From Analysis to Essay: Writing an Analytical Essay

Now that you have analyzed how the literary elements of your

novels work together to express its theme; it’s time to turn the specificity of that theme into a thoughtful and directed thesis statement.

1. First and foremost, remember that you are analyzing the elements of the work in order to arrive at an interpretation; you should not summarize the work. Simply retelling what happened or making an observation does not amount to an interpretation. If you start off with a thesis statement that argues

for the interpretation of the texts meaning, you will guard against summary.

Developing a thesis statement from a thorough and specific understanding of theme:

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Would anyone else see this point differently?2. Are you making logical connections?3. Does you thesis reflect a comprehensive

understanding of the theme?

Developing a thesis statement that reflects a textual interpretation:

Remember when formulating your thesis that you are writing about how literary elements such as plot, character, setting, symbol(s), and allusion(s) illuminate the meaning as a whole. Thus, you are always balancing the two: literary elements and interpretation.

A Thesis Statement:

Example 1: In the novels Night, By Elie Wiesle and Nectar in a Sieve, by Kamala Markandaya, through the conflict of religious oppression and unwelcome urbanization, the characters display persistence and perseverance as they combat the evil with their own adaptations to their situations; the human bonds that are made during hardships dealt by the characters represent the good in the battle against evil.

Example 2:The corruption and obstacles derived from urbanization provide a test to determine whether the goodness within people can prevail over the evil forces in the city; this is a trial instilling the principles of morality, hope and acceptance emanating from the basis of love within characters; in the novels, Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton and Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya, this unifying theme is prominent throughout.

Examples Thesis Statements from Summer Essays:

The corruption and obstacles derived from urbanization provide a test to determine whether the goodness within people can prevail over the evil forces in the city; this is a trial instilling the principles of morality, hope, and acceptance emanating from the basis of love within characters; in the novels, Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton and Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya, this unifying theme is prominent throughout. The events of both books occur in two remote locations during pivotal times of national change; Cry, The Beloved Country is premised in Johannesburg at a time two years before the apartheid in South Africa, while Nectar in a Sieve takes place during the British colonization period of India, when the spread of the industrial revolution in Western Europe was beginning to be implemented in rural parts of the subcontinent. These texts bring to light the nebulous horrors of urbanization that are often obscured from plain sight because of the sheltered, and often narrow-minded culture of society. Social ills that encompass prostitution, rising economic inequality, corruption by power and crime are incessantly faced by the protagonists, Reverend Stephen Kumalo from Cry, The Beloved Country and Rukmani from Nectar in a Sieve, as they experience the transformation into city life. The creeds pertaining to morality, hope and acceptance endure through all the hardships that is cast upon them and the love that exists between the characters and those closest to them perseveres through the struggle against the forces of inherent evil.

Sample Introduction:

Regardless of whether you are given a specific

prompt to respond to or assigned a more general topic on a literary work, your main points will grow out of your thesis statement. Expressing these points as topic sentences moves the essay along and makes it more cohesive.

Planning an Analytical Essay:

Topic Sentence 1:The temptations of the city lure characters in both novels into trivial situations in which their morality is compromised; however, there is a circumventing journey of repentance that allows the characters to make a final moral decision to redeem themselves. Topic Sentence 2:The essence of hope in Cry, The Beloved Country and Nectar in the Sieve emerges even in the most calamitous of circumstances and are represented by characters that under the influence of love, defeat forces of evil originating from the city’s economic inequality. Topic Sentence 3:In both novels, characters and their families yield to accept the social illness and depravity that urbanization presents because of their strong love for each other.

Example Topic Sentences:

Whether you are writing with the text in hand or from memory, the same principle

should guide your writing: be specific. If you refer to a character as “what’s-his-name” or refer to a setting in general

terms, you’re not likely to be convincing. Active reading and rereading are essential; you will constantly go back and

reference the text(s) that’s why textual annotation is important. Citing examples and explicitly explaining how they illustrate and support your

interpretation are key to a successful essay that analyzes a literary work. You MUST avoid summary in your essay, but how much information should you

give your readers about the work’s plot or characters? One helpful guideline is to assume that your reader has read the book but has not necessarily thought too much about it. By doing so, you won’t have to recount the plot or describe the characters.

The most important part of supporting your argument involves explaining your examples and discussing the ways the details you recount or quote connect to your thesis statement and topic sentences. You do this by including sentences of explanation, sometimes called commentary or analysis, for each of your examples—and making those examples as concrete as possible.

Supporting Your Analysis:

Three Basic Parts of Literary Analysis    Jane Schaffer, Teaching the Multi-Paragraph Essay

topic sentence: concrete detail: commentary   1:2+ =recommended ratio of cd:cm   1:1 ratio= off to a good start 1:0 rati0=book report   body paragraph= 1 sentence for topic sentence chunk= 1 sentence: concrete detail 2 sentences: commentary chunk #2=1 sentence: concrete detail 2 sentences: commentary chunk #3=1 sentence: concrete detail 2 sentences: commentary 1 sentence for conclusion

The Jane Schaffer Model:

• The Jane Schaffer model gives you a clear guideline

to developing an analytical body-paragraph. • It gives you a model for structuring your body-

paragraphs so that you have integrated enough textual support and analysis into your essay.

• It teaches you how to balance your body-paragraphs so you are not providing too much or too little evidence and/or analysis.

• You should use this model until you are receiving consistently high grades on your analytical essays.

Why use the Jane Schaffer Model: