Underneath the quote write the phrase this shows_.Write down a specific quotation or example from a literary work.
Teach how to write a literary analysis or how to write an interpretive essay and avoid the common pitfalls before you assign the essay.
It’s also called the, “I’ll list as many facts as I can about this literary work and hope the teacher doesn’t grade it very closely” syndrome. Listing Facts: A close relative of the summary is listing facts.The only way to eliminate this error is to model analysis and give really low grades to students who summarize rather than analyze. Writing a Summary: No matter how many times you emphasize that you do not want a summary, you’ll still get them.Is there any superfluous evidence that could be deleted?įollowing are the most common errors with literary analysis:.Are there any points that should be added to clarify the interpretation?.What evidence best supports the interpretation?.What is the main point of the essay? This main point should be clearly identified in the thesis statement.Make sure you have a clear answer to the following questions as you write or revise:.As a teacher, it’s important to have class discussions on works being analyzed. Discuss the interpretation with others who have read the work.A good strategy is to write annotations as you read. Before drafting, brainstorm possible interpretations.Reread and look for passages and ideas that stand out or have special meaning. Read through the first time to get a feel for the work. Reread the literary work several times.When teaching how to write a literary analysis or interpretive essay, emphasize the following: Provides details, quotations, and other evidence to support the interpretation.Provides a clear interpretation of the author’s message and purpose.Identifies the author, title, and gives a brief summary of the literary work.The conclusion summarizes the interpretation and allows the writer to draw attention to the most important aspects of the analysis.The body of the essay must support the thesis statement through evidence–facts, examples, summaries–and commentary–opinions, analysis, interpretation, insight.The introduction must introduce the literary work, capture the reader’s attention, and include a clearly written thesis statement that contains the literary interpretation.Use the following guidelines for teaching how to write an interpretive essay or how to write a literary analysis: Remember when you assigned a literary analysis or an interpretive essay and all you got was 237 summaries of a short story you’d already read 15 times, so you slammed your hand in the filing cabinet drawer until you drew blood and broke every finger? The better option, of course, would have been to teach students how to write an interpretive essay or to teach students how to write a literary analysis.