Writing A howto guide Literary Analysis Writing Format

Literary Analysis Writing Format • Introduction: • Start with an attention getter. For literary

Continued… • Body Paragraphs: You need a separate body paragraph for each point you

Literary Essay Outline • Your Essay will start with an introductory paragraph. • Thesis:

Continued… I. • • • Third main point (Topic sentence): Final stages of the

Points to remember • Never use 2 nd person pronouns (you, your, you’re, yourself).

Continued… • If you are about to run out of room on a line,

Slides: 7

Download presentation

Writing : A how-to guide

Literary Analysis Writing Format • Introduction: • Start with an attention getter. For literary analysis, this should be some background information related to the piece of literature being analyzed: • Definition of the heroic journey pattern • Examples and explanations of movies/ books that fit the pattern • Background of Joseph Campbell (created/ defined the pattern) • Remember that your attention getter must effectively “hook” your reader. If it is boring to you, it will be boring to your reader. • Transition to your thesis. You must make the connection between your attention getter and your thesis for your reader. • Thesis Statement: This is your statement that your book or movie fits the pattern of the hero on a journey. • • • Should be ONE sentence Should NOT contain “I think” or “I believe. ” Should also NOT refer to your paper as in “In this paper, I will prove…” Should be the last sentence of your introduction Should only argue ONE side of the issue

Continued… • Body Paragraphs: You need a separate body paragraph for each point you intend to make. • Transition: single word, phrase, or hook • Topic Sentence: This is a statement of your first point. • Must relate point to thesis • Must come early in the paragraph • Evidence- these are the examples of each step of the hero’s journey from your book or movie. • Must be clear how evidence supports your topic sentence • Concluding statement: This is the same as your topic sentence, just in different words • Conclusion: • A restatement of your thesis (in different words). • Clincher statement: Explains how understanding the pattern of the hero on a journey has improved your reading or analytical skills.

Literary Essay Outline • Your Essay will start with an introductory paragraph. • Thesis: sentence that contains the focus of your essay and tells your reader what the essay is going to be about. • You will have at least 3 body paragraphs. I. • • • II. • • • First main point (Topic sentence): Early stages of the journey Example (ordinary world) Example (call to adventure) Example (refusal of the call) Example (meeting the mentor) Concluding sentence Second main point (Topic sentence): Middle stages of the journey Example (crossing the threshold) Example (tests, allies, and enemies) Example (the approach) Example (the ordeal) Concluding sentence

Continued… I. • • • Third main point (Topic sentence): Final stages of the journey Example (the reward) Example (the road back) Example (the resurrection) Example (the return with the elixir) Concluding sentence • Your essay will end with a concluding paragraph. • The concluding paragraph should restate the main points without repeating them verbatim.

Points to remember • Never use 2 nd person pronouns (you, your, you’re, yourself). • Use 3 rd person pronouns instead (he, she, it, they, their, his, hers, theirs, one, people, etc. ) • 1 st person pronouns should only be used when you are being asked for your opinion. • Sentences begin with capital letters and end with punctuation (period, exclamation point, question mark). • Proper nouns (names of people or places, titles, etc. ) should always be capitalized. • All paragraphs should contain at least 5 -7 sentences. • NO TEXT LINGO, SYMBOLS, OR ABBREVIATIONS!!!

Continued… • If you are about to run out of room on a line, do not hyphenate a word and finish on the next line; skip to the next line and write the entire word. • For example: Hyphenating words is not part of formal writing; if one’s word is too long to fit on the line, one must skip to the next line and write the entire word. • When referencing an author, only use his/her last name. • Unless you know someone personally, it is never appropriate to call them by their first name. • Your writing should not be formulaic… • For example: • Introduction: I believe (blah) because (reason 1, reason 2, reason 3). • 1 st body paragraph: My first reason is (blah). • 2 nd body paragraph: My second reason is (blah). • 3 rd body paragraph: My third reason is (blah). • Conclusion: In conclusion, (blah).