Rules for Literary Analysis:
The Never Rules-
Examples of Introductory Paragraphs
Life cannot exist without death. E. B. White's story "Once More to the Lake" is about a man who revisits a lake from his childhood to discover that his life has lost placidity. The man remembers his childhood as he remembers the lake: peaceful and still. Spending time at the lake as an adult has made the man realize that his life has become unsettling and restless, like the tides of the ocean. Having brought his son to this place from his own past, the man makes inevitable comparisons between his own son and his childhood self, and between himself as an adult and the way he remembers his father from his childhood perspective. Through a changing setting, nostalgic mood, and unexpected epiphany, White utilizes this story of a return visit to a childhood location to elucidate that at some point humans must accept their own mortality.
Days of snowball fighting, sled-riding, and making snowmen are embedded in the memory of most American adults. “The Chase” by Annie Dillard is a story of contradictions; the story focuses on children running through the streets of their neighborhood, being chased by a man whose car was hit by their snowballs. Although the man eventually catches the children, both sides of the chase realize that there really is not a suitable punishment for hitting a car with snowballs. Throughout the story, Dillard utilizes symbolism and foreshadowing to illustrate the contrasting view of life between childhood and adulthood.
Death is a difficult subject to discuss even though it is a natural part of life. In Virginia Woolf’s “The Death of the Moth,” she writes about a moth flying about a windowpane, its world constrained by the boundaries of the wood holding the glass. The moth flies, first from one side, to the other, and then back as the rest of world continues on ignorant of the moth's impending doom. At first indifferent, the narrator is eventually moved to pity the moth. This poignant story shows that life is as strange and familiar as death to us all. In her story, Woolf uses unexpected paradox, an agricultural setting, and dramatic irony to illustrate that a fully committed life is the only way to meet death.
The Never Rules-
- Never use plot summary.
- Never address the author by first name or with titles such as Mrs., Ms., Miss, or Mr.
- Never rate the author's work or style (by writing "He does an excellent job of portraying the theme" or "The novel is wonderful).
- Never explain the technique that you are writing about (such as "Irony is expecting one thing to happen and the opposite occurring.").
- Always have a strong thesis.
- Always put quotations around the title of a poem or short story.
- Always italicize the title of a novel when typing.
- Always refer to the author by his or her full name the first time mentioned; use only his or her last name the rest of the time.
- Always avoid use of "be" verbs.
- Always make the conclusion worth reading by including new insightful analysis, connection to another similar work of literature, or an interesting, yet relevant quote.
Examples of Introductory Paragraphs
Life cannot exist without death. E. B. White's story "Once More to the Lake" is about a man who revisits a lake from his childhood to discover that his life has lost placidity. The man remembers his childhood as he remembers the lake: peaceful and still. Spending time at the lake as an adult has made the man realize that his life has become unsettling and restless, like the tides of the ocean. Having brought his son to this place from his own past, the man makes inevitable comparisons between his own son and his childhood self, and between himself as an adult and the way he remembers his father from his childhood perspective. Through a changing setting, nostalgic mood, and unexpected epiphany, White utilizes this story of a return visit to a childhood location to elucidate that at some point humans must accept their own mortality.
Days of snowball fighting, sled-riding, and making snowmen are embedded in the memory of most American adults. “The Chase” by Annie Dillard is a story of contradictions; the story focuses on children running through the streets of their neighborhood, being chased by a man whose car was hit by their snowballs. Although the man eventually catches the children, both sides of the chase realize that there really is not a suitable punishment for hitting a car with snowballs. Throughout the story, Dillard utilizes symbolism and foreshadowing to illustrate the contrasting view of life between childhood and adulthood.
Death is a difficult subject to discuss even though it is a natural part of life. In Virginia Woolf’s “The Death of the Moth,” she writes about a moth flying about a windowpane, its world constrained by the boundaries of the wood holding the glass. The moth flies, first from one side, to the other, and then back as the rest of world continues on ignorant of the moth's impending doom. At first indifferent, the narrator is eventually moved to pity the moth. This poignant story shows that life is as strange and familiar as death to us all. In her story, Woolf uses unexpected paradox, an agricultural setting, and dramatic irony to illustrate that a fully committed life is the only way to meet death.