Literary Analysis Portfolio Instructions As the name implies, in a Literary Analysis, you will be analyzing literature. What literature? Your options are below: • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley • “A Sunrise on the Veld” by Doris Lessing • “A Devoted Son” by Anita Desai • “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell • “Araby” by James Joyce • “A Shocking Accident” by Graham Greene **If you are interested in writing on Greene, Orwell, Lessing, or Desai, you’ll need to read ahead Once you’ve chosen a text (story or novel) to analyze, you need to decide the argument you want to make. Remember, your argument should be specific and arguable and should analyze at least one aspect of the text. Please choose one of the options below to analyze: • Symbols (Find one important symbol in the reading. What does this symbol represent? Why is it important to the meaning of the story?) • Theme (Find a major theme in the reading. What is that theme? What does the story have to say about this theme? Why is it important?) • Character Development (Choose a character. What is this character like at the beginning of the reading? At the end? How have they changed? Why does it matter?) Now, make sure you back up your argument with specific examples from the text. You should have at least three direct quotations in your paper. Make sure to introduce your quotations, format them directly, and elaborate on them. You should make crystal clear for your readers how the quotation you’ve included supports your overall argument. Also, make sure to make your quotations short. You should only include as much as you need to make the point you are making. Students that include lengthy and extensive quotations will have their grades marked down. You will submit a rough draft in Lesson 6. As long as this is a good faith attempt at a full rough draft, you will get full credit. Your teacher will provide feedback that should direct your revisions. You will then turn in a final draft in Lesson 17, which will be graded according to the rubric posted on the message board. Requirements: • A creative title • An introduction with a thesis statement • An argument that is specific and arguable • A coherent, organized structure • Written in the present tense with active voice • A strong, succinct conclusion • Quotations with in-text citations • No grammatical or spelling errors • A variety of thoughtful transitions • A Check My Work report link • 3 – 5 pages in length – double spaced Literary Analysis Checklist Do- o Do use the active voice (https://www.connexus.com/extra/ThirdPartyProviders/perfection_Learning/WWP_12_SE_ebook/) – go to page 777 o Do identify authors by whole name in the first reference (e.g., Virginia Woolf), and last name in subsequent references o Do discuss Literature using the present tense (e.g., “Orwell effectively uses understatement to subtly mock absurdity”) o Do focus on the text you are analyzing – only reference the author’s life where it is relevant o Do make insightful inferences and draw thoughtful conclusions that are supported with specific examples and quotations o Do identify these examples and quotations with in-text citations o Do connect ideas within the text; connect ideas between the text and different texts o Do analyze those of the following that are relevant: use of language, rhetorical devices, imagery, allusions, ambiguity Don’t- o Don’t begin sentences with “I think,” “I believe,” or “I feel.” It’s true that this analysis is your interpretation, but is should be presented as a strong argument. These phrases weaken arguments o Don’t praise or ridicule the work or the author. Whether or not you like the work or the author is irrelevant. Present your analysis, not your opinion