Writing a literary analysis paragraph

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Writing a literary analysis paragraph

• Its easier than you think!

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Why are we doing this?

• Helps answer a question we ask about the text
  FULLY
• Helps elaborate our ideas
• Helps organize our thoughts
• You will sound terrifically smart and be wildly
  successful
• Well use this same format when writing body
  paragraphs for essays
• Arent you excited?

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Step 1 Topic sentence

• The first sentence is the topic sentence
• It tells your reader what your main argument or
  claim is.
• Should answer a question
• Below, I answer the question What type of person
  is Sheila in The Bass, the River, and Sheila
  Mant?"
• Try to use the title of the work you are
  referencing in the topic sentence
• EX
• In The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant,
  Sheila is a self-centered girl who unwittingly
  costs the narrator the fish of a lifetime.

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Step 2 Evidence

• There should be at least 2 pieces of evidence in
  a paragraph.
• Show that the argument you make in the topic
  sentence is true
• Uses specific evidence (quotes) to help support
  the point youre making.
• Make sure you LINK (show) how the evidence proves
  your argument to be true.

• EX In the story, Sheila is unaware that the
  narrator is interested in her, despite the fact
  that he watches her spend her days sunbathing on
  a float Uncle Sierbert had moored in their cove.
  It is clear that the narrator is around Sheila
  all of the time because he knows her routine and
  becomes an expert on her moods, but in all that
  time Shelia learns nothing of the narrator.
  Furthermore, Shelia is so caught up in her own
  interests that she does not notice the narrators
  fishing pole on their date and rudely says that
  fishing is definitely dumb. If she were not so
  self-centered she would have seen the pole and
  remained silent.

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Step 3 Concluding sentence

• Recaps/summarizes your argument
• Dont assume the reader knows how your support
  fits your argument.
• Dont leave me hangin! or Connect the dots
• EX Sheila shows that she only thinks about
  herself, which ultimately keeps a relationship
  from developing between herself and the narrator.

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Add them all together.
Topic sentence

• In The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant,
  Sheila is a self-centered girl who unwittingly
  costs the narrator the fish of a lifetime. In the
  story, Sheila is unaware that the narrator is
  interested in her, despite the fact that he
  watches her spend her days sunbathing on a float
  Uncle Sierbert had moored in their cove. It is
  clear that the narrator is around Sheila all of
  the time because he knows her routine and becomes
  an expert on her moods, but in all that time
  Shelia learns nothing of the narrator.
  Furthermore, Shelia is so caught up in her own
  interests that she does not notice the narrators
  fishing pole on their date and rudely says that
  fishing is definitely dumb. If she were not so
  self-centered she would have seen the pole and
  remained silent. Sheila shows that she only
  thinks about herself, which ultimately keeps a
  relationship from developing between herself and
  the narrator.

Ev i dence
Concluding sentence
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YOUR TURN. MWAHAHAHA

• Using the template Ive given you, write a
  paragraph answering the following question
• In the story The Bass, the River, and Sheila
  Mant what does the bass symbolize to the
  narrator?
• If you answered the question fully, you should
  have a good start at an analysis paragraph
• Part 1 Topic Sentence
• Part 2 Evidence (with links to the topic)
• Part 3 Concluding sentence