Essay Writing and Literary Analysis Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for essay writing and literary analysis based on lecture notes.

Profanity Words in Essay Writing

I, my, you, your, got, being (as a verb), was when, was what, was where, is when, is what, is where, are when, are what, he/she, there is, there are.

Avoid using contractions in writing:

shouldn’t, couldn’t, isn’t, won’t, etc

Ford Rule

Every sentence must be able to stand on its own. Every sentence must be specific (Spatula).

Two Types of Run-on Sentences

Comma Splice: two independent clauses put together with just a comma
Fused run-on: two independent clauses together with no punctuation or conjunction.

Sentence Variety

Alternate ways to begin a sentence

Three ways to show variety:

1. Begin with a preposition

2. Begin with a present participle (verb-ing)

3. Begin with an adverb (in many cases an -ly ending)

Steps in Writing an Introduction

1. Read and understand the writing prompt

   1. When doing literary analysis a TAG has to be in the first sentence of the introduction. (Title, Author, Genre)

2. Boil the prompt down to two to four words

3. Using any combination of the three “funneling in” techniques, use the two to four words from step two to “funnel in” to your theses

4. Restate the key words of the writing prompt in creating your thesis

   1. Your thesis should be debatable

Prompt

Directions for writing

3 “Funneling in” Techniques

1. Direct Statement

2. Question

3. Negative to Positive

Thesis Statement

(Main Claim): Lets the reader know what’s coming up in the body paragraphs. Most specific sentence of the introduction.

Introductory Paragraphs

should be 3-3.75 lines long. (Times New Roman, 12 point font, one inch margins)

Steps in Writing a Conclusion

1. Restate your thesis statement

   1. In a literary analysis, a TAG should be in the first sentence of the conclusion.

2. Using direct statements, “funnel out” by going broad beyond the main point.

3. At the end of your conclusion, leave the reader with a final thought (universal truth)

The topic sentence

Lets the reader know what’s coming up in that particular paragraph (be specific)

The Four Elements of a Body Paragraph When Writing a Literary Analysis Essay

1. Topic sentence (topic sentence must be specific) - one sentence

2. Comment fully (provide context) - two to four sentences

3. Controlled Quote (includes paranthetical citation) ex. (Lee 110). The quote is two typed out lines or less

4. Comment fully (analysis) - five to seven sentences

Avoid Redundancy in Your Writing

Level 1: Rename nouns and verbs to avoid redundancy

Level 2: Rename nouns and verbs to make your argument stronger