Can an informative essay be written about a work of literature
Writing an Informative Article!
In this unit, students compose an informational article, taking it from conception to publication. Students will:
- practice methods of identifying topics for articles.
- create a collection of their article topics.
- develop a main-idea statement to narrow their topic.
- research their topics.
- outline their research information.
- examine methods for composing the introduction for an informational article.
- examine methods for composing a conclusion for an informational article.
- compose their articles.
- examine the structure of their articles, as well as the structure of articles written by classmates.
- listen to and respond to the writing of other students.
- revise their articles for focus, content, and organization.
- polish and publish their articles.
What is Literary Analysis?
The purpose of literary analysis is to examine and deconstruct a literary work to assess how authors use literary components to convey ideas to write my essay.
Literary analysis is not a summary; it goes beyond basic understanding and facts. Typically, this type of analysis argues for a work’s theme, message, or purpose by analyzing the author’s use of literary devices and narrative techniques.
How to Write a Literary Analysis
These four steps will help you prepare to write an in-depth literary analysis that offers new insights into classics, ancient and modern.
- Read texts and identify literary devices.
When you do literary analysis, you should first read through the entire text, noting those key elements that can serve as clues to larger, more underlying themes.
Below is a list of literary and narrative techniques you should be aware of as you read. (It is helpful to mark the text with a pencil, if possible.)
Perspectives: First, check out the perspectives that’s where the story comes from. Who is the narrator? A character in the story, or an unknown omniscient character? Do they have any stake? Do you think they are a reliable narrator? The answers to these questions can help you form your argument.
Recurring symbols such as font colors, rivers, and seasons may not mean much at first glance, but if they appear together, especially if they appear more than once, they can mean a deeper message. (Check out this analysis like Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.”) Our guide to symbolism explains some of the most common symbols in literature. If you come across these in the text, highlight or circle them. These symbols can also be part of extended metaphors, so it’s helpful to keep track of them and look for any possible connections.
Character Motivation: The main character’s motivation is very important in moving the plot forward. Ask yourself what the characters want and what’s preventing them from getting it. Why is that thing important to them? Could it have a deeper meaning than its face value?
Tone: Evaluate the tone of the author. Do the words convey an anxious, ominous, or hopeful tone? Is it sad, witty, or whimsical? There are many ways to describe tone, and your assessment of this literary device can add weight to your overall analysis of insight.
Phraseology: An author’s choice of words, or language, can also affect the tone of a work. Does any word seem odd? Do you think there’s a reason the author chose this word over other synonyms? When a word catches your eye, ask yourself why that word is more important than others.
Image: What type of picture does the author draw? This can be done explicitly through a vivid description, implicitly through sensory details, or words that evoke a sense of a place, emotion, or idea.
Story structure: What is the structure of the story? How does this affect the story? Is it told in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? What about the characters, the setting, and how they relate to the story?Themes When you notice the literary elements listed above, you may see certain patterns begin to emerge. These patterns represent potential themes. For example, recurring images,symbols, and even character motivations in The Great Gatsby point to themes of excess, material wealth, and lost value.
Character Your entire essay may be a character analysis, depending on your topic. However, you can also cite the description as a supporting element of your main argument. For example, a particular character, major or minor, may embody an ideal that contributes to a larger theme. - Develop your thesis.If you’re writing an essay for a literature class, chances are you’ll get prompts or questions to answer in your essay.
If you are not assigned a topic, you will have to think of one yourself. You may find it helpful to ask some questions before you begin.
The answer to this question is your answer paper. To serve as the basis for your analysis, your thesis needs to meet several conditions. It must be:
Negotiable Your essay should reflect your opinion or interpretation, not fact. For example, ” The Grapes of Wrath is about a family migrating from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to California, which is not a good proposition because it’s a simple fact.” However, “Frankenstein” is a FeministNovel Against Patriarchy” is a controversial interpretation that we can use as supporting evidence for or against.
Back it up with textual evidence While your thesis shouldn’t be an objective fact, you should still be able to back it up with textual evidence and details. - Create an outline.Once you have your thesis, it’s time to make a plan for how to prove your thesis. Review your notes on the above literary and narrative techniques. These will serve as your supportingevidence.
What elements will help you make the most convincing argument for your essay? For example, you can choose to structure your argument around imagery, symbolism, and wording.You can dedicate a section to each element and cite evidence directly from the text to explain why and how to support your argument.
Write an outline to organize your thoughts so that when you start writing, you don’t forget the main points you’re going to write about. - Evidence cited.When you are arguing, it is important that you find concrete evidence from the text to support your point.
If available, provide quotations and other specific details directly. For example, if you use symbolism as supporting evidence for the reason that Frankenstein is a feminist essay, you should be able to cite some passages to illustrate the argument. - Write your body paragraph.Now you can start writing your literary analysis. However, you may find it helpful to leave room for your introduction and start with a body paragraph that contains the main argument.
In the outline, you already have all the bullet points and supporting details, so you can jump right in instead of trying to come up with the perfect essay opening.
This strategy is also useful because as you unfold your argument, you may generate new ideas or adjust your argument slightly. - Write your introduction and conclusion.
Once you’ve fleshed out the body paragraph and written a convincing argument, you can write the introductory paragraph (using the topic statement you’ve built up earlier), and the conclusion, which should neatly connect your arguments and give your readers some final insights.
Types of Literary Criticism
When you’re analyzing a literary work, buy an essay online and you can look at it from different perspectives. For example, common types of literary criticism include ethical criticism, feminist criticism, historical criticism, and social criticism.
This means that your analysis, interpretation, and evaluation work will go through one of these lenses.
Analyze literature
The best literature is full of clues that lead you to a bigger picture and discovering those clues and how they are all connected is what makes reading fun.
Whether you want to ace your next English composition essay or improve your critical thinking skills, understanding how to analyze literature will give you a more fulfilling reading experience.