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Click  here to download the text of the story
Click here for the study guide questions
Click here for the Literary Analysis Essay Worksheet
The Plan
Click  here for a printable PDF version of these instructions.
The Goal
Everyone who tries today will leave with a proficient Literary Analysis essay completed. One step closer to graduation!
The Topic
How do symbols, most especially archetypal, illustrate Sanger Rainsford’s journey of self discovery?
The Process – Part One
Done as a group
Definitions
These will be dicussed and shown on the ACTIVboard
Setting a purpose for reading
· What archetypes (and their possible meanings) will we see?
· There are two levels of the story (literal and symbolic)
Reading the story
· One room where story will be read aloud.
· One room where individuals may read
Discussing the story
· General discussion/comments
On the ACTIVboard
· What archetypes did you notice?
· What do you think their meaning was?
· Was there a symbolic meaning to the story? What might it be?
· Draw a diagram of the story to show the three phases of story.
Hand out questions to guide students through analysis
· Students answer questions in groups of no more than 3 people.
· Report back to whole group; correct any incorrect answers
· When finished, students go back to groups and break the story down into 3 distinct parts:
1. Rainsford is attracted by evil
2. Rainsford confronting evil (within his unconscious)
3. Rainsford triumphing over evil
· Come back to large group, compare answers, draw conclusions
Beginning to form the thesis
Refining Thesis
Create one sentence that does the following things:
- Tells the 3 stages Rainsford goes through in the story
- Tells how archetypal symbols are used to show the stages
As soon as you complete this sentence, show it to Riley. Once it has been checked off, go back to the BEST site and open the document called literary analysis essay worksheet. Save it to your folder and type your thesis statement in the appropriate place.
The Process – Part Two
Time to arrange evidence
- Look at the list of evidence (quotes, etc.) that fits into each of the three phases of the story mentioned in your thesis statement, and choose the two pieces of evidence for each phase of the story that will best illustrate your point.
- Decide what commentary you could use to explain why your evidence illustrates your point (what does the quote mean in relation to the rest of the story).
Show your worksheet to Riley before you go to the next step.
Finalizing the organization
Setting up the paper
Erase ALL of the red headings on your worksheet.
Writing commentary
BEFORE each quote, write a set up. It should tell when (at what point of the story) and sometimes where (e.g.in the jungle) the incident/quote takes place. Some examples are:
- When Rainsford is on the yacht at the beginning of the story…
- As Rainsford is pursued through the jungle…
- An incident that illustrates __________ is when…
Then, AFTER each quote, write your commentary. Commentary should answer the following question:
- How does this event/quote illustrate your thesis (or how does it show he is attracted to evil, etc.)?
Writing the Conclusion
DO NOT BEGIN YOUR CONCLUSION WITH “In conclusion”!!!!
Your conclusion should summarize your main points and answer one, or both of the following questions (or your own question):
- What does this story say about the nature of good and evil?
- How are archetypes used to give the story a deeper meaning?
Write your conclusion at the end of your worksheet. Show this to Riley before you go on to the next step
Writing the Introduction
Now, go back to the introduction. You have your thesis, but what information needs to come before your thesis? You need to provide the following information:
· A “hook” that catches the attention of your audience. This can be a question or statement (perhaps about archetypes or the nature of evil).
· The name of the author and the title of the story (often in the thesis).
- Background information that “sets-up” your thesis
Write 2-4 sentences that provide the answers to those questions at the beginning of your worksheet.
Show this to Riley before you go to the next step.
Improving Style and Conventions.
Transitions
For paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 you will need transitions. Take a look at the first sentence of each of those paragraphs. That sentence contains your argument and it is your topic sentence. At the beginning of each topic sentence, use one of the transition words you can find at this site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/574/02/
Add your transitions and show them to Riley before you go to the next step.
Fragments
Look at every place that Word has underlined in green. Take a look at the suggestion that Word’s editing assistant offers. If it says “Fragment, consider revising”, fix it or ask Riley for help.
Spelling
Look at every place that Word has underlined in red. Fix it and ask for help if you think you do have it right but it is still underlined.
Voice
Formal papers cannot use the words “you” or “your”. You can use the pronouns “I”, “me”, and “we”. Scan your paper and fix every sentence that uses any of these no-no pronouns. If you need help with suggestions, just ask.
Formatting
- You can use the following site to format you bibliography information:
http://citationmachine.net/index.php?callstyle=1&all=
Final Review
Show your paper to Riley for a preliminary “edit”. Make any revisions he suggests
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