Literature Analysis Thesis Statements

The most important part of your essay is the thesis statement. Your thesis statement lays the framework for the rest of your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, consider the three P’s:

Prompt: is your thesis actually addressing the prompt you have chosen to write on? Your thesis must relate to the key concept in the prompt. For instance, if the prompt asks about power and authority, then you need to reference power and authority in your thesis.

Provable: You need to be able to prove your thesis through textual support (examples and quotes). Be sure they are worthy of being proven; for instance, it is not necessary to prove that Lady Catherine is snobby since no one would disagree with you.

Purpose: You should state why the author creates a situation or why he/she does what he/she does. What is the purpose of the author’s writing? This is called thematic purpose and should also reflect a major theme in the work. Purpose is the most important part of your thesis. This should show how the message of the novel is universal and goes beyond the author’s text.

All thesis statements must take some type of bold leap forward in making a claim about the book or author. This is how you add purpose in your thesis statement; it takes critical thinking on your part and the willingness to be bold (like Indiana Jones). I can’t tell you what the purpose of your thesis statement is! Only you can do that!

Example:

Fact: In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, many characters attempt to avenge the death of their loved ones to limiting degrees of success.

Elaborate Fact: In his play Hamlet, Shakespeare shows how both Hamlet, an overly-philosophical prince, and Laertes, a man of rash action with little thought, both implement flawed plans for avenging their fathers’ deaths.

Thesis Statement: In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare contrasts Hamlet’s philosophical obsession with existence with Laertes’ temper and rash behavior to demonstrate that regardless of its justification or execution, vengeance is truly futile.

Remember, a good thesis statement goes beyond the

text and becomes universal!

Pride and Prejudice Essay Topics

Complete a literature analysis essay on one of the following Pride and Prejudice prompts.

   1)      Pride and Prejudice: Discuss how the title of the novel ties in with the vices of one or two characters. What is Austen’s ultimate message about these characteristics?

   2)     Satire and Social Status: Social class is an important marker of the characters’ conditions and the quality of their relationships in Pride and Prejudice. Austen seems to reserve her satire and wit for her critical treatment of wealthier characters. Choose one or more of these characters and compare how Austen treats the characters from other social statuses. Explain whether the outcomes of the novel support an overall statement with respect to Austen’s opinion about the wealthy.

   3)     Wedding Bells: Examine the various female characters and the marriages they become a part of (Charlotte, Elizabeth, Jane, or Lydia). Analyze how these characters approach their role in society and their expectation to wed. (For example, you can discuss the ways in which they challenge, or don’t challenge, the strict social roles that have been assigned to them as women expected to wed). What are Austen’s motives in presenting these female characters in these particular ways? (For example, through these characters, what is Austen trying to say about marriage?)

   4)     Best Friends Forever: In a literary work, more minor characters will often possesses traits that emphasize the distinctive characteristics and qualities of a main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of a minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. In Pride and Prejudice, Bingley serves as a foil to Darcy and Jane serves a foil to Elizabeth (especially when it comes to the two main characters’ of pride and their prejudice against others). Pick one of these pairs and  write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character brings to light a message of the novel (such as the importance of overcoming one’s own prejudice or pride, or becoming more independent in 19^th century British society). For what purpose is Austen using this particular pair/ foil?

   5)     So Typical: Although literary critics have tended to praise the unique in literary characterizations, many authors have employed the stereotyped character successfully. In a well-written essay, show how the conventional or stereotyped character or characters in Pride and Prejudice (ex: Mrs. Bennet or Mr. Collins) function to achieve the author’s purpose.

   6)     Man vs. Society: Choose a character from Pride and Prejudice and write an essay in which you a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists, and b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. Do not merely summarize the plot and make sure to incorporate thematic purpose in the essay.

   7)     Awkward Times: Compare two or three of the proposal scenes that Elizabeth experiences (for example, the successful one with Darcy and the unsuccessful one with Darcy). You can choose to focus on Elizabeth and Darcy’s personalities and demeanors in the first proposal and how they have transformed by the last one. Decide on what purpose you want to incorporate into the essay (For example, what message might Austen be sending about human relations, reciprocity of love, or marital expectations?)

   8)    Free-Choice Prompt: If you think of a prompt for the novel that isn’t listed here, tell me about it and I might approve it!

Requirements:

·         At least 3 complete pages.

·         MLA Format and Citations.

·         Use formal voice (no “I,” “me,” or “us;” do not refer to the reader either).

·         Final Draft Due Friday 12/18 at 3:00pm to Turnitin.com 

Reading Quiz Friday 12/4

Just a reminder that there will be a reading quiz tomorrow on the events leading up to Volume III (Chapter 43). Be caught up with all the adventures of the Bennet sisters; such as Jane and Elizabeth and...um... who are the other ones again?

Extra Credit Opportunities

For the end of the semester, there are two extra credit opportunities:

• For up to 5 extra habit points, take one of your body paragraphs from your Hamlet essay and rewrite it; improve your analysis, organization, and grammar.

• For up to 10 extra habit points, memorize the first 14 lines of the To Be or Not To Be soliloquy from Hamlet and be prepared to recite it during Finals week.

Quiz Tomorrow

Now that wedding season is officially over, gone are the days of seeing countless wedding photos on Facebook and Instagram. But sadly, this does not mean proposal season is over. At some recent point, the fad of secretly filming or taking pictures of a marriage proposal has taken society by storm. These once intimate and special moments are now captured and posted (with the correct filter) through all the tubes of the internet. I believe there are three different reasons for this new occurrence. First, couples believe capturing this event on film or camera will add to their own future happiness. B: They feel that as inter-web users in love, it is their duty to set an example for those not yet engaged. Lastly, they believe their social superiors on The Facebook and The Twitter (who receive far more "likes") expect this of them. Of course, this always runs the risk of witnessing an awkward rejection. Fortunately for people during the Regency Era, this embarrassment of a failed proposal would never be captured on The Cloud. Luckily for us, we still have Jane Austen to show us just how tragic a failed proposal can be.

British Poet Project

For this project your team will become experts on a 17^th or 18^th century poet and will perform a close reading of their poems. You will create a PowerPoint presentation which will include one brief, interactive activity with the class. The PowerPoint must have at least 15 slides and must do its best to cover the following categories:

o   Background of the poet’s early years and their entry into writing.

o   The poet’s public life and societal views (views on society, religion, and politics).

o   The poet’s personal life and how this may have impacted their writing.

o   The poet’s style and approach to writing (what themes were they interested in? What messages did they use their poems to express?)

o   A breakdown and analysis of the selected poem (s) (minimum of 5 slides).

o   The poet’s later years and a possible evolution of his or her poetry.

o   An explanation for why this poet is remembered today. Impact on Poetry.

o   A Works Cited Page in MLA format.

For the poetry analysis portion of the project, you will want to do a close reading of specific sections of the poems. Make sure to analyze not only the topics and themes of the poem as well as the diction, but also the poetic devices present (figurative language, alliteration, rhyme scheme, meter, imagery, repetition, etc.). Speak to how these poetic devices are used to enhance the meaning of the work. Your group will be graded based on the depth of your analysis and the overall knowledge your members have on the poet’s life and works. Your delivery of the presentation will also be part of the grade.

You will want to take notes during these presentations.

Poets:

   ·         John Donne (The Flea and Holy Sonnet 10).

   ·         George Herbert (Man)

   ·         Andrew Marvell (A dialogue Between the Soul and Body)

   ·         Richard Crashaw (The Flaming Heart and Christ Crucified)

   ·         Ben Jonson (To Celia and Still to Be Neat)

   ·         Robert Herrick (The Night-Piece, to Julia and His Return to London)

   ·         Sir John Suckling (Song and Loving & Beloved)

   ·         Richard Lovelace (To Lucasta, Going to the Wars and To Althea, from Prison):

   ·         John Milton (When I Consider… and On His Having Arrived…):

   ·         Alexander Pope (The Dying Christian to his Soul and The Riddle of the World)

   ·         Jonathan Swift (A Description of a City Shower)

Body Paragraphs for Close-Reading Essay

The number one rule to remember is to stay away from plot summary. Instead of writing a book report, we want to write an analytical essay.

One helpful way to accomplish this is to follow the TREAT model:

T- Topic sentence (Make sure this connects with your Thesis Statement)

R- Reasoning (This is basically the transition into your quote as you show the reasoning behind your claim in the topic sentence.)

E- Evidence (direct quote)

A- Analysis (see steps A, B, and C below).

T- Tie it together

All literature-analysis or close-reading essays follow the TREAT model in some form. The most important part of this model is the “Analysis” step- this is what you will be graded on most heavily in literature-based essays.

When analyzing direct quotes, you want to try and accomplish three steps:

A.    Consider what the purpose is of the actual quote by discussing its subtleties of the topics and ideas expressed. Basically, what is the author saying without directly saying it? (Ultimately, what is the point of including this quote? What is Shakespeare really trying to say or express? What are the larger ideas shown in this specific part of the text?)

B.    Assess how the quote is said; considering how the word choice, sentence structure, diction, tone, or devices used by the author contribute to the meaning of the passage. Look specifically at the language. This is what you will focus on!

C.    Connect this analysis of the passage back to the significance of the text as a whole. What were you originally trying to say in your thesis statement, and how does this point you are making with the quote help contribute to your original argument?

Make sure to never tell the reader simply what is occurring in the quote- this is just plot summary. 

  




Feel free to change up the formula. Often, writers will include two quotes per paragraph. Just make sure to transition into your quote and analyze it. Never leave a quote unanalyzed; it will get very lonely.

Read both sample body paragraphs. Assess how well they use the TREAT model. Provide edits and determine what the paragraphs get right, and what they get wrong.

Thesis Statement: In the soliloquy immediately following Hamlet’s “trap” for Claudius, Shakespeare has Hamlet use supernatural imagery and violent diction to further portray him as an unstable man on the cusp of murderous and irreversible action as he is slowly losing his grip on reality.

Sample Body Paragraph One:

            At one point in the play Hamlet talks about how much he is craving vengeance and blood for his father’s death. First Hamlet says “’Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breaths out Contagion to the world” (3.2.419-421). Here Hamlet is saying that it is the time of the night when evil events can occur. He feels that the evilness of hell can be unleashed into the rest of the world through the graveyards. This shows that he feels that he can commit these evil acts too, which is why he is finally ready to kill Claudius. He even states that he is in such a vengeful state that he could “drink hot blood” and commit violent acts during this night that “the day would quake on” (3.2.422-424). Hamlet is obviously in an unstable state since he is speaking with such violent and supernatural language. After delivering this speech, it is not a shock that he kills the wrong person just two scenes later.

Sample Body Paragraph Two: 

Through the supernatural imagery used by Hamlet in this soliloquy, it is apparent that the usually peaceful Danish prince is on the verge of violence as he prepares to commit a murder which he is mentally unprepared for. In the opening lines of the speech, images of supernatural and wicked occurrences jump out to the reader as Hamlet states: “’Tis now the very witching time of night,/ When churchyards yawn and hell itself breaths out/ Contagion to the world” (3.2.419-421). As is common with most supernatural events, Hamlet emphasizes the darkness of the night as it provides Hamlet with cover to commit any evil or murderous actions. By describing the night as “witching,” Hamlet makes clear that this is no ordinary night but a mysterious and eerie night full of over-powering and mischievous forces that set the mood for murder. Hamlet continues these images by personifying churchyards as they “yawn” and “breathe out” hell itself. These images all help convey a sense of the paranormal as Hamlet speaks of these possessive and wicked powers taking over the castle during this night. But it isn’t the castle which these powers are taking over, but Hamlet’s mind itself. The “contagion” that Hamlet speaks of is not of evilness roaming over the land, but the evilness and suspension of morality in his own consciousness. As a man who has never taken a life and is much more comfortable reading books on philosophy than fighting in battles, Hamlet is simply not equipped to commit murder. Hamlet can only take on this murderous mindset if he creates a make-believe world in his mind full of the supernatural and evilness of the damned. Since this soliloquy takes place immediately after Hamlet produces a fictional play of his father’s death, and after Hamlet has been acting mad himself for two acts, it comes as no surprise that Hamlet is living in his own fantasy of vengeance and death – thus portraying him as a man distancing himself further from reality, which in turn makes killing a much simpler act, but also adds to his unstable and dangerous state of mind. 

The Introduction Paragraph

Follow the ACT model in creating a concise and clear introductory paragraph:

      Appropriate Opener: Make sure you begin your introduction with a relatively smooth sentence that is not overly dramatic. Should have a connection with the text.

       Concepts/ Context: Make sure you introduce the concepts (the big ideas or literary topics) you will be talking about. Set up the context for the essay. Introduce the author and text you will be discussing. Name drop, title drop, and topic drop. Do not give a summary of the plot!

       Thesis: The end of your introductory paragraph should be your thesis statement which should be the general argument and purpose of your paper. Should have at least some specificity.

Common Mistakes in the Intro Paragraph:

    1)      Vomit-inducing opening sentences:

“Throughout human history people have felt sad…”

“According to Webster’s dictionary definition of madness…”

“Every individual on this planet is unique…”

    2)     Explaining too much plot and providing unnecessary details:

“The remarkable play Hamlet is a story about a Danish Prince who is immensely sad, and has a lot going on. For example he has parent issues with his mom who just married his uncle. And his dating life is problematic since he is now ignoring Ophelia, who is the daughter to Polonius, who is a really nosy old man, sort of like my neighbor Mr. Willowshanks….”

    3)     Thesis Statements that are too general or don’t make connections:

“In this soliloquy, Hamlet uses unique and interesting literary devices to enhance his complex state of mind.”

“In this soliloquy, Hamlet uses supernatural imagery and a violent tone.”

                         A Sample Intro Paragraph:

As is common with many of Shakespeare’s tragic heroes, characters in his plays often face dilemmas so demanding and emotionally draining that they crumble under the weight of these burdens and descend into a state of madness. Such is the case with Hamlet in his self-titled play as he becomes obsessed with killing King Claudius in hopes to avenge his father’s death. Immediately following his “trap” of Claudius, in which he had actor’s reenact his father’s death in front of the King, Hamlet becomes manically overcome with excitement as he now has unquestionable cause to kill the King. In his soliloquy immediately following this “trap,” Shakespeare has Hamlet use supernatural imagery and violent diction to further portray him as an unstable man on the cusp of murderous and irreversible action as he slowly loses his grip on reality.