Literary Analysis Introductory Paragraph Elements of an Introductory

Literary Analysis Introductory Paragraph

Elements of an Introductory Paragraph • Hook/Grabber • Bridge Sentence • Thesis • Titles of texts with authors’ first and last names • Restatement of the prompt with your claim • Concluding sentence

Attention Grabbers are designed to intrigue your audience and to make them want to continue reading your writing piece.

You can do this by… • using an anecdote- a brief story that relates to the topic • using a rhetorical question designed to arouse curiosity without requiring an answer • using an unexpected fact or statistic to shock your audience • using a Word With Thought (definition) Once you have the attention of the audience, introduce the topic and state your thesis.

Prompt After reading the short story "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros and the poem "On Turning Ten" by Billy Collins, think about how both authors create imagery through the use of specific word choice and figurative language to reveal both Rachel’s and the speaker’s thoughts about growing up. As you compare and contrast how both texts use specific word choice and figurative language to show their perspectives of growing up. Be sure use specific evidence from both texts to support your analyses.

Example Introductory Paragraph The perfectly decorated red-velvet birthday cake sits on the table. There's music and pretty boxes in wrapping paper. The birthday girl stares at the candles, shaped like numbers. The sparkling flames proclaim another birthday is at hand. Although birthday parties are joyous occasions, birthdays also represent the passage of time. Birthdays are often times when individuals think about what it means to be another year older. The short story entitled "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros and the poem entitled "On Turning Ten" by Billy Collins reveal how the main character, Rachel, and the speaker of the poem feel about growing up. Cisneros and Collins create two unique perspectives about growing up through their characters. Cisneros suggests that growing up is a positive experience that ought to bring confidence and maturity. On the other hand, Collins suggests that growing up is a negative experience. He creates a speaker who sees growing up as a time of loss, a time when the freedoms of childhood are extinguished by the realities of adulthood. Both authors show growing up can stir up a variety of emotions.

Elements of an Body Paragraph • Include topic sentence –refer back to thesis and include the title of the text • If needed, provide background information to recap • Provide a minimum of TWO exact quotes to support your topic sentence • Follow each direct quote with your own explanation/elaboration • If you can, weave the text evidence with your explanation, much like our example.

Example Body Paragraph • [In the story entitled "Eleven", Cisneros uses a variety of symbols to show the reader that young people expect growing older will make them more confident and wiser. ] Cisneros suggests this perspective through her main character, Rachel. When Rachel reflects on a horrible event that happens on her eleventh birthday, she wishes she had been one hundred and two instead of eleven "because then I would have known what to say to Mrs. Price when she put the red sweater on my desk. ” From this comment, the reader can infer that Rachel believes growing up is the same as growing more confident and bolder. In addition, the reader can see that Rachel thinks of growing up as a process of adding new experiences that help one become wiser throughout life. Several symbolic images support the idea of wisdom garnered with age. First, Rachel compares growing older to “an onion” and “the rings of a tree trunk. ” These images share the concept of layering. This suggests that an individual’s life experiences are layered one upon the other and allow one to grow in wisdom. Second, Rachel compares growing older to “little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other. ” This image also seems to symbolize the accumulation of experiences, which build upon one another. Lastly, Rachel suggests that she wishes she had more that eleven years "rattling inside me like pennies inside a tin Band-Aid box. ” Cisneros's use of this simile and her use of the word rattling, give the reader a sense of how empty Rachel feels with only eleven years inside her. The reader can infer that Rachel feels she doesn’t have enough experience and wisdom to navigate the challenge she faces with Mrs. Price and the red sweater. [In short, Cisneros uses these symbolic images to create a character who clearly sees growing older as a positive event because it develops wisdom and confidence. ]

Elements of an Concluding Paragraph begin with a transition, e. g. , in conclusion, to sum it up, to conclude, in summation + restatement of thesis • restate the points made in essay • answer the question “so what? ” Why should the reader care about the topic? •

Example of a Concluding Paragraph In conclusion, both Cisneros and Collins create characters who have different perspectives about growing older. In sharing Rachel's opinion on growing older, Cisneros uses a variety of positive symbolic images to create a character who believes that with age she will become sage-like and able to deal with any circumstance. On the other hand, Collins uses negative symbolic images that lead the reader to believe growing up is a melancholy loss of childhood. The authors’ differing perspectives on growing up give readers a lot to ponder. Is growing up a time of confidence or is growing up a time of destruction?