Lesson 8: writing workshop: literary analysis rough draft english 11 b unit 1 (this is the email my teacher sent explaining how to do it, i still don’t get it though)

Okay, so a literary analysis is basically your interpretation of a piece of literature. Here's some tips on how to write a literary analysis:

First, pick the piece you want to use for your paper. I see your teacher provided some stories and poems to choose from, so I recommend reading them all and then picking the one you understand/like the best.

Secondly, take notes. As you read through the piece, take notes about what you think the meaning of the poem/story is. Also, take notes about metaphors, similes, and other devices used in the story, and what they might mean as well, and how they convey the author's ideas.

Thirdly, you need to develop your thesis. A thesis statement is basically the central idea of your essay, and should be stated in the first paragraph and restated last paragraph. Make sure to slightly rephrase your thesis when restating to avoid repetition. Your thesis should be the first thing you write in your rough draft because the paper needs to be based around your thesis statement, and developing a strong thesis early on will help keep your paper on topic. Your thesis should not just include what you think the meaning of the poem/story is, but should also include a very brief explanation of why you think that way.

Next you should start writing the rest of your essay. Your writing should develop around your thesis statement. Explain what the metaphors an author might use mean. Explain interesting things that are said or done. Make sure to remain on topic for a stronger essay.

Next comes quotes. When quoting, remember to quote directly, meaning you use quotation marks. For example, a direct quote would be, "Luke, I am your father" and an indirect quote would be, 'Darth Vader said that he was Luke's father.' Make sure to choose quotes that support your thesis and strengthen your paper.

Finally, make sure to check grammar, spelling and punctuation.

That's all I can think to explain. If you need to, you could look up some examples of literary analysis essays. If you need any further explanation let me know and I'll try my best.

Hope this helps! :-)

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