A literary analysis is an argumentative analysis about a literary work. Although some summary is needed within the argument of a literary analysis, the objective is not to write a report about a book or story. Instead, a literary analysis discusses a writer’s interpretation of a text through careful examination of the author’s choices within the text: word choice, themes, motifs, as well as many other literary devices. The writer uses portions of the text, as well as his or her reasoning, to demonstrate how the evidence supports the interpretation.
For this assignment, this question will primarily deal with a work’s theme, and you will be graded on how well you analyze how the elements of a work correlate to a work’s overall theme. These elements are your tools you will use to analyze a work and create your evidence. These elements include (but are not limited to): Structure/Form, Point of View, Setting, Atmosphere, Characters, Imagery, Symbolism, Persona, Tone, Language.
1. In James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues,” Baldwin uses symbols, setting, and story structure to highlight his multiple themes of obligation towards brotherly love, hidden rage and fury, and salvation that is promised but never attained. Choose one of these themes and write an essay that argues for the importance of your chosen theme in the story’s central conflict.
Grading Criteria:
• Clearly summarize a literary work.
• Write a clear thesis
• Support that thesis with well-paragraphed details
• Analyze ways in which you use the text as a type of evidence
• Create a conclusion that is suitable for a short essay
Body Paragraphs:
– Claim
– Evidence
– Analysis
– Warrant – this is important to the argument because …