Choose from our assigned texts a story that interests you most and investigate it further with a question of critical inquiry, whose answer will become the essay’s thesis statement. Develop an argument with a careful analysis of the primary text and support your position with credible outside material. In addition to textual evidence from the story itself, you must supplement your analysis with at least one (1) scholarly secondary text and at least one (1) credible popular text. Synthesize into your argument the ideas of others: think critically about them, analyze their value, then use these ideas to support your own thesis.”
Literary Analysis Rubric (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) & Essay Markup Key (Links to an external site.) (pdfs via Drive):
Thesis Statement & ¶ Unity/Coherence: 15%
Advanced Understanding of Literary Analysis: 30%
Use of Evidence: 20%
Mechanics & Style: 15%
MLA Documentation: 15%
Document Formatting: 5%
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100 points | 1,000 word-minimum
Due Friday, March 18 @ noon. This assignment will remain open until Sunday, March 20 @ noon.
Directions
Examine one of our assigned texts with a question of critical inquiry. Employ literary analysis to examine a component or theme of the story, paying specific attention to what is revealed when seen from your chosen position. Focus your examination into a critical argument about the work, stating either your perspective on, interpretation of, or critical evaluation of the work.
For example, a student might examine in Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese protagonist Jin Wang’s internalized racism and its effects on self-esteem and self-acceptance. See the example below for an analysis of the upcoming graphic novel:
Literary Analysis Example Essay (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) (pdf via Drive)
In addition to gathering evidence from the primary text, you must support your analysis with credible secondary sources. Synthesize into your argument the ideas of others: think critically about them, analyze their value, then use these ideas to support your own thesis. Demonstrate the authority and value of the sources within your essay itself. A minimum of two (2) quality secondary sources—in addition to the primary text—are required, including:
At least one (1) scholarly source
At least one (1) popular source
Explain to the reader the credentials of those you incorporate into your essay, and provide context for their inclusion. If you have questions about what constitutes an academic/professional or popular source, check out the SCC Library’s research guide at the following link:
Evaluating Sources (Links to an external site.) (via stchas.edu)
This analytic essay should:
open with an introductory paragraph that [1] catches the reader’s attention, [2] provides context for understanding the essay (the text, its author, and your analytical approach to the piece), and [3] culminates in an explicit thesis statement that expresses an argument about the work, stating either your perspective on, interpretation of, or critical evaluation of the work
expound on the thesis by
supporting with logic your argument
identifying in the primary text evidence which illustrates or otherwise supports your interpretation
incorporating credible support for your argument from your research
organize those examples and research in paragraphs where you explain their connection to your thesis, providing details that help the reader understand your position
include primary textual evidence to illustrate its claims and a minimum of two (2) credible texts found through the SCC Library (Links to an external site.) (stchas.edu)
mention the title and author(s) or creator(s) of any referenced work (including MLA documentation–9th ed.)
conclude satisfactorily, with what might be a lesson learned, or concluding argument, but is never a summation of the whole essay
adhere to the Written Assignment Formatting Guidelines (Links to an external site.) (pdf via Drive)
Avoid:
Long or block quotes
First- and second-person pronouns
Presenting a synopsis of the plot
Over-reliance on web material, reviews, and/or the encyclopedia or dictionary