Project Text

Literary Analysis

In one way or another, people respond to the arts.  Audiences may applaud a dancer, gripe about a book or a film, or give a standing ovation to a musician.    Because the arts are complex, writing about them requires, in our case, careful reading.    You probably know a good deal more about narrative techniques than you are aware of knowing.  Until we are asked to write about a narrative carefully, most of us read them with unconscious ease, just as we ride a bicycle without precisely knowing how we do it.  This however, does not allow you to hold things up to scrutiny, to analyze or improve your understanding.  The main purpose of this form of writing is to share some insight about a work to the reader.  In order to be successful you have been asked to frame the time period and know the work.

Frame the time period:  The can be accomplished by asking what was going on during this time frame that the author incorporated into the text.  The resulting research material found can help support a point. Or it can help in understanding a point being made.   Make sure to take good notes much of this data can be used as primary evidence.  Make sure that you use reliable sources.    

Know the Work:  Reading a text more than once is critical in creating an analysis. The first reading is to gain an overall impression.  The next read and annotate.   The second time through look at the author’s style, the way he/she created the setting, the characters, the theme or the plot.   Make sure to take good notes and evaluate everything you read.  This step will help you to refresh your memory as you attempt to formulate ideas.  

Terms to remember:

Theme is the statement about life that a particular work shares with the reader. It is the controlling or dominant issue or idea.  It can sometimes be stated or it can be implied.  A theme must be expressed in a complete statement (i.e. in…the theme of jealousy is used to show the demise of mankind). 

Symbol an object, place characteristic or phenomenon that suggests one or more things (usually abstract) in addition to itself.  For example the dove is a symbol of peace. 

Imagery refers to the words or phrases that a writer uses to paint his canvas and appeal to the reader’s senses. 

Antagonist is the person or thing working against the protagonist.

Character analysis may analyze the internal conflict that character has with the theme.  Conflict is the problem or struggle in the story that triggers action.  There are five different types of conflict. 

Person vs. person: one character iin a story is in conflict with one or more of the other characters.

Person vs. society: A character is in conflict with some element of society, the accepted way of doing things

Person vs. self: a character faces conflicting inner choices.

Person vs. nature: A character is in conflict with some natural happening.

Person vs. fate: a character must battle what seems to be an uncontrollable problem. 

Project Text

Project Text:  You are asked to interpret a major text through close reading and research.  Our “text” is A Lesson before Dying and Invisible Man.  We’ll approach this text through a number of critical sources, classroom discussions and activities, individual student essays, and group projects. 

Project Text will allow students to explore students to explore the larger implications of the subject of analysis.  It will also allow students to move comprehensively and critically into the final research paper.  Project Text should culminate in at least 2,000 words draft processing. 

Writing Assignment

Writing Assignment:

Using the selected text for your course, select one of the following areas; Character analysis, Theme or Symbolism and write a literary analysis.

Character analysis:   Most students can analyze characters rather skillfully. Perhaps that’s because well drawn characters are like real people, and we respond to them with the expertise of a lifetime of knowing people.  Create an essay in which you look at an internal conflict, a moment of clarity or personality development.

Symbolism:  an object, place characteristic or phenomenon that suggests one or more things (usually abstract) in addition to itself.  Select one symbol and write an essay showing the meaning and importance of the symbol.

Theme: Identify the theme of the novel and show the different ways this idea is expressed and supported and developed in the novel.

 As you plan and pre-write think about the scope of the issue; try to identify causal chains.  All final packets (hard copies) and final copy must be handed in (during class) and posted on the blog by 5p.m. on the due date.

Planning and Pre writing

Use K.W.L., and cubing prewriting technique to generate details.  After examining your raw material identify two or three points (thesis statement) that might focus an essay.   Your prewriting should identify the purpose, audience and point of view on the selected subject. 

Peer critiques – you must have at least two critique (for the hard copy), four blog responses and one lab review of your essay.     Voice/ tone, audience, meaning, evidence, structure, and organization are the areas readers must comment on.