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Language Analysis
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- University Of Cape Town (UCT)
this document aims to teach learners how to effectively analyse literature
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Literary AnalysisDefinition: Analysis is the practice of looking closely at small parts to see how they affect the
whole. Literary analysis focuses on how plot/structure, character, setting, and
many other techniques are used by the author to create meaning. Always be sure
to discuss the significance of your observations to the main idea about life (the
theme).
Introduction:
Begin by establishing the context of your analysis.
o Include the author’s first and last name, the title of the work you are analyzing,
and any needed information that will help to preview your thesis and thematic
statements.
Next, state the thematic statement. This is the main idea about life that the author is
conveying.
o This is the why of your analysis.
End with your thesis statement – this will have the who, the what, and the how.
o Use parts of the question you are answering when writing your thesis.
In short, thematic and thesis statements will always include:
o Who – the author
o What – the answer to the question (always answer the question being asked)
o How – the ways meaning is conveyed; the ways the answer is being shown
o Why – an assertion about life; the universal message being sent about people
(theme)
Sample
o Question: How is the setting in The Catcher in the Rye used as a
symbol to
reveal Holden Caulfield’s character? What point about life
is the author making?
o Thematic statement: The author shows that people do not see faults in
themselves that
they condemn in others.
o Thesis statement: Salinger uses the school, the hotel, and the museum as
symbols to
emphasize how Holden has the flaws that he routinely
criticizes.
Where the universal meaning of the literary work is included will be determined by the
question you are answering and the complexity of the argument.
, o If a question asks ―What is the theme of this work,‖ then the theme will be the
―what‖ part of the thesis.
Body Paragraphs (always at least two):
Begin each body paragraph with a clear argument (not a fact) that is a part of your thesis
statement.
A body paragraph should have a clear, single focus.
Create quotation sandwiches (AQC units) for the proof of your argument.
o Commentary should focus on the how of your analysis, and how it answers the
question.
When you include quotations, be sure to consider examples of both dialogue and
narration.
o A well-constructed analysis includes both.
Do not just identify a technique and provide an example of it; explain how the use of that
technique in the work addresses the specific question you are writing about.
End with a clincher sentence that restates the focus of the paragraph.
Include transitions between the body paragraphs in either the clincher or topic sentences.
At times you should consider bringing up the theme in the commentary of the body
paragraphs, but do not get away from the specific question you are answering.
Conclusion:
Begin by restating your thesis.
Explain how the ideas in your body paragraphs present the theme. In other words, your
conclusion will include an explanation for what the author is saying about life through the
examples you write about in your essay. Get to universal applications here: why is what
you’ve read important today?
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