• Analytical: the writer’s reaction to a body of work through a critical

lens)

• Literary analysis: analyzes one aspect of the text (i.e. imagery,

mood, etc.) to uncover the piece’s theme

• Rhetorical analysis: examines how the author writes, and the

effect of the author’s style choices

• Argumentative: the writer’s attempt to persuade the reader to adopt a

point-of-view using evidence to support an argument (i.e. a persuasive

essay)

• Expository: the writer’s exploration of a topic; the writer informs the

reader on a given topic (i.e. an informational essay)

• Narrative: the writer’s telling of a real-life experience; an anecdotal or

personal story

• Insight into the work’s theme is at the heart of every literary analysis

although you may be asked to examine theme through another lens

(such as characterization or symbolism)

• To complete a literary analysis, you must:

• Read the text critically

• Examine literary devices and techniques (patterns and/or notable

additions)

• Analyze why the author included certain literary devices (what

effect do they have on the theme?)

• Hook: attention-grabber that piques the reader’s interest in the

essay

• Personal story (for use in essays that allow first person only)

• Anecdote

• Metaphor

• Unexpected claim

• Vivid description

• Humor (if appropriate)

• Bridge: group of sentences that bridges/links the hook to the main

idea of the essay; transitions the introduction from general to specific

• Thesis: debatable, clear and concise statement that identifies the

writer’s argument and connects to theme

• In the (genre “Title,” author) (strong verb) (theme) through

(prompt focus).

• Topic sentence (overview of the paragraph and how it relates to the

thesis)

• Context (who says the quote and what is happening in the text at

the time)

• Quote from the text and citation

• Analysis of the quote (how it proves the thesis)

• Closing sentence (wraps up the paragraph and transitions to the

next paragraph)

• Remind the reader of the thesis by rephrasing, not repeating it, and

extending the argument

• Summarize the main points

• Leave the reader with a profound thought on the subject #micdrop

(also known as a clincher)

• Rhetorical analysis looks at how the author crafts his/her argument

and why

• To complete a rhetorical analysis, you must:

• Examine the SOAPS (speaker, occasion, audience, purpose and

subject)

• Analyze the rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos and logos) and

tone (DIDLS – most often diction and syntax)

• Discuss why the author chose particular strategies for the

particular audience, occasion and/or purpose

• How do the rhetorical strategies help the author achieve

his/her purpose?

• Why does the author rely on those strategies for the

given audience and occasion?

• Always work chronologically through the text

• Discuss what the author is saying and the effectiveness of

his/her techniques in the beginning, middle and end of the text

(paragraph-by-paragraph or section-by-section)

• Concise language is key (be straight-forward and use strong verbs)

• Specifically explain how the rhetorical strategies help the author

achieve his/her purpose

• Put SOAPS in your introduction and follow this format:

• Speaker, Occasion, and Subject

• (Writer’s credentials), (writer’s first and last name), in his/her

(type of text), (title of text), (strong verb – see list) (writer’s

subject).

• Purpose

• (Writer’s last name)’s purpose is to (what the writer does in the

text).

• Audience

• He/she adopts a[n] (adjective describing the attitude/feeling

conveyed by the writer) tone in order to (verb phrase describing

what the writer wants readers to do/think) in his/her (intended

audience).

• Topic sentence (identifies the section of the text being discussed

and its main idea)

• Embedded quote(s) and citation(s) that ties to one rhetorical

strategy used by the author

• Explanation of how the rhetorical strategy helps the author achieve

his/her purpose (an “in order to” statement)

• Analysis of the effect of the rhetorical strategy on the audience

• Remind the reader of the points made in the introduction (rephrase,

do not repeat)

• Be brief (one to two sentences)

• Goal: persuade, argue or defend a position

• Assumes a knowledgeable audience

• Three primary types of argument

• Classical oration

• Oldest of the methods, centered around five parts ancient

rhetoric teachers believed to be necessary for persuading

audiences who might have mixed reactions

• Rogerian

• Best for psychological and emotional arguments where ethos

and pathos dominant (and facts may be limited)

• Toulmin

• Best for arguments centered on research (facts are abundant)

• Named for Stephen Toulmin (1922-2009), British philosopher/educator

• For an argument to succeed, it needs justification: testing and sifting

through existing ideas (research)

• Take into account the whole human: rely on ethos, pathos and logos

• Important to know the audience and its possible reactions

• Claim: the main point; what you are trying to prove (thesis)

• Data: the evidence or grounds (often in the form of a quotation,

statistic or factual summary) that support your claim

• Warrant: the link between the evidence and your claim; the glue that

holds your argument together

• Why is this evidence important/relevant?

• Backing: reasoning or logic that supports the warrant (usually in the

form of a few additional sentences of elaboration)

• Qualifier(s): optional words that may prevent your argument from

offending others, such as “In some cases”, or “Most, but not all”.

Qualifiers also indicate the strength of the link between your data and

warrant/backing

• Rebuttal: an exception to the claim you then deflect (the goal is to

strengthen one’s argument by acknowledging its limitations)

• Return/tie to thesis: a clear, pithy explanation of how the evidence

and explanation presented relate to the original thesis

• Follows a similar format to the literary analysis, but the goal is to

explain or describe, rather than analyze

• Elaboration is key: you want the reader to see the ideas you describe

by incorporating Show, Don’t Tell-like techniques. Use:

• Descriptions based on the five senses (imagery)

• Anecdotes (short, true, personal stories)

• Specific examples

• Expository essays can be on any topic:

• Cause and effect

• Before and after

• Comparison and contrast

• Problems and solutions

• Theories, practices and examples

• If…then

• Introduction

• Hook (usually brief)

• Bridge

• Thesis

• Body paragraphs

• Topic sentence (a secondary sentence may follow)

• Detailed/illustrated example

• Explanation of how the example relates to the thesis (insight)

• Return to thesis

• Conclusion

• Rephrase the thesis

• Summary of main points

• Thought-provoking clincher (again, think #micdrop)

• Tells an authentic story by presenting events in a chronological order

• Histories and biographies/memoirs are essentially long narrative

essays; personal letters, diaries and journals are also considered

narratives

• Goal is to explain how experiences lead to personal growth or

realization

• Rich detail is key create a picture for the reader, and include

specific dates, times and locations whenever possible

• Many narratives hook the reader by starting in the middle or the end of

a story, then presenting the events that led up to that moment

• Pay attention to verb tense, as it may switch from past to present,

depending on where you are in the story

• If tasked with writing a personal narrative, first person is okay!

• Childhood event

• Achieving a goal

• Failure

• A good or bad deed

• Change in one’s life

• A realization

• Introduction

• Hook + Bridge

• Thesis: hints at the experience you are about to describe and its

significance

• Although my sister and I have rarely seen eye-to-eye, it took a

devastating illness to make me realize how much she truly

means to me.

• Body paragraphs

• Detail the setting, characters and events in your story, leading up

to a climax/resolution

• Frequently rely upon transition words, such as “first”, “then”, “later”

• Conclusion

• Rephrasing of the thesis and its importance

• Summary of the key events

• Final reflection (the permanent/lasting effect of the events)