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.9-10.4
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.
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.9-10.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility of each source, and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
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.
SL.9-10.5
Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasise salient points. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
W.9-10.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences using effective technique, relevant descriptive details and well-structured event sequences. Grades 9–10 emphasis: sustain a line of analysis across complex texts, using precise evidence and a formal academic register.
SL.9-10.3
Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. 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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