Literary Analysis
Essay
The Document Based Essay (DBE)
MLA Format Review
It should be:
O Typed, double spaced, margins set at 1 inch all around
O Ordinary font (such as Times New Roman), 12 pt.
O Black ink on white paper
It should have:
O Page HEADERS in the upper right of the page, with your last name
followed by page number
O
Use INSERT PAGE and then type your name in front of the number
O Paper HEADING in the upper left corner of the 1st page
O Name
O Teacher
O class info
O Due date
O A creative, relevant title, centered just above the start of the paper, no
bolding, quotes, italics, etc.
O No cover page
Tips for a Terrific Title
Always write a clever — but not overly cute — title that includes:
O Your topic
O The author
O The text’s title
For your title, consider…
O Alliteration
(repeated first sounds in a series of words:
O Consonance
(repeated consonant sounds: dark, deep, dread)
O Assonance
(repeated vowel sounds : fleet, sheep, sweep, geek)
O Oxymoron
(putting two contradictory words together)
O Irony
O Metaphor
O Simile
An Example…
O Prejudice, Paternalism, and Pride in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of
Venice
The Introduction
Paragraph
The Introduction Basics
O Your paper title must be connected to your
thesis, which
comes at the end of your introduction.
The introduction also includes:
O A hook
O A relevant context
O A ‘pivot point’
O And, finally, a thesis
O The Introduction is ‘Funnel-Shaped’ – It starts
BROADLY by connecting with the audience, finishes
NARROWLY, with your thesis.
Get my attention!
The Hook
O It should be one to three sentences that capture your
reader’s attention.
O Avoid being overly dramatic, but consider the same
literary devices you consider for your title, in addition
to a relevant quote or question.
O This should be about the TOPIC of your essay, NOT
the text
Tell me about your topic…
Relevant Context
O This part of the intro is several sentences that establish
a relevant, real-world context for your TOPIC.
Possibilities for this section include:
O Historical context
O Cultural commentary
O Anecdote
Get to the Point Already!
The Pivot-Point
O This sentence signals a move forward to the thesis.
O This is the FIRST TIME in your introduction that you
should mention THE TEXT.
O Purpose = connect the relevant context to the thesis
The Thesis
O This IS the sentence that “powers” your entire essay.
O It is a declarative (stated as fact), but
arguable statement.
How do I write a THESIS??
O Establish your topic.
O Narrow Your Topic.
O Put your topic in a sentence.
O Add your argument, viewpoint, or opinion to your
topic to make your thesis arguable.
Essay introductions also include a statement of
“projected organization,” typically in three parts (to
correspond with body paragraphs). Frequently, this is
tacked on to the beginning or ending of the thesis
statement.
Sample Introduction
O The PROMPT:
In The Crucible, Arthur Miller suggests that
sacrifices may be necessary to restore the
social order. Discuss the necessary sacrifices
made by at least two of the play’s characters,
analyzing why they were necessary. Be sure to
choose sacrifices that are similar in nature.
O The ESSAY TOPIC:
Sacrifice
Example Intro for this prompt
Sacrifice is a vital part of life and progress.
Without sacrifice, there would never be gain or
change. There are many examples of sacrifice
throughout history. Civil Rights activists like Rosa
Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. sacrificed their
personal liberties to evoke change in race
relations. This notion of sacrifice is explored in the
characters of Arthur Miller’s drama The Crucible.
John Proctor sacrifices his reputation, religion, and
ultimately his life to restore order in the Salem
community.
Relevant
Context
Your Task…
O Choose an essay prompt
O Create a possible thesis for that prompt
O Craft an introduction which includes the 4 parts that we
just discussed.
Watch of for Introduction Pitfalls…
O Do not praise the author or text, as in “this is a great play
by Arthur Miller.”
O Do not state your intention, as in “In this paper I will…”
or “This paper will explore…”
O This will be collected for a grade!!
The Body Paragraphs
The Body
O Typically consist of 3 sections, each of which
may contain one or more paragraphs.
O Sections are presented in the exact order that
they are presented in the projected
organization in the thesis.
O Each section begins with a topic sentence which
specifically relates to the thesis.
Stay on Topic!
Topic Sentences
O EACH should reflect back to your thesis, and
determine the focus of your paragraph.
Textual Support
O EACH of your body paragraphs should have
specific textual support (QUOTES) to prove you
thesis.
O If your quotes do not related back to your thesis,
you should not include them in your paper.
Quote Incorporation: I-C-E
O
Introduce— lead into your quote by providing
context from the source that will
flow into your selected quote
O Cite (Quote)—Pulled directly from the book and
cited properly
O Explain—
Explain what the quote proves. But
do NOT say “this quote proves…”!!!
O Quotes must be embedded smoothly, not just
dropped in with no context.
Quoting DOs and DON’Ts
DO:
O properly punctuate your quote
O span the book
O include the author’s last name & page number of the quote in parentheses
(Miller 100)
O have some context to indicate important aspects of the plot surrounding the
quote
O use present tense:
O
O
O
When the judge jails (not jailed those that confess…
When John confesses (not confessed) to adultery…
As the weighty people of Salem stand (not stood) upon the scaffold…
DO NOT:
O use 1st (I, me) or 2nd (you) person. ONLY use 3rd (she, he, they) person.
O quote things that are irrelevant to your thesis
O include a lot of plot summary - only describe enough plot to give context for
the passages you quote to support your arguments.
Your Task…
O Put your thesis at the top of a blank sheet of
paper.
O Create topic sentences for each of your 3
supporting sections
O Provide at least 1 quote from the text for each
section. Use the I-C-E method to write each
quote. Be sure to include a proper in-text
citation for each quote.
The Conclusion
Wrap it up…
O The concluding paragraph should leave your reader
with the impression that you have successfully made
your case.
O First, briefly summarize the book’s ending and its
relevance to your overall thesis (this also allows you to
restate your thesis in a fresh way).
O Next, reverse your pivot point from introduction.
O Finally, try to provide a “clincher” that reaches back to
the “hook” in the introduction, thus allowing your
essay to come “full circle.”
Rough Draft DUE DATE
O A FULL, TYPED rough draft of your paper is
DUE JANUARY 15th
O Your draft and the work we do with it on
January 15th will be worth a QUIZ GRADE.
O No draft on January 15th = a ZERO
Final Draft Reminders
O Grammar Check
O NO contractions (it’s should be it is)
O NO 1st or 2nd person (I or you)
O Make sure all sentences are complete sentences –
subject and predicate
O Keep your writing in PRESENT TENSE
O Address characters and the author by using their
LAST NAME or their FULL NAME
O The play title is either underlined or in italics
O Quote Check
O DO NOT begin a sentence with a quote
O Include proper citations – author’s last name and
the page number on which the quote is found in
parenthesis – period after the citation
Works Cited Page
O Works Cited Page
O Separate page
O Title, centered
O Includes all sources used in the paper
O Source information for The Crucible
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Books,
1982. Print
O http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl
Final Draft DUE
January 23, 2015
O No EMAILS
O DO NOT ask to print during class
O Paper MUST be in class during your class period to be
considered on time
O We will NOT accept papers for a late grade after
January 29th.
O ANY PLAGIARISM will receive an F