33 Analytical Writing
How does argument differ from analysis?
Some writing assignments ask for an analysis of a text. These types of assignments are especially popular in literature courses. Professors may ask students to analyze a short story, poem, drama, or some other type of literature, which requires a close reading of the text; however, the thesis consists of the same elements as a regular thesis, a concrete(s) and an abstract(s). In other words, specific literary elements (symbols, tone, characterization, and such) will convey some type of abstract, an opinion. For example, “In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the pentangle on Sir Gawain’s shield signifies not only the chivalric code by which he is bound, but also the levels of conflict by which he is constrained.” Concrete: the pentangle on Gawain’s shield. Abstract/Opinion: the ways that the pentangle illustrates conflicts in the story, such as man vs man (Gawain vs Green Knight) and man vs himself (Gawain’s inner struggle to adhere to the codes of Chivalry).
Analytical Thesis Statements:
To aid you in writing a thesis statement about literature, Heather Ringo and Athena Kashyap have several examples of analytical thesis statements and further suggestions on how to write them.
A strong literary thesis statement should be:
- Debatable
- Ex: “While most people reading Hamlet think he is the tragic hero, Ophelia is the real hero of the play as demonstrated through her critique of Elsinore’s court through the language of flowers.”
- This thesis takes a position. There are clearly those who could argue against this idea.
- Ex: “While most people reading Hamlet think he is the tragic hero, Ophelia is the real hero of the play as demonstrated through her critique of Elsinore’s court through the language of flowers.”
- Rooted in observations about literary devices, genres, or forms
- Ex: Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter falters and ultimately breaks down with the introduction of the character Pearl, which shows the perceived danger of female sexuality in a puritanical society.
- Look at the text in bold. See the strong emphasis on how form (literary devices like symbolism and character) acts as a foundation for the interpretation (perceived danger of female sexuality).
- Ex: Hawthorne’s use of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter falters and ultimately breaks down with the introduction of the character Pearl, which shows the perceived danger of female sexuality in a puritanical society.
- Specific
- Ex: Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American ideals, one must leave ‘civilized’ society and go back to nature
- Through this very specific yet concise sentence, readers can anticipate the text to be examined (Huckleberry Finn), the author (Mark Twain), the literary device that will be focused upon (river and shore scenes) and what these scenes will show (true expression of American ideals can be found in nature).
- Ex: Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American ideals, one must leave ‘civilized’ society and go back to nature
(Click on LibreTexts to see more of Ringo and Kashyap’s explanation of analytical thesis statements.)
Examples
For close reading techniques for poetry and literature, please see:
For poetry analysis, ReadWriteThink offers TP-CASTT, a step-by-step close reading method.
Similarly, the DIDLS technique applies to analyzing other types of literature. Here’s an instructional YouTube video by Kate Mayo:How To Use the DIDLS Strategy
Here is a Google slideshow to help you analyze literature: Literary Analysis–Devices
Attribution
“Literary Thesis Statements,” Writing and Critical Thinking Through Literature, Heather Ringo and Athena Kashyap, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0/us, https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/12%3A_Writing_About_Literature/12.06%3A_Literary_Thesis_Statements.
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