Posted: November 8th, 2014

Assignment: Third Essay a Literary Analysis of a Novel

Assignment: Third Essay a Literary Analysis of a Novel

Instructions:

Select a theme about aThe Cinder Buggy: A Fable in Iron and Steela that interests you and for which you will provide a literary analysis of the authoras meaning in the novel. You could use one of three ways to organize your paper: create a comparison, trace the imagery, or construct a debate.

Literary analysis looks critically at a work of fiction in order to understand how the parts contribute to the whole. When analyzing a novel, consider elements such as the context, setting, characters, plot, literary devices, and themes. Remember that a literary analysis isnat merely a summary or review, but rather an interpretation of the work and an argument about it based on the text. You might argue about the workas meaning or why it causes certain reader reactions. Base your paper on a thesis, or argument, that you formulate to unify your essay. Look for controversy, inconsistency, intrigue, or words that can be interpreted in more than one way. Make your analysis interesting.

Assignment: Write an essay of approximately 1250 words (about 6 pages) explaining your argument or thesis about a main idea that interested you about the novel and the authoras intended purpose in writing it. Give examples and quotations to illustrate your main points.

Develop a thesis that makes an arguable claim about the novel. It should connect the themes you are interested in exploring with specific proof from the text (i.e. setting, context, plot, characters, symbolism, or allusions).
Also use the support of other analysts or literary experts [outside scholarly resources].
I expect to see you use at least 1-2 outside research sources for this essay.

Remember that a thesis for a literary analysis should NOT merely:
yiSummarize the plot
yiState an over-generalized theme
yiOffer a review of the novel
yiMake an announcement

Objectives:

Write a clear, confident, well-supported essay analyzing the novel.
To complete this assignment, you should:
1. Write a clear thesis statement.
2. Discover a main theme around which you will focus your discussion, analysis, description, narration, details, illustrations, facts, and examples.
3. Organize your paper with a clear beginning, middle, and ending.
4. Consult your style guide for help with grammatical, punctuation, or mechanical issues.

Requirements:

Your paper should be approximately 1250 words (about 6 pages) long. Type your paper in a Word or .rtf document a double-spaced a with a heading on the first page appropriate to MLA style. It doesnat require a title page. Donat break each paragraph with an extra line break, but instead begin each paragraph with an indent. When you submit your paperas final draft in Essays via the Assignment Tool, post it as a Word or .rtf attachment that preserves the documentas formatting. Follow the due dates listed in the Class Schedule.

There is no single method of analysis that will work for every essay.
You could compare and contrast two characters, either from this novel or between this novel and another work we have read this semester. You could trace the use of an image through the novel.
You could debate an issue.

1. Comparison:
Chances are you have written this kind of essay before. First organize your argument. Then either go subject by subject or point by point. In the former, youall discuss one character first and then the second. In the latter, youall choose several traits (such as attitude toward life, social status, images and metaphors associated with the characters) and devote a paragraph to each. You may want to use a mix of these two approaches a spend a paragraph a piece broadly sketching each characteras personality before transitioning into a paragraph or two that describes a few key points of comparison. This can be a highly effective strategy if you want to make a counterintuitive argument a that, despite seeming to be totally different, the two characters being compared are actually similar in a very important way (or vice versa). Remember that your essay should reveal something fresh or unexpected about the novel, so think beyond the obvious parallels and differences.

2. Trace:
Choose an image or idea a for example, New Damascus, railroads, steel nails, hard work, jealousy a and trace that image throughout the novel. Sounds easy, right? All you need to do is read the novel, underline every appearance of a nail in the novel, then list them in your essay in the order they appear, right? Not exactly! Your instructor doesna t want a simple catalog or laundry list of examples. I want to see you make connections between the examples a thatas the difference between summarizing and analyzing. Think about the different contexts in which steel nails appear and to what effect. Categorize and classify your examples to give them some order. Always keep the overall effect in mind. After you choose and analyze your examples, you should come to some greater understanding about the work, as well as your chosen image, symbol, or phraseas role in developing the major themes and stylistic strategies of the novel.

3. Debate:
In this kind of essay, you are being asked to debate a moral, ethical, or aesthetic issue regarding the work. You might judge a character a such as Enoch Gib and his miserliness or his treatment of others a or a topic a for example the real background of the industrial revolution and how it transformed society a or the work itself a for example the novel glorifies entrepreneurship or the need for reforms.
There are two important points to keep in mind.
1. Donat simply base your arguments on your personal feelings and reactions. Every literary essay expects you to read and analyze the work, so search for evidence in the text. Read other sources as well to gain further insight. As in any debate, make sure that you define all the necessary terms before you begin to argue your case. Define all your terms right up front.
2. Strong literary essays make contrary and surprising arguments. Letas say you are writing about the question Is the society depicted in 1984 good for its citizens. It seems like the obvious answer would be no, the totalitarian society depicted in Orwellas novel is not good for its citizens. But can you think of any arguments for the opposite side? Even if your final assertion is that the novel depicts a cruel, repressive, and therefore harmful society, acknowledging and responding to the counterargument will strengthen your overall case.
Try to think outside the box. Consider the obvious arguments and then go further to write about something surprising or little-known about your topic. Know and state the opposing points of view and respond to them.

Finally:
Remember that a thesis for a literary analysis should NOT merely:
Summarize the plot (aThe Once and Future King tells the story of the legendary King Arthur.a)
Announce a general theme (aThe Once and Future King gives important ideas about leadership.a)
Offer a review of the book (aThe Once and Future King is a literary classic that everyone should read.a)

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