Codependent No More by Melody Beattie
July 8, 2020
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July 8, 2020
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literary analysis essay

The literary analysis essay is one you are likely familiar with as a key component of an English literature course, but there are also guidelines you should read and follow.

The good news is that you can, if you want to, re-use your lit review topic and articles for the literary analysis essay. You will expand on your own direct analysis of the story and your research will take a back drop, but it should be mentioned, of course. But in this case, your research is done for you!*

You will still need 3 secondary sources for your essay (your articles) and you should also use your short story as a primary source, so you should quote from and have 4 sources listed in your works cited page.

The MLA citation for your short story is in the syllabus. Please copy/paste this on your works cited page.

*However, it is not a requirement to use your lit review. If you feel compelled to research and write about another story we have read, you may do this too. The choice is yours.

LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY

The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine and evaluate a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature. As with any analysis, this requires you to break the subject down into its component parts. Examining the different elements of a piece of literature is not an end in itself but rather a process to help you better appreciate and understand the work of literature as a whole. Your objective in writing a literary analysis essay is to convince the person reading your essay that you have supported the idea you are developing. 

Your idea (thesis) should be an opinion or interpretation of the work, NOT a fact about the work.

Your second essay for English 1B requires you to research a topic on one of the stories we have read in this course and, using three outside sources from the Literature databases as well as the text, analyze your topic. Your topic can be on anything you would be interested in researching further, and you can even take a question or concept explored in your assignments or discussions to expand on. 

Essays in this course are weighted heavily. Since this is an English course, they are also graded on a pass/fail scale (0 points may be given if a student misses too many elements on the rubric to comprise a complete essay).

I want to stress the importance of: 

viewing the rubric each time before you submit your essay; 
understanding and implementing MLA format; 
understanding five paragraph format and the thesis-driven essay; 
understanding and implementing information literacy and; 
understanding the importance of displaying an effective argument.
RUBRIC

You are expected to have the following for your essays. If you do not, your essay will automatically fail. 

Thesis (a good one)
Sources (3)
Quotes from your 3 sources in all three body paragraphs. If you are writing about a short story also, you will also include quotes and evidence from the short story.
Structure (intro, three body paragraphs, conclusion)
Correct grammar and spelling
Your essay must be 4-5 pages (1300-1500 words) in length and must be in MLA Format. 

Essays not submitted to turnitin will receive a 0 grade. 
Essays with more than 20% match will be penalized at the discretion of the instructor; essays that are 50% matched or more will be considered deliberate plagiarism and will result in the student receiving an F in the course.  Further disciplinary action may ensue.

I want to do my essay on The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara https://www.dropbox.com/sh/uwm5457ssrs7zbr/AACXnnFa48oeVa1RkzUSiYoxa?dl=0&preview=TheLesson.pdf

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