If you’re writing an essay about literature, your topic sentence should almost always be about the work of literature. After the topic sentence, you might offer some secondary source information that sets up your literary analysis. This acts like a mini-CER, usually with just a claim and evidence (paraphrased moments from the text). Then you’ll transition into your analysis of the literature, and your explanation will connect the literature and the secondary source to offer a deeper analysis.
[TS] In “The Stolen Party,” Rosaura learns that Luciana’s social class is relevant to their friendship. [C] Even when people do not purposely choose friends who are similar to them, social class can affect relationships. [E] A 2014 study found that teenagers tended to be friends with others from similar social classes, perhaps because they could afford to participate in similar activities and had similar life experiences (Papapolydorou). [C] Likewise, in “The Stolen Party,” Rosaura’s lower social standing affects her relationship with Luciana even if she does not see it. [E] This differentiation becomes clear when the girl with the bow announces, “I'm her cousin and I know all her friends. And I don't know you” (Heker 2). [R] Even if Rosaura and Luciana are actually friends, Rosaura has evidently been excluded from other gatherings where Luciana’s cousins and friends would have gotten to know each other. [CONNECTING R] Rosaura’s exclusion from Luciana’s friend group makes sense given Papapolydorou’s findings that teenagers tend to form friendships along the lines of social class. [C] Papapolydorou’s hypothesis that teenagers from the same social class have similar life experiences is also supported by Rosaura’s experience at the party. [E] Rosaura needs to wear her fanciest outfit — “her Christmas dress” — to the party (2), [R] while the other guests likely have many clothing options for events such as this one. [CS] Even if Rosaura and Luciana like each other, practical issues could become barriers to their friendship.
If your secondary source information is fairly straightforward, you can just incorporate it into the explanation of a literary analysis CER.
[TS] In “The Stolen Party,” Rosaura learns that Luciana’s social class is relevant to their friendship. [C] Her lower social standing affects her relationship with Luciana even if she does not see it. [E] This differentiation becomes clear when the girl with the bow announces, “I'm her cousin and I know all her friends. And I don't know you” (Heker 2). [R] Even if Rosaura and Luciana are actually friends, Rosaura has evidently been excluded from other gatherings where Luciana’s cousins and friends would have gotten to know each other. Forming friendships with others from similar social classes is common among teenagers (Papapolydorou), but Rosaura does not understand this yet. … [additional CER and CS]
Works Cited
Heker, Liliana. “The Stolen Party.” Retrieved from
http://www.sturgeonenglish.com/uploads/1/3/6/0/13602064/short_story-_the_stolen_party. PDF.
Papapolydorou, Maria. “‘When You See a Normal Person …’: Social Class and Friendship
Networks Among Teenage Students.” British Journal of Sociology of Education. 35.4 (2014): 559-77. Web.