The Basics:
• You will be doing this analysis on Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.
• 2-4 typed pages. I encourage you to devise an original title.
• Must be in 3rd person point-of-view.
• You will be writing an essay and a formal outline will accompany it. The formal outline is a separate assignment and has its own page with a heading and last name page number. It follows the same formatting rules as the writing assignment.
• Essays and all writing assignments are required to be typed & double spaced. 1 inch margins around the entire paper. Use Times New Roman font, all fonts must be sized to 12-point.
• You will be given multiple chances to resubmit graded assignments to correct or redo for a higher grade.
• Indent five spaces for the first word in each new paragraph. Do it manually don’t use the tab.
• Do not justify lines in the essay or assignments at the right margin.
• Name, Professor Name, Class Name, Type of Assignment, and Due Date must be on each written assignment.
• The writing assignment is hole-punched and placed into the three prongs.
• The final draft is turned into your instructor in a paper, two-pocket, three-prong folder.
• All writing assignments will be submitted to Turnitin.com for a plagiarism check.
• Turnitin Originality report is in the front pocket of the folder.
• The formal outline is in the back pocket of the folder.
• Due date found in your syllabus
• Your Heading will look like this:
John Doe
Professor Maribeth Uralrith M.Ed.
English Composition 1101
Literary Text Analysis
15 September 2015
A literary text analysis is an argumentative analysis about a literary work. Although some summary is needed within the argument of a literary analysis, the objective is not to write a report about a book or story. Instead, a literary analysis discusses a writer’s interpretation of a text through careful examination of the author’s choices within the text: word choice, themes, motifs, as well as many other literary devices. The writer uses portions of the text, as well as his or her reasoning, to demonstrate how the evidence supports the interpretation
A text analysis paper will focus upon an area of the work that you find interesting, significant, or feel merits discussion. A text analysis paper should be fairly formal, and should genuinely attempt to shed light on one or more aspects of the work. You may discuss the significance of character, plot, setting, symbol…whatever catches your fancy. Overall, I am looking for interesting and original insights concerning the reading assignment.
An ideal text analysis will be from 2 to 4 pages in length, double spaced, typed. Your paper will explore a problem or point of interest created by a work of literature (this includes, but is not limited to, character motivation, thematic elements, symbol, irony, etc.). Your ideas and insights will be based on information from the pages in the text (outside research is encouraged), calling upon specific examples to illustrate the idea or issue you are exploring. Your grade will be based on the quality and depth of your insights, and on the use of specific textual evidence as support. (Avoid the obvious! Take risks! Make it interesting!)
Possible starting places for your text analysis include an author’s life, politics, the social context of the work, philosophical musings, how and why the work evokes a particular feeling in you, cultural relevance, or the components of the text such as the significance of setting, narrative voice, imagery, or symbolism. Or, perhaps you will read a critical approach to the text and use it as a springboard for your own ideas. Or, you may wish to explore the relationship between elements of the text (How does setting influence character?). You may even wish to direct your questions toward identifying patterns between texts and asking what the significance of these patterns might be. PLEASE USE THE LRC RESOURCES AND STAFF IF YOU FEEL YOU NEED ADDITIONAL HELP!!!!!!! You are not required to focus on more that one literary element but may do so if you would like to.The Dos and Don’ts of Text Analysis Papers:
DO NOT: Only summarize plot DO: Analyze the thematic and symbolic significance of events in the story.
DO NOT: Say you didn’t like a character DO: Explain how a character was unlikable, and why that may or may not have been the author’s intent.
DO NOT: Generalize and provide vague DO: Use specific examples from the text reasons behind your Text Analysis (including quotes, if significant).
DO NOT: Make superficial, obvious insights (eg: This Boy’s Life is about the struggles of growing up) DO: Think deeply, and look closely into the work. Notice things that a casual reader would not.
DO NOT: Simply repeat ideas mentioned in class by the instructor or by other students. DO: Build off ideas mentioned in class, adding your own thoughts and insights to the discussion.
**Remember: Text analysis papers must be typed and submitted on time. They will be evaluated on the basis of focus, development, use of evidence, creativity, and level of insight, analysis and depth.
Sample Solution
