Literary Nonfiction or Drama

Length: Write an essay of three to four (3-4) full pages plus a Works Cited page. Do not go over the page limit by more than half a page. Sources: This essay requires at least two (2) sources in addition to the nonfiction or dramatic work you will analyze. Formatting: Your essay must be typed using MLA formatting: Times New Roman 12- point font, double-spaced, one-inch margins, heading, header, etc. Prompt: Select one of the works of literature that we read for our study of literary nonfiction or drama, and write a literary analysis. Consider the theme of the work, the literary devices (figurative language), or stage directions (for a drama) that the author or playwright uses to convey that theme, as well as how your idea deepens our understanding of the work. You may write about any of the following: • Compare/contrast a literary nonfiction work with a journalistic work (news story) on the same topic • Symbolism or other literary devices in a literary nonfiction or dramatic work • A critical approach to a literary nonfiction or dramatic work (Feminism, Ethnic Studies, Biographical Criticism, Psychoanalytical Criticism, etc.) • Compare/contrast two characters in a dramatic work • The role of the elements of drama in a dramatic work (staging, props, gestures, etc.) • Situational, verbal, or dramatic irony in a dramatic work • Compare/contrast a written dramatic work to a film version Consider the following when writing a literary analysis: 1) Choose one or two works to write about, and identify a particular aspect you want to analyze. 2) Analyze the theme by breaking it into pieces to determine how the author, poet, or playwright develops the theme using literary devices or story/dramatic elements (see suggestions above). 3) Identify specific examples within work or works that illustrate your idea about how the writer uses the devices or elements to develop the theme. 4) Locate a minimum of two (2) sources related to the work or works you selected for your essay. 5) Identify specific examples in the sources that support youridea. 6) Convey the significance of the theme to your audience. Remember these points about essay structure: 1) Use a prewriting strategy to generate ideas. 2) Choose three to six points to develop into paragraphs. 3) Capture your audience’s attention at the start of your essay. 4) Create a thesis that includes your points at the end of yourintroduction. 5) Create topic sentences to begin each body paragraph, and be sure they relate back tothe thesis. 6) Include quotes or paraphrases from the work(s) that illustrate or give examplesof your points. 7) Include quotes or paraphrases from your sources that help support yourpoints. 8) Use transitions to connect your ideas and paragraphs. 9) Restate your thesis in different words in your conclusion. 10) Leave your reader with a parting thought related to your overall topic. Locating Sources: I recommend visiting the SPC Center for Learning Resources (CLR), also known as the library, or the San Antonio Public Library to receive assistance from a librarian, especially if you have never previously searched for sources for a paper. You may also use the online databases from our library. Some of the most useful databases for our purposes include the following: • Literature Criticism Online • Literary Research • Literary Reference Center • Literature Databases • Literature Resource Center • Literature Resources • JSTOR • Academic Search Complete • Google Scholar Do not use Wikipedia, Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, Shmoop, About.com, or similar Web sites as your sources. However, those may be places you can use to locate possible sources and ideas. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma01/grand-jean/hurston/chapters/how.html ^^^ that is the literary work given to me it sis called ” how it is to be colored me” by Zora Neale Hurston