Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Literary Analysis
Writer’s Prompt:
v Listen
to Janis Ian’s haunting
song, “At Seventeen.”
v Write
what you think Ian’s
message is
v Write
your reaction to this
song
v How would you characterize
this song?
Janis Ian “At Seventeen”
Assignments
v It’s literary
v It’s an analysis
v It’s--
v An Argument!
v It may also involve research
on and analysis of
secondary sources
What is an Analysis?
v Uses
same analysis process as
when analyzing nonfiction:
Examine the context
To whom is the author writing?
Under what circumstances is
he/she writing?
What literary format is being
used?
What is the writer’s style?
Anti Analysis Naysayers
Metaphor
Genre
Irony/ambiguity
Which is the Best Thesis
Statement?
v Moby-Dickis about the
problem of evil.
v Moby-Dick is boring and
pointless.
v Moby-Dickis about a big,
white whale.
v Theuse of “whiteness” in
Moby-Dick illustrates the
uncertainty about the
meaning of life that Ishmael
How Do I Support a Thesis
Statement?
v Examples from the text:
Direct quotations
Summaries of scenes
Paraphrase
v Other critics’ opinions
v Historical and social context
v Always remember to read
carefully and highlight
useful passages and quotes
What is a Secondary Source?
v Read
“There Was An Old
Woman”
There Was An Old Woman
Who Lived In A Shoe
There was an old woman
who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children
she didn't know what to do;
She gave them some broth
without any bread;
She whipped them all
soundly
and put them to bed.
Literary Analysis
v Who or what does the “old woman”
symbolize?
v What does the “shoe” represent?
v Who are the “children”?
v For what could this fairy tale be an
analogy?
v “She whipped them all soundly
and put them to bed” What does
this imply?
v Compare and contrast this tale with
that of the “Three Little Pigs.”
v What is the historical context of this
fairy tale?
Where Can I Go for More
Help?
v ThePurdue University Writing
Lab
v http://owl.english.purdue.edu
v owl@owl.english.purdue.edu
If time permits…
v Begin
reading “The Story of an
Hour” in class