PLEASE MAKE SURE THIS HAS THE STANDARD 7 PARAGRAPHS
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Sentence 1
Hook / Attention-getter (anecdote, question, quote, fact)
Sentence 2
Title and author of the stories
Sentence 3
Brief History of the first author
Sentence 4
Brief History of the second Author
Sentence 5
A Brief introduction of the two main characters
Sentence 5
Thesis Statement: Name the key elements being analyzed
Paragraph 2: Body Paragraph 1
Character 1 Characteristics
Consider how the author reveals these characteristics.
Sentence 1
Topic Sentence – Key elements of this paragraph
Sentence 2
What are the physical descriptions of this character? Use quotes/details from the text to support your answer.
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 3
What motivates this character to behave as they do?
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 4
Describe the internal traits that make-up this character. What is true of this character’s mental, emotional and spiritual makeup that the character does not show others?
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 5
Describe the external traits that makeup this character. What is true of this character’s mental, emotional and spiritual makeup that the character shows others?
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 6
What were the conflicts that the character experienced and how did they overcome them?
Sentence 7
What can we learn from this character?
Sentence 8
Conclusion / Transition – Key elements of this paragraph and transition to next paragraph
Paragraph 3: Body Paragraph 2
Character 2 Characteristics
Consider how the author reveals these characteristics.
Sentence 1
Topic Sentence – Key elements of this paragraph
Sentence 2
What are the physical descriptions of this character? Use quotes/details from the text to support your answer.
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 3
What motivates this character to behave as they do?
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 4
Describe the internal traits that make-up this character. What is true of this character’s mental, emotional and spiritual makeup that the character does not show others?
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 5
Describe the external traits that makeup this character. What is true of this character’s mental, emotional and spiritual makeup that the character shows others?
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 6
What were the conflicts that the character experienced and how did they overcome them?
Sentence 7
What can we learn from this character?
Sentence 8
Conclusion / Transition – Key elements of this paragraph and transition to next paragraph
Paragraph 4: Similarity or Difference 1
Sentence 1
Topic Sentence – Key character trait of this paragraph being compared
Sentence 2
Character 1 – Three Details
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 3
Character 2 – Three Details
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 4
How do these character traits affect the story?
Sentence 5
Conclusion / Transition – Key elements of this paragraph and transition to next paragraph
Paragraph 5: Similarity or Difference 2
Sentence 1
Topic Sentence – Key character trait of this paragraph being compared
Sentence 2
Character 1 – Three Details
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 3
Character 2 – Three Details
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 4
How do these character traits affect the story?
Sentence 5
Conclusion / Transition – Key elements of this paragraph and transition to next paragraph
Paragraph 6: Similarity or Difference 3
Sentence 1
Topic Sentence – Key character trait of this paragraph being compared
Sentence 2
Character 1 – Three Details
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 3
Character 2 – Three Details
INCLUDE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sentence 4
How do these character traits affect the story?
Sentence 5
Conclusion / Transition – Key elements of this paragraph and transition to next paragraph
Paragraph 7: Conclusion
Sentence 1
Conclusion
Sentence 2
Review the character differences
Sentence 3
Review the character similarities
Sentence 4
Review how the characters affect their particular stories
Sentence 5
Relate the characters to broader themes in life. What can we learn from them?
Sentence 6
Closing sentence: Circle everything back to the hook
Prompt: “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman feature main characters who narrate their own stories. Write a literary analysis that compares or contrasts the two main characters. Describe two to three ways the characters are alike or different. Make sure to use evidence from both stories to support your analysis.
when finished add the brainstorm and then narrow down your ideas to come up with a claim for your literary analysis essay. You may use any brainstorming techniques you like: listing, idea mapping, or freewriting. Come up with as many ideas as you can so you can choose the best idea for your claim. Then draft a claim that you can support with evidence in the texts. Once you have your claim, write a thesis statement that contains the claim.
