Literary Analysis Essay

The Document Based Essay (DBE)

MLA Format ReviewIt should be:O Typed, double spaced, margins set at 1 inch all aroundO Ordinary font (such as Times New Roman), 12 pt.O Black ink on white paper It should have:O Page HEADERS in the upper right of the page, with your last

name followed by page numberO Use INSERT PAGE and then type your name in front of the number

O Paper HEADING in the upper left corner of the 1st pageO Name O TeacherO class infoO Due date

O A creative, relevant title, centered just above the start of the paper, no bolding, quotes, italics, etc.

O No cover page

Tips for a Terrific Title Always write a clever — but not overly cute — title that includes:O Your topicO The authorO The text’s title For your title, consider… O Alliteration (repeated first sounds in a series of words: O Consonance (repeated consonant sounds: dark, deep, dread)O Assonance (repeated vowel sounds : fleet, sheep, sweep, geek)O Oxymoron (putting two contradictory words together)O IronyO MetaphorO Simile

An Example…O Prejudice, Paternalism, and Pride in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of

Venice

The Introduction Paragraph

The Introduction BasicsO Your paper title must be connected to your thesis,

which comes at the end of your introduction.

The introduction also includes:O A hookO A relevant contextO A ‘pivot point’O And, finally, a thesis

O The Introduction is ‘Funnel-Shaped’ – It starts BROADLY by connecting with the audience, finishes NARROWLY, with your thesis.

Get my attention!The Hook

O It should be one to three sentences that capture your reader’s attention.

O Avoid being overly dramatic, but consider the same literary devices you consider for your title, in addition to a relevant quote or question.

O This should be about the TOPIC of your essay, NOT the text

Tell me about your topic…Relevant Context

O This part of the intro is several sentences that establish a relevant, real-world context for your TOPIC.

 Possibilities for this section include:O Historical contextO Cultural commentaryO Anecdote

Get to the Point Already!The Pivot-Point

O This sentence signals a move forward to the thesis.O This is the FIRST TIME in your introduction that you

should mention THE TEXT.O Purpose = connect the relevant context to the thesis

The Thesis

O This IS the sentence that “powers” your entire essay.O It is a declarative (stated as fact), but arguable

statement.

How do I write a THESIS??

O Establish your topic.O Narrow Your Topic.O Put your topic in a sentence.O Add your argument, viewpoint, or

opinion to your topic to make your thesis arguable.

Essay introductions also include a statement of “projected organization,” typically in three parts (to correspond with body paragraphs). Frequently, this is tacked on to the beginning or ending of the thesis statement.

Sample IntroductionO The PROMPT:In The Crucible, Arthur Miller suggests that sacrifices may be necessary to restore the social order. Discuss the necessary sacrifices made by at least two of the play’s characters, analyzing why they were necessary. Be sure to choose sacrifices that are similar in nature. O The ESSAY TOPIC:Sacrifice

Example Intro for this prompt

Sacrifice is a vital part of life and progress. Without sacrifice, there would never be gain or change. There are many examples of sacrifice throughout history. Civil Rights activists like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. sacrificed their personal liberties to evoke change in race relations. This notion of sacrifice is explored in the characters of Arthur Miller’s drama The Crucible. John Proctor sacrifices his reputation, religion, and ultimately his life to restore order in the Salem community.

Hook

Relevant

Context

Pivot Point

Thesis

Your Task…O Choose an essay promptO Create a possible thesis for that promptO Craft an introduction which includes the 4 parts

that we just discussed.

Watch of for Introduction Pitfalls…O Do not praise the author or text, as in “this is a

great play by Arthur Miller.”O Do not state your intention, as in “In this paper

I will…” or “This paper will explore…”

O This will be collected for a grade!!

The Body Paragraphs

The Body O Typically consist of 3 sections, each

of which may contain one or more paragraphs.

O Sections are presented in the exact order that they are presented in the projected organization in the thesis.

O Each section begins with a topic sentence which specifically relates to the thesis.

Stay on Topic!Topic SentencesO EACH should reflect back to your thesis,

and determine the focus of your paragraph.Textual SupportO EACH of your body paragraphs should have

specific textual support (QUOTES) to prove you thesis.

O If your quotes do not related back to your thesis, you should not include them in your paper.

Quote Incorporation: I-C-E

O Introduce— lead into your quote by providing context from the source that will

flow into your selected quoteO Cite (Quote)—Pulled directly from the book

and cited properlyO Explain— Explain what the quote proves.

But do NOT say “this quote proves…”!!!

O Quotes must be embedded smoothly, not just dropped in with no context.

Quoting DOs and DON’TsDO:

O properly punctuate your quoteO span the bookO include the author’s last name & page number of the quote in

parentheses (Miller 100)O have some context to indicate important aspects of the plot

surrounding the quoteO  use present tense:

O When the judge jails (not jailed those that confess…O When John confesses (not confessed) to adultery…O As the weighty people of Salem stand (not stood) upon the scaffold…

DO NOT:O use 1st (I, me) or 2nd (you) person. ONLY use 3rd (she, he, they)

person.O quote things that are irrelevant to your thesisO include a lot of plot summary - only describe enough plot to give

context for the passages you quote to support your arguments. 

Your Task…O Put your thesis at the top of a blank

sheet of paper.O Create topic sentences for each of

your 3 supporting sectionsO Provide at least 1 quote from the text

for each section. Use the I-C-E method to write each quote. Be sure to include a proper in-text citation for each quote.

The Conclusion

Wrap it up…O The concluding paragraph should leave your

reader with the impression that you have successfully made your case.

O First, briefly summarize the book’s ending and its relevance to your overall thesis (this also allows you to restate your thesis in a fresh way).

O Next, reverse your pivot point from introduction.

O Finally, try to provide a “clincher” that reaches back to the “hook” in the introduction, thus allowing your essay to come “full circle.”

Rough Draft DUE DATEO A FULL, TYPED rough draft of your

paper is DUE JANUARY 15th O Your draft and the work we do with it

on January 15th will be worth a QUIZ GRADE.

O No draft on January 15th = a ZERO

Final Draft RemindersO Grammar Check

O NO contractions (it’s should be it is)O NO 1st or 2nd person (I or you)O Make sure all sentences are complete sentences

– subject and predicateO Keep your writing in PRESENT TENSEO Address characters and the author by using their

LAST NAME or their FULL NAMEO The play title is either underlined or in italics

O Quote CheckO DO NOT begin a sentence with a quoteO Include proper citations – author’s last name and

the page number on which the quote is found in parenthesis – period after the citation

Works Cited PageO Works Cited Page

O Separate pageO Title, centeredO Includes all sources used in the paper

O Source information for The CrucibleMiller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Books, 1982. Print

O http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl

Final Draft DUE

January 23, 2015O No EMAILSO DO NOT ask to print during classO Paper MUST be in class during your class

period to be considered on timeO We will NOT accept papers for a late grade

after January 29th.O ANY PLAGIARISM will receive an F