Hooks- the key to a great essay.
Imagery, Anecdote or Narrative: People are drawn to stories—consider opening with a descriptive anecdote to draw the reader into the topic. Make sure what you write is relevant to the thesis!
What NOT to do: Imagine…
Funnel (Generalization to Specificity): Consider a generalization that can be made about your thesis—what universal statement is implied in your thesis? Open with this generalization, then focus in on a specific.
What NOT to do: Since the dawn of mankind…
Relevant Quotation (rarely done well): Two keys to success with a quotation: (1) choose one that is relevant to your overall point and (2) make sure to transition into your synopsis.
What NOT to do: “Life is a box of chocolates,” –Forrest Gump. The animals on Animal Farm…
What NOT to do: Blood! Gore! Throats torn out! … Or something equally as unnecessarily gory.
Rhetorical Question: If done poorly, a question as a hook can ruin a paper. However, it is possible to pose a question that does engage the reader.
 The key: the whole essay should be aimed at developing an answer to that question.
 Never ask a question directly to the reader using “you”!
 Never ask “Have you ever…?”
 Never ask “What if…?”
 Have you ever seen a pig walking on two legs?
 What if the animals on a farm overthrew the farmer?
 What would you do if you noticed rules were changed?
Bridges- build the link between the hook and the thesis
When writing a literary analysis essay, the purpose of the bridge is to provide a summary of the text the writer focuses on in the essay. For example,
In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding a group of British school boys find themselves stranded on an island. The boys struggle to stay alive and maintain a civilized state and their morality is tested as their society begins to fall apart.
Thesis statements- the purpose of the essay
Many struggle with thesis statements but never fear, thesis statements are easy. They are essentially the main point of the essay. When completing a literary analysis essay, answer the following question? What statement do I want to make about the character or idea I am analyzing?

For example if completing a character analysis essay, your thesis should reflect the following:
Jack proved to have weak morals and once his surroundings changed and no longer supported his moral beliefs, he lost control of himself and became the savage no one ever believes they will become.
Based on this statement, I can expect the essay to be about Jack’s weak morals, the changing of his surroundings and his loss of control.
A very basic but effective thesis statement is the “three prong” thesis. For most high school writing, it will suffice, though more sophisticated writers learn to transcend this. You might remember it’s ancestor: “My paper will be about puppies, kittens, and hotpockets…” where the thesis hints that paragraph one will be about puppies, paragraph two will be about kittens, and paragraph three, for some reason, will be about hotpockets.
This essential structure is fine, but you have to get away from the “my paper will be about” inclination
The HANDLE contains the root assertion or proposition, while the PRONGS establish the supporting propositions.
The handle prongs
The body paragraphs….. the meat
Essentially, each body paragraph reflects each part of the thesis, however, some writers need more structure. Below are some options for your essay:
Option 1
Body Paragraph #1: explanation of your moral beliefs and how they relate to the character you are analyzing.
Body Paragraph #2: Analysis of the character’s moral beliefs- provide concrete details as to how the character demonstrated these beliefs in various situations.
Body Paragraph #3: Analyze your beliefs in relation to the character’s. Why might you disagree with his choices? Why might you agree? Is there a grey area?
Option 2
Body Paragraph #1: Analysis of the character’s moral beliefs- provide concrete details as to how the character demonstrated these beliefs in various situations.
Body Paragraph #2: explanation of your moral beliefs and how they relate to the character you are analyzing.
Body Paragraph #3: Analyze your beliefs in relation to the character’s. Why might you disagree with his choices? Why might you agree? Is there a grey area?