You will draw from multiple prompts provided to formulate a thesis about a major theme(s) in Braiding Sweetgrass. You will use examples from at least three different essays from Braiding Sweetgrass in your analysis.
In this essay, you are crafting a piece of literary analysis. Literary analysis involves analyzing writing as an art form, and how we view literature can take place from a myriad of perspectives- the artistic, aesthetic, cultural value of a work has endless possibilities.
There are many ways to approach literary analysis, and there is no right, absolute way. For the purpose of introducing you to literary analysis, this prompt gives you some structure to work with while also allowing you freedom to choose how you want to approach the ideas.
This essay is not a research based essay where you have to find commentary from literary scholars or research the historical context of the book. In this essay, the analysis is based solely in the text, and what is written the book itself is the only reference you need. In other words, the book provides everything you need to make your interpretation of its themes.
Often, when writing about a work of literature, we consider the themes in the work. This is not the who, what, when of a story, but the how and why. In this essay, your task is to develop a thesis that provides an interpretation of one specific, narrow aspect of the book. The goal is depth and close exploration in one area, rather than trying to explain all the themes and meanings happening in the book, which is impossible.
