout the story. Further, the repetition of the word “trust” emphasizes
the illusion that occurs for both the narrator and the dog in this final scene
that mirrors the totality of the death occurring in the resolution. However,
the short sentences changes the pacing of the closing scene; “I knew it”
and “she knew it” are concise with clear diction, emphasizing what was
known and accepted versus the contrast with the longer sentences that
are filled with uncertainty. This contrast further emphasizes the finality of
the death of the dog.