Grade 9 · Analytical Writing and Seminar · Analytical Essays and Seminars
Writing a Literary Analysis Essay
Build an interpretive thesis and support it with close reading of language, structure and character.
Learning objectives
- Write an interpretive rather than descriptive thesis
- Analyse quotations at word level
- Sequence paragraphs by argument, not chronology
Common Core ELA alignment
W.9-10.2
Write informative or explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts and information through the selection, organization and analysis of relevant content. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
W.9-10.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
W.9-10.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
MYP criteria
- Criterion B — Organizing
- Criterion C — Producing text
- Criterion D — Using language
ENGAGE
Two theses
A: The novel shows that war is bad. B: The novel treats silence, not violence, as the true cost of the war, since every character who survives loses the ability to describe what happened. Only B can be argued for 800 words.
Think about it
- What makes thesis B arguable?
- Why is thesis A hard to write about?
EXPLAIN
From thesis to paragraph
| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Thesis | An interpretation someone could reasonably dispute, plus the mechanism the text uses |
| Topic sentence | A claim about the text, not a plot summary |
| Evidence | Short embedded quotations, ideally three per paragraph |
| Analysis | Word-level: connotation, syntax, position in the text |
| Link | Return to the thesis with something added |
Close reading a quotation
- Choose the smallest phrase that carries the meaning.
- Ask why this word and not a synonym.
- Ask why here and not earlier or later in the text.
- Ask what the sentence shape does: delay, interruption, repetition.
Common mistake
Retelling the plot in paragraph order is not an essay. Order your paragraphs by the steps of your argument.
EXPLORE
Upgrade a paragraph
Weak: In chapter four the soldier comes home. He does not speak much. This shows he is sad. The writer uses the word quiet.
Diagnosis
Plot-led topic sentence, no embedded quotation, generic analysis, no link to a thesis.
Think about it
- Rewrite the topic sentence as a claim.
- Add word-level analysis of one chosen quotation.
MYP_PRACTICE
Criterion B, C and D task
Write a 700 to 900-word literary analysis of a text you have studied. Requirements: an interpretive thesis naming a mechanism, three body paragraphs ordered by argument, at least eight embedded quotations, and word-level analysis in every paragraph.
- Draft the thesis and test it: could a classmate disagree?
- List your paragraphs as claims, not events.
- Draft, then cut every sentence that only retells plot.
EXIT_TICKET
Check yourself
Think about it
- State your thesis and the mechanism it names.
- Which quotation will you analyse most closely?
Interactive practice · paragraph builder
Build an analytical paragraph
Draft a claim, choose three short quotations, and write one sentence of word-level analysis for each.
Slots
Your answer
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Key vocabulary
- Interpretive thesis
- An arguable reading of a text that names how the text achieves it.
- Close reading
- Analysis at the level of individual words, syntax and placement.
- Topic sentence
- The opening claim of a paragraph.
- Integration
- Weaving quotations into your own grammar.
Practice questions
0/2 correct
Level 1 · Criterion B
Which is an interpretive thesis?
Level 2 · Criterion C
What is wrong with the weak paragraph?
MYP criterion tasks
Level 3 · Criterion C
Rewrite the weak paragraph as analysis.
Reflect & track
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