"Salvage The Bones" Analysis Essay

ESSAY #1

Analysis

You will develop a complex and compelling claim about Salvage the Bones and support that claim through textual evidence found throughout the entire book. You will offer your understanding/view of the text, one that is not apparent in the book.

Before you sit down to write, you should think about the recurring themes in the book and the specific ideas presented about identity and culture. Think about which aspects of the book interest you the most. You can choose to focus on the social implications of different topics presented or choose a specific character to analyze. You can also analyze literary techniques used such as point of view or language and how these elements affect the storytelling. Many questions can be raised about different topics presented and the answer to a specific question should lead you to your thesis. It is your job to provide a specific and accurate argument and analysis based on one idea.

There is no minimum for how many textual examples you need to use, and you should not attempt to include every one. However, you want to make sure you cover a range of significant moments from the book to provide your reader with enough evidence to support your claim. You need to balance summarizing, quoting, and responding and make sure each example is leading back to your thesis.

Your essay includes:

- A concise, focused introduction that summarizes the theme you are writing about and leads into your thesis statement.

- Your unobvious claim about the text (thesis).

- Developing a context for each example, rather than a complete summary.

- Appropriate use of relevant quotes and examples from the text.

- Full analysis of your examples.

- Tying your analysis of a specific passage back to the significance of the text as a whole.

- Your conclusion: the answer to the ultimate “so what?” question.

- Smooth and clear transitions between paragraphs and ideas.

- Strong organization and an understanding of your structural choices.

- Little repetition of examples, ideas, and analysis.

- Effective and correct grammar and punctuation.

- Correct MLA formatting and citation.

Essay length: 5 – 7 pages