SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips,Analytical Essay Outline
WebJun 18, · Create an introductory paragraph that ends with the thesis, make a body paragraph for each of your main points, including both analysis and evidence to back up WebAug 28, · Like all essays, a rhetorical analysis begins with an introduction. The introduction tells readers what text you’ll be discussing, provides relevant background WebTo write a good compare-and-contrast paper, you must take your raw data—the similarities and differences you've observed—and make them cohere into a Web1. Your essay must cover the topic you are writing about. 2. Your essay must have a central idea (stated in your thesis) that governs its development. 3. Your essay must be ... read more
Begin by rephrasing your thesis and summarizing the main points you made in the essay. Someone who reads just your conclusion should be able to come away with a basic idea of what your essay was about and how it was structured. A conclusion will include:. Follow these five tips to break down writing an analytical essay into manageable steps. All of these steps use the completed analytical essay in the next section as an example. Before you decide on an analytical essay topic, do a bit of research to make sure you have enough examples to support your analysis. You need to choose a topic that allows you to analyze the theme. You could write about how Steinbeck used literary devices throughout the whole book, but, in the essay below, I chose to just focus on the intercalary chapters since they gave me enough examples.
Having a narrower focus will nearly always result in a tighter and more convincing essay and can make compiling examples less overwhelming. When you begin writing, remember that each sentence in your analytical essay should relate back to your thesis. In the analytical essay example below, the thesis is the final sentence of the first paragraph the traditional spot for it. How Steinbeck used literary devices in the intercalary chapters to show how rough migrants could have it. Crystal clear. This is where you determine the bulk of your analysis--the information that makes your essay an analytical essay. My preferred method is to list every idea that I can think of, then research each of those and use the three or four strongest ones for your essay. A good rule of thumb is to have one body paragraph per main point.
This essay has four main points, each of which analyzes a different literary device Steinbeck uses to better illustrate how difficult life was for migrants during the Dust Bowl. The four literary devices and their impact on the book are:. Now that you have your main points, you need to back them up. Any evidence that would work for a regular research paper works here. In this example, I quoted multiple passages from The Grapes of Wrath in each paragraph to support my argument. You should be able to back up every claim you make with evidence in order to have a strong essay.
Create an introductory paragraph that ends with the thesis, make a body paragraph for each of your main points, including both analysis and evidence to back up your claims, and wrap it all up with a conclusion that recaps your thesis and main points and potentially explains the big picture importance of the topic. One way Steinbeck illustrates the connections all migrant people possessed and the struggles they faced is by refraining from using specific titles and names in his intercalary chapters. While The Grapes of Wrath focuses on the Joad family, the intercalary chapters show that all migrants share the same struggles and triumphs as the Joads.
No individual names are used in these chapters; instead the people are referred to as part of a group. By using generic terms, Steinbeck shows how the migrants are all linked because they have gone through the same experiences. The grievances committed against one family were committed against thousands of other families; the abuse extends far beyond what the Joads experienced. The Grapes of Wrath frequently refers to the importance of coming together; how, when people connect with others their power and influence multiplies immensely. Throughout the novel, the goal of the migrants, the key to their triumph, has been to unite. Hundreds of thousands of migrants fled to the promised land of California, but Steinbeck was aware that numbers alone were impersonal and lacked the passion he desired to spread.
Steinbeck created the intercalary chapters to show the massive numbers of people suffering, and he created the Joad family to evoke compassion from readers. Because readers come to sympathize with the Joads, they become more sensitive to the struggles of migrants in general. However, John Steinbeck frequently made clear that the Joads were not an isolated incident; they were not unique. Their struggles and triumphs were part of something greater. Refraining from specific names in his intercalary chapters allows Steinbeck to show the vastness of the atrocities committed against migrants.
Steinbeck also creates significant parallels to the Bible in his intercalary chapters in order to enhance his writing and characters. By using simple sentences and stylized writing, Steinbeck evokes Biblical passages. Throughout his novel, John Steinbeck makes connections to the Bible through his characters and storyline. Starving migrants become more than destitute vagrants; they are now the chosen people escaping to the promised land. When a forgotten man dies alone and unnoticed, it becomes a tragedy. It is easy for people to feel disdain for shabby vagabonds, but connecting them to such a fundamental aspect of Christianity induces sympathy from readers who might have otherwise disregarded the migrants as so many other people did.
The simple, uneducated dialogue Steinbeck employs also helps to create a more honest and meaningful representation of the migrants, and it makes the migrants more relatable to readers. Steinbeck chooses to accurately represent the language of the migrants in order to more clearly illustrate their lives and make them seem more like real paper than just characters in a book. There are multiple grammatical errors in that single sentence, but it vividly conveys the despair the migrants felt better than a technically perfect sentence would. The Grapes of Wrath is intended to show the severe difficulties facing the migrants so Steinbeck employs a clear, pragmatic style of writing. The depiction of the migrants as imperfect through their language also makes them easier to relate to.
Repeatedly in The Grapes of Wrath , the wealthy make it obvious that they scorn the plight of the migrants. The wealthy, not bad luck or natural disasters, were the prominent cause of the suffering of migrant families such as the Joads. Thus, Steinbeck turns to the less prosperous for support in his novel. In The Grapes of Wrath , John Steinbeck uses metaphors, particularly about nature, in order to illustrate the mood and the overall plight of migrants. Throughout most of the book, the land is described as dusty, barren, and dead. Towards the end, however; floods come and the landscape begins to change.
This description offers a stark contrast from the earlier passages which were filled with despair and destruction. However, at the end of the chapter the rain has caused new life to grow in California. The new grass becomes a metaphor representing hope. When the migrants are at a loss over how they will survive the winter, the grass offers reassurance. The story of the migrants in the intercalary chapters parallels that of the Joads. At the end of the novel, the family is breaking apart and has been forced to flee their home. However, both the book and final intercalary chapter end on a hopeful note after so much suffering has occurred. Steinbeck affirms that persistence, even when problems appear insurmountable, leads to success.
Refraining from using specific names and terms allows Steinbeck to show that many thousands of migrants suffered through the same wrongs. When Steinbeck writes in the imperfect dialogue of the migrants, he creates a more accurate portrayal and makes the migrants easier to relate to for a less affluent audience. Metaphors, particularly relating to nature, strengthen the themes in The Grapes of Wrath by enhancing the mood Steinbeck wants readers to feel at different points in the book. Overall, the intercalary chapters that Steinbeck includes improve his novel by making it more memorable and reinforcing the themes Steinbeck embraces throughout the novel.
Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath to bring to light cruelties against migrants, and by using literary devices effectively, he continuously reminds readers of his purpose. This essay sticks pretty closely to the standard analytical essay outline. It starts with an introduction, where I chose to use a quote to start off the essay. I then give a bit of background on The Grapes of Wrath and its themes before ending the intro paragraph with my thesis: that Steinbeck used literary devices in intercalary chapters to show how rough migrants had it.
What does this analytical essay example do well? For starters, it contains everything that a strong analytical essay should, and it makes that easy to find. Additionally, the essay does a good job of taking an in-depth look at the issue introduced in the thesis. Four ways Steinbeck used literary devices are discussed, and for each of the examples are given and analysis is provided so readers can understand why Steinbeck included those devices and how they helped shaped how readers viewed migrants and their plight. Where could this essay be improved? I believe the weakest body paragraph is the third one, the one that discusses how Steinbeck used plain, grammatically incorrect language to both accurately depict the migrants and make them more relatable to readers.
The paragraph tries to touch on both of those reasons and ends up being somewhat unfocused as a result. It would have been better for it to focus on just one of those reasons likely how it made the migrants more relatable in order to be clearer and more effective. This essay also could explain the excerpts that are included more and how they relate to the points being made. This is perhaps especially true in the second body paragraph, the one that discusses similarities to Biblical passages. Additional analysis of the quotes would have strengthened it.
Follow the tips given below while writing each paragraph. While closing the essay, check for the points that you think are missing the essay. And eliminate everything unnecessary. Also, keep the below points in mind. After you know the structure and pattern of the analytical essay. You might struggle with how to start an analysis essay? Well as we already discussed a bit about this earlier in the blog. But here is how you should start an analysis essay. An essay or any piece of writing starting with a quote always attracts the audience. You can also add a quote said by some famous people related to your field. This is how you can start your essay with a quote, you can also mention the name of the person if it is known. Or you can start by asking a question.
Below is an example of how you can do it. This way your reader will be curious to know about how much time he should use his phone for his own health. Get our world class analysis essay writing services to clear all your doubts. It should be well-structured. Every argument should go smoothly with each other. The content should be logistic. It should be to the point and convenient. Gambling addiction and how to get rid of it. Phobias and why do we have them? Angry and happy moods. And why do we have different moods? The chemical reaction of love. How do good and bad dreams affect our mood? How is social media affecting our daily life?
Why do people lie? Music and love create the same reaction in the mind. Choose the perfect topic that suits your assignment and at the time interests you. And before writing an analytical essay consider outlining. Having an outline will give a well-formed structure to the essay. Add logic, facts, that support your argument. And conclude everything with a reasonable result. Table of Contents. See also A Section Wise Guidance on Research Paper Example.
Published on January 30, by Jack Caulfield. Revised on September 2, Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing. A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :. Table of contents Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices Step 2: Coming up with a thesis Step 3: Writing a title and introduction Step 4: Writing the body of the essay Step 5: Writing a conclusion.
The first step is to carefully read the text s and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing—these are things you can dig into in your analysis. Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.
Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic? What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor e. Also keep an eye out for imagery in the text—recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface. Is the narrator omniscient where they know everything about all the characters and events , or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value?
Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events. The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa? Is the story realistic or fantastical or somewhere in between? There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res —in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax? With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone.
Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this. In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. For example:. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them. Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay. However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis.
After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:. Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text. To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence —specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader. It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. See an example. Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.
A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title. The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on. This is called signposting. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on.
If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary. The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them. A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion. Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs.
Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments—a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance. A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed.
Caulfield, J. How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay A Step-by-Step Guide. Have a language expert improve your writing. Proofreading Services. Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes. Plagiarism Checker. Generate accurate citations for free. Citation Generator. Home Knowledge Base Essay How to write a literary analysis essay A step-by-step guide. How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay A Step-by-Step Guide Published on January 30, by Jack Caulfield. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay : An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on. A main body, divided into paragraphs , that builds an argument using evidence from the text.
A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis. Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on: Academic style Vague sentences Grammar Style consistency See an example. Is this article helpful? Jack Caulfield Jack is a Brit based in Amsterdam, with an MA in comparative literature. He writes for Scribbr about his specialist topics: grammar, linguistics, citations, and plagiarism. In his spare time, he reads a lot of books. Other students also liked. It usually comes at the end of the introduction. Follow these 6 steps for a strong paragraph structure. It is a personal and creative type of essay that tests your ability to create a clear and engaging narrative.
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How to Write an Analytical Essay,Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices
WebAug 28, · Like all essays, a rhetorical analysis begins with an introduction. The introduction tells readers what text you’ll be discussing, provides relevant background Web1. Your essay must cover the topic you are writing about. 2. Your essay must have a central idea (stated in your thesis) that governs its development. 3. Your essay must be WebJun 18, · Create an introductory paragraph that ends with the thesis, make a body paragraph for each of your main points, including both analysis and evidence to back up WebTo write a good compare-and-contrast paper, you must take your raw data—the similarities and differences you've observed—and make them cohere into a ... read more
The new grass becomes a metaphor representing hope. Skip to main content. You can organize a classic compare-and-contrast paper either text-by-text or point-by-point. In other words, it is not only my hope to help you improve the specific piece of writing we are working on, it is also my hope to help you develop your skills as a writer. This is where you determine the bulk of your analysis--the information that makes your essay an analytical essay. Get Help Now. And conclude everything with a reasonable result.
If you need to write a longer or more detailed analysis, you can expand on the number of body paragraphs. A word essay should consist of a one-paragraph introduction, a three-paragraph body, and a one-paragraph conclusion. Below is an how to start an analysis essay of how you can do it. Michael improved by POINTS! Glad to help, Hazel! Example 1: The Relationship between Judaism, Christianity and Islamic Religions.
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