Writing Textual Analyses

Check List: (numbers on checklist correspond with numbered explanations)

1. Have I written in present tense?
2. Have I included quotations from the text(s) to support or advance my thesis or claim? (If I specifically request textual support (quotations) and those are not included, the grade will generally be lowered by one letter grade)
3. If page numbers are available, have I included the page numbers in parentheses (also known as parenthetical citation)? (Many picture books and internet sites will not have page numbers) (I will generally return papers that have quotations but no page numbers and request that you include the page numbers. This will result in a lower grade, for the paper will be late.)
4. Have I avoided dumped quotations?
5. Have I included my works cited list? (I will generally return papers that have quotations but no works cited and request that you include the works cited. This will result in a lower grade, for the paper will be late.)
6. Is my essay structured?
7. Is my focus sufficiently narrow?
8. Is there more analysis than summary?
9. Stylistic considerations

1. Writing in present tense: It's odd, I know, but when writing literary analyses, use present tense.

Instead of:

When Mary found the key, she unlocked the door

Write:

When Mary finds the key, she unlocks the door.

2. Textual support: By textual support, I mean including direct quotations from the text that help support, explain, or advance your thesis, argument, or claim. Quotations must have quotation marks around them.

3. Parenthetical Citations: When including quotations from a text, and if page numbers are available, include the page number where you found that quotation.

Example:

Hannah replies, "Hansel, let out your finger, that I may see if you are fat or lean" (Yolen 128). And later, as she and three others walk through the doors of Lilith's Cave, she tells them a story "about a girl. An ordinary sort of girl named Hannah Stern who lives in New Rochelle" (Yolen 159). The person she once was is now only one more narrative in her collection.

Remember when you include your parenthetical citation that you close your quotation and then in parentheses give the author's name and page number. Close the parentheses and put a period after the parenthetical citation.

4. Dumped Quotation: A "dumped quotation" occurs when the writer offers no introductory strategy regarding the textual support being used. The quotation is often a sentence by itself.

This is what a dumped quotation looks like:

Chaya sometimes experiences difficulty separating herself from the stories she tells. "Hansel, let out your finger, that I may see if you are fat or lean" (128).

Work the quotation into your sentence. Take the opportunity to control the quotation rather than letting it control you:

Indeed, Chaya sometimes experiences difficulty separating herself from the stories she tells as is indicated when Rivka tells her one morning that "[a]nyone who cannot get out of bed today will be chosen" to die (128). Hannah replies, "Hansel, let out your finger, that I may see if you are fat or lean" (128).

When you have properly integrated your quotation, your words should flow directly into the quotation.

Other considerations when quoting:

Avoid "on page ____."

Instead of:

Chaya sometimes experiences difficulty separating herself from the stories she tells. On page 128, Rivka says "Anyone who cannot get out of bed today will be chosen." On page 128 Hannah responds, "Hansel, let out your finger, that I may see if you are fat or lean."

Write:

Chaya sometimes experiences difficulty separating herself from the stories she tells. At one point Rivka warns Hannah that "Anyone who cannot get out of bed today will be chosen" (128). Drawing from "Hansel and Gretel," Hannah responds, "Hansel, let out your finger, that I may see if you are fat or lean" (128).

Explain the significance of the quote (but please avoid this quote shows/demonstrates/tells):

Chaya does in a sense become Gretel, the child kept as a prisoner and subjected to another's will and power. Indeed, Chaya sometimes experiences difficulty separating herself from the stories she tells as is indicated when Rivka tells her one morning that "[a]nyone who cannot get out of bed today will be chosen" to die (128). Hannah replies, "Hansel, let out your finger, that I may see if you are fat or lean" (128). And later, as she and three others walk through the doors of Lilith's Cave, she tells them a story "about a girl. An ordinary sort of girl named Hannah Stern who lives in New Rochelle" (159). The person she once was is now only one more narrative in her collection.

5. Works Cited: If you include quoted material, you must include a works cited entry. For the purposes of this class, you don't have to put it on a separate page (you normally would). You can put it at the end of your document.

Go to the Online Writing Lab at Purdue for more specific instructions regarding in-text citations and works cited. The site is http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

6. The structure of essays.

Introduction: Generally in short papers, you'll provide an introductory paragraph wherein you establish what it is you're going to say. If possible, begin your essay with some kind of observation and then provide some kind of statement or claim that guides the remainder of the essay.

The body: The body of your essay should support your claim. This is where you include your details, examples, quotations, and where you prove to your reader that your claim makes sense. Take your time. Write 2 or 3 paragraphs (for short essays).

The conclusion: This is the hardest part for me because I want to end my essay with something memorable. The conclusion is more than simply repeating what you've said. This is where you think outside of the box, where you offer new insights or something provocative. Avoid "In conclusion." One only need to see that it's the last paragraph to know it's a conclusion.

7. Focusing your work: Be mindful as to whether or not you're providing a laundry list of items or if you're going into more detail. For instance, if I were to ask you to explain some of the differences between a novel and the film adaptation, avoid simply listing several items. Instead, focus on one or two items (particularly in short papers) and go into detail. Offer examples and quotations. Explain the significance of the differences or what they might suggest. Take your time with it. Remember, as a writer it's your job to make a reader's job easier. Don't make the reader work too hard to figure out what you're doing or where you're going.

8. Summary and Analysis: Assume that the person reading your paper hasn't read the text for a very long time, or at all. You'll need to offer a very brief summary. Now here's the tricky part. Summary is very important to helping a reader understand what you want to convey. However, you must be careful to avoid too much summary. Instead of providing several paragraphs of summary, identify the ideas that you are analyzing, and then use summary to go through each point. It's often helpful early on (probably right after your thesis and introduction) to provide a one-paragraph summary to give your reader a sense of the text, but after that, you should start working in your analysis and use summary sparingly, only to make your point.

9. Stylistic Considerations:

• Avoid "the books says" or "it says" or "it is written that" Instead, identify who is conveying the thought (the narrator, a character, the author).
• Generally avoid "you" as in "You discover that Mary is a selfish girl." Instead, use "readers" or "we": "Readers quickly discover that Mary is a selfish girl."
• Avoid "I think/I believe/I feel," "In my opinion." Try to be more assertive, but if you don't want to be accused of generalizing, use terms such as "perhaps," "possibly,' "generally," etc.
• Avoid "I think it's interesting that . . ."
• Generally avoid discussing the writing process or that this is an assignment. In other words avoid the following:
  • For this assignment, our teacher asked us to write about Maniac Magee
  • The first time I read the book, I thought it was relatively simple. I thought about it some, and then I read it again and found out it wasn't simple at all.
• You will generally provide the title of the text and the author the first time you make a reference about the text. After that, you'll use the author's last name.
• Book titles and the names of plays are underlined or italicized, the titles of short stories, poems, and chapters are in quotation marks.