Literary Analysis Sonny's Blues

Writing a Preliminary Draft for a Literary Analysis in the Humanities The following steps should help you prepare the preliminary draft of the literary analysis: 1. Read the work of literature that you have chosen with an eye to discover how the theme associated with the work applies to it. Be ready to answer questions about how the theme you've chosen is illustrated in the work of literature. 2. Choose a literary element of the work of literature to examine, such as plot, structure, character development, symbolism, and so on (For guidance, see Resources, Writing Aids: “Writing About Literature” from Pearson.). Make a preliminary assessment

about how that literary element can be seen as a "thread" that you trace through the "fabric" of the piece literature to explore the work's theme. 3. Create an outline that illustrates an attempt to trace a literary element through the work you've chosen to analyze. An outline can be used to write the preliminary draft of your literary analysis. The more detailed your outline, the easier the preliminary draft will be to write. 4. Re-read the work, and also re-read the Pearson chapter in Resources, Writing Aids, that explains how to analyze literature. 5. Be prepared to explain the theme of the work as you see it, as well as several examples in the text where the thread you are tracing illustrates the theme, whether the thread is a symbol, structural element, metaphor, or character development point.

6. Write a preliminary thesis statement for the preliminary draft. Remember that the thesis should follow this pattern: By examining X, readers can better understand Y. X stands for some literary element (thread in the fabric) that pertains to the work of literature you are analyzing, and Y stands for the work's theme (a way to label the entire fabric).

7. Write the topic sentences for the body paragraphs of the draft. The topic sentences are examples of X (the literary element) you plan to explore in the paper.

8. Read the sample literary analysis of the short story “A Jury of Her Peers” that I've posted in the Writing Aids folder in Resources; this sample contains secondary sources (articles from scholarly journals devoted to literature) similar to the ones that you will eventually incorporate into your own analysis after using EBSCO and the Literary Reference Center Plus at our online library site. For now, however, concentrate on an analysis of the work without these resources: the preliminary draft will not incorporate secondary sources, just your own intro and thesis, body paragraphs exploring the thread/examples from the work, and a conclusion.

9. Write the body paragraphs.

The body paragraphs will consist of your analyzing each

literary example in the thesis list, one by one, in separate paragraphs. Begin with a

topic sentence that connects the literary element with the theme. For example:

“Phoenix's being named for the mythological bird of resurrection directly connects to her

ability to overcome physical and mental disabilities in the story to bring medicine to her

grandson.” The rest of the paragraph will cite instances in the story that illustrate this

point. Use both direct quotations and paraphrasing as you cite the source.

10. Write the introduction. Describe, briefly, the theme of the work: specifically, focus

on the author's view or opinion concerning the overall theme related to your work. For

example, if you've chosen PTSD as your overall theme, let your reader know in the

introduction what your specific author's view of PTSD is as shown in the story, play,

poem, etc., you are analyzing. The introduction should end with a thesis that lists the

specific literary elements you will examine in the work to explore the author’s

theme. For example: “By analyzing the bird symbolism in ‘A Worn Path,’ the reader can

better understand the story's theme concerning overcoming life's obstacles through

love; examples of bird symbolism include the main character's name; her encounters

with a buzzard, scarecrow, and hunter; and her vision of her grandson waiting for her at

home.”

11. Write the conclusion.

The conclusion should begin with a reworded thesis, followed

by a return to a brief discussion of the work's theme.

12. Review again the sample literary analysis in Writing Aids, Resources. Note that

this sample contains references to literary criticism (secondary sources). Your

preliminary draft due should not have to have any secondary sources, just the primary

source you are analyzing.