Paragraph Development

Introduce a supporting idea that shows why your thesis is true and establishes the focus of the paragraph.

Your supporting idea should state something you notice in the text and explain how it backs up your thesis. Readers will better understand your analysis if you point out how the text shows your thesis is true.

State the interpretation of the text(s) that you will develop in your essay. A strong interpretation is a thoughtful and interesting idea about the text(s) that can be supported by evidence.

In a literary analysis essay, a strong thesis statement

• shares an interpretation of the text and

• can be supported by the text.

An interpretation is your own idea about the text, not just a fact or summary. If your thesis is a fact, you won’t need to write an essay to develop it!

Ask yourself: “Does my thesis introduce a thoughtful, interesting idea about the text?” If so, then it’s an interpretation worth developing in an essay.

Sample Interpretation: Sachar’s use of flashbacks in Holes shows how the actions of past generations shape their descendants’ futures. This thesis is an interpretation because the writer identifies an interesting choice Sachar makes—flashbacks—and analyzes the effect of that choice.

Not an interpretation (merely a fact): Sachar uses flashbacks in his novel Holes. This example simply states a fact about a technique the author used. It does not include any interpretation about the effect of this technique.

Explain your supporting idea using textual evidence such as quotes, paraphrases, and specific details.

In a literary analysis essay, strong evidence

• is from the text you are writing about and

• supports your topic sentence.

Your evidence can be quotes, paraphrases, or specific details from the text you’re writing about.

Your readers will not understand your analysis if you don’t point out specific places in the text that back up your supporting ideas.

Sample Topic Sentence: Because he wears it at key moments when he lets his guard down, Holden’s red hunting hat symbolizes his vulnerability. Sample Evidence from the Text: One moment when Holden feels most vulnerable and wears his hunting hat is when he writes the essay about his late brother Allie’s baseball mitt (Salinger 43). This evidence gives a specific example of a moment in the novel when Holden, wearing the hat, allows himself to share very personal thoughts about the brother he misses.

Point out what readers should notice about your textual evidence and explain how it supports your topic sentence.

In a literary analysis essay, strong explanation

• points out what your readers should notice about your evidence and

• explains how the evidence supports your topic sentence.

If you don’t make the connection between your evidence and your topic sentence clear, your readers might not understand your analysis.

Topic Sentence: The witty nicknames of the characters at Camp Green Lake often reveal hidden parts of their histories.

Evidence: For example, readers learn the true origin of Zero’s nickname when Zero tells Stanley, "My real name is Hector. . . . Hector Zeroni" (Sachar 119).

Explanation Connects Evidence to Topic Sentence. In disclosing Zero’s last name for the first time, Sachar lets readers know that Zero is related to Madame Zeroni, the wise old woman who cursed Stanley’s great-great-grandfather. This explanation clarifies how Zero’s nickname reveals a hidden aspect of his history, therefore supporting the topic sentence.

Summarize your thesis and topic sentences in new words and help readers understand why your analysis of the text(s) matters.

Your conclusion paragraph has two jobs:

1. Restate your analysis by summarizing your thesis and topic sentences in new words. Your analysis of the text will be clearer if you remind readers of your main points.

2. Extend your argument by answering the question “so what?” In other words, explain why your analysis of the text matters.

Thesis: The “valley of ashes” represents characters’ shame in The Great Gatsby.

Topic Sentences:

• The “valley of ashes” represents the shameful waste and greed of the wealthy who frequently travel to New York City for fun.

• The valley is the site of multiple characters’ disgraceful actions, making the place a painful reminder of their shame.

• The watchful eyes of the doctor on the billboard serve as a source of shame for characters in the novel.

Conclusion Paragraph:

Restatement: Away from the pretend perfection of West Egg, the “valley of ashes” holds the evidence of characters’ misdeeds throughout The Great Gatsby. While characters may believe they can hide from guilt there, the doctor’s eyes see all and remind them of their shame. “So What?” Statement: In the end, the unsightly valley reminds readers that their actions have consequences.