Literary Analysis Sentence Outline: Archetypes
Example:
Thesis: In the films National Treasure and Back to the Future, screenwriters use various archetypes to
convey the universal themes of redemption, commitment, and adventure.
I. The redeeming qualities of human nature become unearthed throughout these two epic
films.
A. On the quest to find and protect the treasure, Ben seems to prove himself to others.
1. Ben’s dad finally expresses to him how proud he is of his achievements and
efforts.
2. The Gates family name is known among government officials and American
history scholars as a bunch of conspiracy theorists; however, this changes when
Ben asks for the credit of the treasure find to go to his family.
B. Marty, Doc Brown and George McFly are put into a series of situations that require them to redeem
themselves.
1. Doc Brown involves Marty into another adventure that focuses on repairing
damage done by Marty’s future kids.
2. In order to gain the affection of his future wife, George defends his honor and
becomes seen as a desirable man by Lorraine when he punches Biff at the end of
the film.
The Formula: Embedding Quotes
1. Tell me what you are going to say. (These are your 1. and 2. statements on your sentence outline.)
2. Say it! (either through a quote or paraphrase) Be very careful just to include the aspects of the quote and
information that specifically proves your point. Any quote that is longer than four lines typed is out. If you
can’t prove your point through a quote in that amount of time, you need to paraphrase instead. When
selecting a quote in general, pick the one that serves as the best example of text support for your point.
3. Tell me why you said it.
This is a biggie and super important! This sentence or set of sentences is meant to analyze and
synthesize the information that you have already presented. What does the quote show? Why is it
important? How does it affect the message or purpose of the work? What were the author’s
intentions when having the action go this way? How do you know that? What does this tell us
about the character(s)? Focus on diction, tone, etc. Dig deep…analyze closely…do not simply
rephrase your “Tell-me-what-you-are-going-to-say” sentence—that’s a no-no.
Disclaimer: This is an example. You may not use the content in your paper in any way, shape, or form.
The “Tell-me-what-you-are-going-to-say-sentence” is in bold type. The “Say it!” sentence is italicized. And
the “Tell-me-why-you-said-it” part is underlined.
From I. A. 1. (This corresponds to the sentence outline example on the previous page.)
Ben’s dad finally expresses to him how proud he is of his achievements and efforts. Just upon
entering what the hero and his hunting companions think is the treasure chamber, Ben’s father has a
revelation that his son and own dad had not been crazy all along, as they pursued the treasure. Ben’s dad
says to him “I’ve never been more proud of you than I am right now.” All of the years of defending to his
father that the treasure does, in fact, exist shows that the Father-Son Conflict becomes resolved in this
instant.
Now you do it….
From I. B. 2. (Re-write the sentence from the example sentence outline.)
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