what was the main purpose of a thesis statement in a literary analysis essay

Essay Papers Writing Online

Step-by-step guide to crafting a powerful literary analysis essay.

Writing a literary analysis essay can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, it can also be incredibly rewarding. Analyzing a piece of literature allows you to delve into the nuances of the text, uncovering hidden meanings and exploring the author’s intentions. To help you craft a compelling and insightful literary analysis essay, we’ve compiled some of the best tips and strategies below.

1. Choose a Strong Thesis: Your thesis statement is the foundation of your literary analysis essay. It should clearly articulate the main argument or interpretation you will be presenting in your essay. Make sure your thesis is specific, focused, and debatable, as it will guide the rest of your analysis.

2. Support Your Thesis with Evidence: In order to make a convincing argument, you need to support your thesis with evidence from the text. This can include direct quotes, examples, and passages that illustrate your points. Be sure to analyze and interpret the evidence you present, showing how it supports your overall argument.

3. Analyze Literary Devices: Pay close attention to the literary devices used in the text, such as symbolism, imagery, metaphor, and irony. These devices can provide insight into the author’s themes and intentions, so be sure to analyze how they contribute to the overall meaning of the text.

Tips for Crafting a Strong Literary Analysis Essay

1. Choose a specific and focused topic: When writing a literary analysis essay, it’s important to select a topic that is narrow and manageable. Avoid broad topics that are too general or vague.

2. Develop a strong thesis statement: Your thesis statement should clearly articulate the main argument or interpretation you will be making in your essay. It should be specific, debatable, and concise.

3. Use textual evidence: To support your analysis, use direct quotations and examples from the text you are analyzing. Be sure to provide context for your quotations and explain how they support your thesis.

4. Analyze the text thoroughly: Take the time to closely read and analyze the text, paying attention to themes, characters, symbols, and literary devices. Consider how these elements contribute to the overall meaning of the text.

5. Organize your essay effectively: Structure your essay in a clear and logical manner, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Make sure each paragraph is focused on a specific aspect of your analysis.

6. Revise and edit your essay: Before submitting your essay, carefully revise and edit it for clarity, coherence, and correctness. Check for grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, and typos.

Identify the Theme

When crafting a literary analysis essay, one of the key elements to focus on is identifying the theme of the literary work. The theme is the central idea or message that the author conveys through the story, and it is essential to understand it to analyze the text effectively.

To identify the theme, pay attention to recurring motifs, symbols, and images throughout the story. Consider the characters’ actions, the setting, and the conflicts they face to determine the underlying message.

It’s crucial to look beyond the surface and delve deeper into the text to uncover the thematic elements that the author has woven into the narrative. Once you have identified the theme, you can analyze how it is developed and how it contributes to the overall meaning of the work.

Understanding the theme will not only enhance your analysis but also provide insight into the author’s intentions and the broader implications of the literary work.

Analyze the Characters

One of the key aspects of crafting a literary analysis essay is delving deep into the characters of the story. When analyzing the characters, pay attention to their motivations, interactions, development, and relationships with others in the story. Look for character traits, conflicts, and how they contribute to the overall theme of the work. Consider how the characters change or grow throughout the narrative, and how their actions shape the plot. By analyzing the characters, you can gain a deeper understanding of the author’s intentions and the effects they have on the story as a whole.

Discuss Symbolism and Motifs

When crafting a literary analysis essay, it is crucial to delve into the symbolism and motifs present in the text. Symbolism refers to the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, while motifs are recurring themes or elements that contribute to the overall meaning of the work.

Examine how the author uses symbols such as objects, characters, or events to convey deeper meanings. Consider the significance of these symbols within the context of the story and how they help to develop its themes.

Identify any recurring motifs in the text and analyze how they reinforce the central ideas or messages of the work. Pay attention to the patterns or repetitions of these motifs and discuss their implications for the narrative.

By exploring the symbolism and motifs in a literary work, you can gain a deeper understanding of its themes and appreciate the layers of meaning that the author has woven into the text.

Consider the Author’s Style

When crafting a literary analysis essay, it is crucial to consider the author’s writing style. Pay attention to the language, tone, and literary devices used by the author to convey their message. Analyzing the author’s style can provide valuable insights into the themes, characters, and overall meaning of the text.

Look for recurring motifs, symbolism, and imagery in the author’s writing. Consider how the author structures their sentences and paragraphs, as well as the overall flow of the narrative. Is the writing formal or informal? Does the author use complex or simple language?

By closely examining the author’s style, you can gain a deeper understanding of the text and its significance. This analysis can help you develop a stronger argument and interpretation in your literary analysis essay.

Write a Convincing Thesis Statement

One of the most important elements of a literary analysis essay is the thesis statement. This statement serves as the central argument or main idea that you will explore and support throughout your essay. A convincing thesis statement should be clear, specific, and debatable. It should also provide a roadmap for your reader to understand the focus of your analysis.

When crafting your thesis statement, make sure to take a stance on the literary work you are analyzing. Avoid vague statements or summaries of the plot. Instead, think about the key themes, symbols, or motifs in the text and formulate a statement that highlights your interpretation or analysis of these elements.

Additionally, your thesis statement should be supported by evidence from the text. Use quotes, examples, or references to specific passages to back up your claims and strengthen your argument. This will show that you have engaged with the text critically and can support your analysis with textual evidence.

In summary, a convincing thesis statement for a literary analysis essay should be clear, specific, debatable, and supported by evidence from the text. Take time to carefully craft this statement, as it will guide the direction of your essay and help you make a strong, persuasive argument about the literary work you are analyzing.

Related Post

How to master the art of writing expository essays and captivate your audience, convenient and reliable source to purchase college essays online, discovering myself – an essay on self-exploration and personal growth, unlock success with a comprehensive business research paper example guide, unlock your writing potential with writers college – transform your passion into profession, “unlocking the secrets of academic success – navigating the world of research papers in college”, master the art of sociological expression – elevate your writing skills in sociology.

Home > Blog > What Is a Literary Analysis? A Comprehensive Guide

What Is a Literary Analysis? A Comprehensive Guide

• Smodin Editorial Team
• Updated: September 24, 2024
• All About Content and Writing

If you study literature, you know that it’s a window into the human experience as it explores narratives and characters. So, you may be wondering, “What is a literary analysis?” and how you can compile one.

A literary analysis essay helps you to closely examine and interpret certain elements within a piece of writing to uncover its deeper meanings. It goes beyond mere storytelling. It’s about delving into the complexities of language and symbolism that authors use to convey their messages.

In this article, we’re covering everything you need to know before you start writing your literary analysis. Let’s dive right in!

Define Literary Analysis: What Does It Involve?

Has someone ever asked you to define literary analysis and you were not quite sure what to say? Well, at its core, a literary analysis involves a critical evaluation of a piece of literature. It involves examining how an author uses literary devices. Writers use these devices to craft a story that resonates with readers.

When you carry out a literary analysis, you dissect all the key components of a text. This includes elements like:

• Point of view

As you explore these points, you aim to unravel all the layers of meaning embedded within the text.

A literary analysis is an important essay writing skill to master.

Formal Literary Analysis

A formal literary analysis is a more structured way to examine a piece of literature. It takes a more methodical approach that goes into far more detail. All this requires a deep understanding of literary conventions and theories. You might carry out a formal literary analysis paper at college or university. It showcases your knowledge of a literary work that you may have studied over the semester.

You’ll likely need to uncover hidden themes and cultural contexts. All this helps you understand why the author wrote the work in the first place. As well as analyzing themes, you could carry out literary criticism, too. This helps to show that you understand various literary elements.

Thesis Statement in a Literary Analysis

A thesis statement in a literary analysis is central. It’s a concise overview of the main argument or interpretation of the text. The thesis sets the direction for the analysis. It guides readers and leads them through the key insights and observations in your essay. Think of it like a roadmap. It ensures clarity and coherence in exploring the work’s themes and elements.

What Is the Purpose of a Literary Analysis Essay?

A literary analysis essay delves deep into the intricacies of a literary work. It aims to uncover its deeper meanings and significance. It goes beyond a surface-level reading. Instead, it explores how literary devices and narrative techniques add to the text’s impact.

So, if you’re wondering about what is the purpose of a literary analysis essay, below we include some of the factors writers consider when compiling this type of work.

1. Uncovering Deeper Meanings

At its core, a literary analysis essay seeks to reveal the underlying themes and messages embedded within a literary work. By looking at literary elements, like figurative language and narrative voice, you can see the author’s intentions. Your closing statement should outline the text’s broader implications.

2. Evaluating Key Literary Techniques

These types of essays evaluate how authors use literary techniques. They also look at the structural elements that shape their narratives. This includes examining:

• Sentence structure
• Narrative flow
• The use of symbolism

All this conveys complex ideas and evokes emotional responses from readers.

3. Understanding Historical and Cultural Contexts

Understanding the historical context of a literary work is crucial for a comprehensive analysis. Situate the text within its time and culture, so you won’t be considered an unreliable narrator. Then, you can see how norms and ideologies influence the story.

4. Developing Your Critical Thinking Skills

Analyzing literature sources hones critical thinking. It does this by asking readers to question assumptions. They should analyze evidence and form reasoned interpretations. This process fosters a deep love for literature. It builds analytical skills useful in all fields and will help you learn how to write more enhanced sentences in your essays, too.

5. Providing Different Perspectives

A good literary analysis essay gives readers new perspectives. It interprets familiar texts. It challenges readers. It asks them to rethink the story’s main characters and plot. This often prompts a reevaluation of your own personal interpretations.

6. Crafting a Strong Thesis Statement and Supporting Evidence

Central to a successful literary analysis essay is a strong thesis statement. This needs to articulate the main interpretation of the text. Your thesis guides the analysis. It ensures each body paragraph focuses on supporting points. This works to bolster the overall argument and analysis.

7. Using Textual Evidence To Support Your Arguments

Throughout the essay, analysts use textual evidence. This evidence includes relevant quotes and specific examples from the text. They use it to back up their interpretations. All the evidence serves as a building block in constructing a coherent analysis grounded in the text’s language.

8. Structuring Your Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs in a literary analysis essay have careful structure. They aim to develop and support the thesis. Each paragraph begins with a clear topic sentence that previews the main point. Then, it includes textual evidence that unpacks the significance of this evidence in relation to your thesis.

9. Concluding With Key Insights

A well-crafted conclusion provides a summary of the main arguments and insights in your analysis. It offers a final reflection on the significance of the text and its enduring relevance. Your final point leaves readers with a deeper appreciation for the literary work.

How Do You Do a Literary Analysis?

Doing a literary analysis requires a careful approach. You must untangle the complexities of a literary work. Analysts delve into specific literary elements and techniques. They use them to find the deeper meanings and themes that enrich the text.

So, if you want to go into the details of how do you do a literary analysis, check out our sections below.

Remember Your Literary Devices

At the heart of every literary analysis are the fundamental tools known as literary devices. These include:

These devices add layers of meaning, enabling you to decode the author’s intentions when you write a literary analysis. They help you uncover profound insights into the human experience and societal issues.

Consider the Author’s Style

Beyond the story, the author’s writing style is unique. It can be formal, colloquial, descriptive, or experimental. It affects the work’s impact. Understanding the author’s stylistic choices will improve your analysis. It will shed light on how language and structure relate to the themes and messages.

Explore Themes and Motifs

Finding themes and motifs in a literary work gives a framework. It helps for deeper study. These thematic threads should weave through the narrative. This offers more insights into the main ideas and underlying messages that resonate throughout the text. You can trace these themes across the storyline, revealing how they evolve.

Analyze Characterization and Development

Central to any literary analysis is the examination of character portrayal and development. Analysts scrutinize characters. They look at the traits, motivations, conflicts, and transformations. They do this to find their symbolic meaning and themes. Analyzing characters offers deep insights. It reveals the human condition and society in the text.

Evaluate Narrative Structure and Point of View

The narrative structure is the arrangement and sequence of events. It’s the chosen point of view that shapes readers’ perception and interpretation of the text.

Analyzing the structure shows how the narrative unfolds. It also shows how perspective influences reader engagement. It also shows how the structure relates to the author’s intended themes and the punchiness of the narrative.

Interpret Symbolism and Imagery

Symbols and imagery serve as powerful vehicles for conveying abstract ideas and emotions within a literary work. Interpreting these literary devices involves identifying symbolic representations and analyzing their contextual significance.

Symbols and imagery enrich the narrative. They offer a deeper meaning that goes beyond the literal story. Symbolism has a great impact on writers nowadays, which in turn, can affect how successful a writer can be with their readers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i choose a literary work to analyze.

Select a literary work that resonates with your interests, academic goals, or thematic preferences. Choose a text that is complex and deep. It should provide lots of material for deep analysis and interpretation.

What should you include in a literary analysis essay?

A literary analysis is not just a summary. It needs a clear thesis. The thesis states your main argument or interpretation. It should also include analysis supported by textual evidence. Make sure to include quotes and references from the text. Add a conclusion that synthesizes the findings and discusses the work’s broader implications.

How do I integrate quotes into my literary analysis?

Integrate quotes well. Embed them within your analysis and provide context. Explain their significance to support your arguments convincingly. Use quotes sparingly and ensure they contribute to the coherence and persuasiveness of your analysis.

How can a literary analysis enhance my understanding of a text?

A literary analysis essay helps you understand a text better. It does this by revealing its themes, symbols, and storytelling methods. It encourages you to engage critically with the text. This fosters a deeper appreciation for its art and culture.

What is the purpose of a literary analysis essay?

A literary analysis essay aims to examine a piece of literature closely and uncover its deeper meanings and themes.

Analyze elements like:

• Literary devices

This helps readers understand how the author uses these elements to convey their message or perspective. This type of essay encourages critical thinking. It helps readers appreciate the complexities of literary works beyond their surface meanings.

How do you structure a literary analysis essay?

Structuring a literary analysis essay involves organizing your analysis into clear sections. These sections should support your thesis. Start with an introduction. Introduce the literary work and state your thesis.

The body paragraphs should each focus on a different aspect of your analysis. Focus on specific literary devices, character development, or themes in each section. Use evidence from the text, such as quotes and examples, to support your points.

Get Help With Your Literary Analysis Using Smodin AI

Take your literary analysis to the next level with Smodin AI’s cutting-edge tools and resources. Use them to craft your thesis or unravel themes. Smodin AI can help you at every stage of your analysis.

Harness the power of AI-driven research and analysis to deepen your understanding of complex texts. Smodin AI assists in generating insightful thesis statements that serve as the backbone of your analysis. It helps to ensure clarity and focus from the outset.

Try Smodin AI today to help you explore and interpret the intricacies of a literary analysis.

Literary Analysis Essay: Student Guidelines & Examples

• Icon Calendar 4 August 2024
• Icon Page 6396 words
• Icon Clock 29 min read

A literary analysis essay is a document that allows a student to read a novel, poem, short story, or another text to examine how an author utilizes some knowledge, such as literary devices, and interpret its significance to society. In writing, the five components of literary analysis are a thesis statement, textual evidence, analysis of literary devices (such as theme, character, and symbolism), context (historical, cultural, or biographical), and a coherent essay structure (introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion). Principally, this article is a guideline on how to write a literary analysis essay because it offers valid insights, including a definition, its format, some literary devices and conflicts, ways of appraising a literature text, examination types, possible topics, a basic outline template, example, step-by-step technical details, what to include, and common mistakes to avoid, which one should observe to produce a high-quality document.

General Aspects

A unique academic activity of literary essay writing provides students with a particular intellectual capacity to produce various documents to meet key requirements of educational institutions, including high schools, colleges, and universities. As such, gaining insights into how to write all types of essays is critical to their academic success. Practically, different papers have unique essay structures, outlines, and contents, explaining why individuals must embrace a culture of reading guidelines on how to write various academic texts. Reading this article is essential because it equips learners, scholars, researchers, and anyone who uses writing to communicate ideas and concepts about how to write a literary analysis essay.

What Is a Literary Analysis Essay and Its Purpose

According to its definition, a literary analysis essay is a scholarly document that critically analyses, examines, and interprets a specific piece of literature or an assigned text to explore an author’s writing approach and explain an actual meaning of their work. Basically, students must understand that a literary analysis essay is different from other types of papers, including analytical and cause-and-effect compositions, because such writing explores an assigned text and interprets its implications for society (Cordell & Pennington, 2020). As such, the main purpose of writing a literary analysis essay is to break down a specific literature text and explore its themes, characters, plots, settings, symbols, narrative techniques, and other elements to understand author’s intentions and work’s significance. Through this analytical process, people not only gain a deeper understanding of a particular work under review but also hone critical thinking and analytical skills (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). Typically, individuals may not see a direct connection between poems, novels, and plays and what happens in real life in their communities. Therefore, a literary analysis essay helps students to analyze a specific piece of information that authors put across in such texts to draw a connection between their content and real-life scenarios like immorality (Lauritzen, 2021). In terms of pages and words, the length of a literary analysis essay depends on academic levels and particular assignment requirements, while general writing guidelines are:

High School

• Length: 2-4 pages
• Word Count: 500-1,000 words

College (Undergraduate)

• Length: 4-6 pages
• Word Count: 1,000-1,500 words

University (Upper-Level Undergraduate)

• Length: 5-8 pages
• Word Count: 1,250-2,000 words

Master’s

• Length: 6-12 pages
• Word Count: 1,500-3,000 words
• Length: 12+ pages
• Word Count : 3,000+ words

Note: Some sections of a literary analysis essay can be added, deleted, or combined with each other, depending on educational requirements. In writing, literary analysis is a basic process of examining and interpreting a specific text to understand its deeper meanings, themes, and literary devices. For example, the five components of literary analysis are a thesis statement, textual evidence, analysis of literary devices (such as theme, character, and symbolism), context (historical, cultural, or biographical), and a coherent essay structure (introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion) that follows typical academic standards (Cordell & Pennington, 2020). Moreover, writing literary analysis essays can be challenging as they require critical thinking, detailed textual evidence, and coherent argumentation, but they become manageable with practice and understanding of literary devices. In turn, to start a literary analysis essay, people begin with a captivating hook that grabs a reader’s attention, provide brief background information about a literature text and its author, and clearly state a central thesis that presents a main argument or focus of an entire examination.

Students should focus on how an author utilizes literary devices to emphasize a plot, themes, and protagonists’ attitudes and behavior when writing literary analysis essays. The primary devices include allegory, metaphor, simile, symbolism, flashbacks, foreshadowing, hyperbole, imagery, personification, and motif (Cordell & Pennington, 2020). Because each device makes a poem or short story relevant in exploring a societal issue, focusing on each helps to shape a literary analysis essay. Ideally, students writing such papers must educate readers about rhetorical devices and how they empower an author to contextualize an issue in contemporary society.

Literary Devices

1️⃣ Allegory

Authors utilize allegory to incorporate a deeper meaning, concept, or idea. As such, readers may fail to grasp its application in an essay if they do not analyze a literature work from a literary perspective (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). An example of an allegory is George Orwell’s depiction of animals fighting for equality in his novel “Animal Farm.” A casual reading may result in a different interpretation of this text from an author’s intention of depicting the Russian Revolution. Therefore, when writing a literary analysis essay, students should highlight how an assigned text they are analyzing uses this device to hide a deeper meaning of an idea or concept.

2️⃣ Metaphor

Metaphor is standard in short stories and other texts. For example, authors use this device as a figure of speech to describe an object or action in a manner that defies a literal understanding of nature or the world (Lauritzen, 2021). An example of a metaphor is, “I could observe a white blanket of snow running into the horizon along the streets of New York.” While it is true that snow can cover entire streets, it is a lie to conclude that the snow is a blanket. Therefore, when writing a literary analysis essay, students must address how an author of a literature text uses metaphors to express ideas better. They should discuss how this device gives readers a striking image that arouses their intellectual curiosity.

When reading a specific text for analysis, students must notice how an author utilizes similes as figures of speech that compare two things by emphasizing their similarities. One can identify this device by assessing contexts where an author uses the terms ‘like’ or ‘as’ to establish a relationship (Cordell & Pennington, 2020). An example of a simile is when an essay includes: “He ran as fast as a cheetah.” In this case, an author compares an individual’s ability to run with a cheetah, which humanity considers the fastest animal on Earth. When writing a literary analysis essay of a literature composition, individuals should explain how an author uses some characteristics of one object to compare it with another.

4️⃣ Symbolism

Symbolism depicts authors’ traditions of using symbols to emphasize deeper meanings and qualities within their texts. When writing a text for a literal analysis essay, students should focus on how an author uses words to depict hidden ideas and concepts (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). An example of symbolism is an author’s statement, “Tears of joy flowed freely in the faces of everyone who witnessed the wedding.” While people associate tears with sadness, this statement depicts them as evidence of happiness in a multitude. From this perspective, students performing a literary analysis essay of a novel should emphasize how an author uses words to symbolize deeper meanings.

5️⃣ Flashback

Flashback allows authors to emphasize an actual significance of past events or experiences to present ones. An example of this device is when an author of a novel claims, “She stood on the podium, reflecting on how her childhood experience with domestic violence had shaped her illustrious career as an activist.” In this statement, a person introduces an activist’s past as essential in understanding why they chose their career path. In this respect, individuals conducting a literary analysis essay should explain how an author uses past events to convey to an intended audience important information (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). In turn, this writing strategy helps one to understand a character’s background and how it shaped their present reality.

6️⃣ Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a writing technique that allows authors to inform a target audience about an event yet to happen in a given story. An example of a flashback in a novel is when an author states, “As the boys retreated to their respective rooms, the vocal one vowed to revenge the abuse visited upon them by the school bully.” This statement prepares readers for a later event where one person acts to punish another individual who occasionally bullies students. In writing, foreshadowing is a right choice for an entire analysis of any literature composition (Lauritzen, 2021). Therefore, when writing a literary analysis essay, learners should highlight how an author speaks of events that will unfold later in a story.

7️⃣ Hyperbole

When writing stories or essays, authors often use hyperboles to exaggerate or stretch an actual truth to express a feeling or emphasize an idea or concept. However, what they put across is literary impossible. An example of this writing technique is when a novelist claims, “Students were dying of thirst.” While an author intends to emphasize a deep thirst that students had, probably because of going for long without drinking anything, a literal meaning of such a text is that students were dying because of thirst, which is not valid. Moreover, analyzing a particular use of hyperbole allows people to present compelling analysis papers (Lauritzen, 2021). As such, when writing a literary analysis essay of a novel, people should explain how a novelist uses words to exaggerate ideas or concepts, defying a literal understanding of a given scenario.

8️⃣ Imagery

Imagery is a writing technique where authors use powerful sensory language to evoke a reader’s imagination or emotions. An example of imagery is when a poet states, “The odor from his sweaty shirt was a sufficient repulsive agent.” Upon reading this line, one imagines a shirt stinking because of sweat to the point of making someone avoid it. For example, an imagery device, allows readers to visualize what they read (Cordell & Pennington, 2020). So, when writing a literary analysis essay, students should emphasize how an author uses words that compel a target audience to visualize an imaginary world and feel part of a given story.

9️⃣ Personification

Authors use a personification device when they want to give an object, animal, or something nonhuman human-like qualities. An example of personification in a sentence is when an author of a short story writes, “The flowers in the decorated pots were begging for water.” This sentence equates flowers with human beings by describing them using a particular human-like quality of begging. Naturally, plants do not beg because they cannot speak or gesture. In turn, personification is a literary device that allows authors to provide different themes and interpretations via natural and human concepts (Lauritzen, 2021). Therefore, when writing a literary analysis essay, people should describe how an author utilizes personification by identifying sentences describing objects, animals, and other things using qualities that nature assigns to humans.

Novelists utilize motifs when they incorporate a recurring pattern, such as an idea, throughout a unique story to reinforce their plot or a particular theme. An example of a motif is when an author of Harry Potter highlights Harry’s scar several times throughout the text. In this respect, readers get a single idea that the scar is central to understanding a given story, specifically a unique role of Harry and his experiences. In writing, authors use a motif device to show and explain some motivations and actions of main characters and their reasons for what they did in that way or another (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). Therefore, when students are analyzing a short story, they should explain how an author utilizes motifs in an observed composition to reinforce its main idea, theme, or plot when writing their essays.

Conflict is a writing theme that novelists, poets, and authors of short stories or poems often use to make their literature work relevant to an intended audience. In a simple definition, conflict is a literary device that authors use to depict a struggle between opposing forces (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). Moreover, its purpose is to create contrast in an entire story. From this view, conflict in literature includes privilege versus lack, nature versus humanity, protagonist versus society, human versus technology, hero versus fate, and person versus self.

1️⃣ Privilege vs. Lack

In most short stories, authors contrast people from a wealthy background who appear privileged and those from a poor background who suffer from lack. Typically, this contrast happens when authors emphasize an actual significance of material things in writing an entire story, such as a car and a house, or social status, like a good education and a secure neighborhood.

2️⃣ Nature vs. Humanity

When writing a short story, authors may create a scenario where nature conflicts with humanity, such as when natural events, like floods and earthquakes, cause irreversible damage to communities. Essentially, this contrast emphasizes a real danger of human encroachment into natural habitats, including forests through deforestation and oceans through offshore oil drilling.

3️⃣ Protagonist vs. Society

Authors of various texts, particularly novels and short stories, depict a struggle between a protagonist and a society. In this writing type of conflict, main characters may challenge acceptable societal norms, practices, or values, although they are against humanity’s progress. As such, an example is where a protagonist fights against corruption in public service or immorality in society despite everyone else being comfortable with a status quo.

4️⃣ Human vs. Technology

In today’s age of technology, authors produce texts that highlight a conflict between humans and various systems. An example is where an author emphasizes some drawbacks of social media by emphasizing their negative impact on adolescents’ academic performance and sociability. While some authors may hail technology as critical to human progress, they pinpoint its harmful impacts on individuals’ physical, mental, or social well-being and write about such aspects.

5️⃣ Hero vs. Fate

Most novels and short stories have a hero who defies a unique nature or a status quo and suffers a painful fate at the end, such as death. This writing scenario depicts conflict because society expects heroes to survive anything that comes their way, including battles and disease. Therefore, by showing heroes as subject to fate, authors emphasize that humans are limited and no one can defy nature.

6️⃣ Person vs. Self

When writing fiction, authors tend to depict individuals’ struggles with some aspects of their personality, such as greed for material wealth or hunger for power. This conflict helps readers to understand human frailty and its implications on individuals, their families, and society. In most instances, people utilize this writing approach to emphasize a moral lesson to readers.

Literature Appraisal

After reading novels or short stories, students can appraise an author’s literature work for writing their essays. For example, people evaluate auhtor’s effectiveness in communicating a central idea, an actual relevance of plot twists, a particular choice of characters, and a real relevance of an assigned text to contemporary society (Lauritzen, 2021). In analysis essay writing, appraising a literature work involves judging it across various dimensions to show whether an author produced a text of good quality and relevance.

Communicating a Central Idea

Authors make their literature work relevant and impactful when effectively communicating a central idea, such as a particular value of sacrifice. For example, authors write their literature works with specific purposes, and, in each of them, there is a central idea or message that is communicated to readers (Cordell & Pennington, 2020). Notably, effective communication entails many things, including using correct language, incorporating examples, establishing a background, and making an intended audience feel part of a presented story.

Relevance of Plot Twist

A particular plot of a story is a guideline that directs a target audience’s intellectual engagement with a literature work. Simply put, a plot is what a given story is all about (P. Manyak & A. Manyak, 2021). However, authors often introduce a plot twist in their work for various reasons, including intensifying intented audience’s emotions. While such twists are essential to make a whole story captivating, they should be relevant to avoid disrupting a logical flow of a text or having logical fallacies. In writing, a plot twist where a protagonist develops a severe sickness should not end with their death because it would disrupt an entire story. However, such a twist can enrich an entire story by depicting a main character as resilient.

The Choice of Characters

Characters make any literature text, like a novel or short story, riveting because they are action figures. Authors assign different characters various roles, although some of them take on multiple roles. When writing a literary analysis essay, students should explain whether an author has assigned every role to a particular character it deserves. It would be frustrating for an intented audience to encounter a scenario where a particular hero in a story is cowardly and naïve (Thexton et al., 2019). In such a scenario, people should judge a particular choice of characters as inappropriate.

Relevance of a Literature Text

Although fiction depicts unreal situations, this writing aims to stimulate a reader’s intellect by allowing people to draw certain conclusions. Essentially, this outcome involves drawing a connection between some ideas in a literature text and what happens in real life (Bump, 2022). Hence, a novel or short story that does not allow readers to make such connections fails to stimulate an analysis of intellect because it is irrelevant to a real world.

When reading a text for literary analysis, students should decide what type of essay they want to produce. Generally, students focus on two outcomes when writing a literary analysis essay: interpreting or evaluating an assigned literature composition (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). In writing, a primary focus that students choose determines a particular type of analysis they will conduct. The following literary analyses are the most common essay types because they focus on a literature text (the first ten) and its relevance to society (the last six).

When writing a literary analysis essay, students should choose a topic relevant to a literature composition they seek to analyze. Doing so requires them to read an assigned text and determine what theme most likely fits their purpose of writing an analysis essay (Lauritzen, 2021). While it is common for students to pick a theme that an author of a literature work highlights in a title, one can choose different literary analysis essay topics. The following topics are appropriate for writing a good literary analysis essay because they suggest a particular concept of investigation, evaluation, or interpretation.

• Exploring Symbolism and Other Themes in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”
• Narrative Techniques in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding
• Modern Interpretations of Shakespeare’s Female Characters
• The American Dream Through the Lens of “The Great Gatsby”
• Embracing the Gothic: Examination of “The Castle of Otranto” by Horace Walpole
• The Significance of Gender in William Shakespeare’s Play “Macbeth”
• Imagery in William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”
• The Structural Features of the Poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
• How William Shakespeare Uses Language in “Romeo and Juliet”
• Betrayal in Mary Shelley’s Novel “Frankenstein”

Outline Template

I. Introduction

• A short summary of a literature composition
• Thesis statement

II. First body paragraph

• Topic sentence 1: A sentence that emphasizes an idea in a thesis statement that a person supports or defends in the rest of a given paragraph.
• Evidence 1: A quote from a text.
• Analysis 1: Explaining who says a quote and a specific context of their words.
• Concluding sentence 1: A transition to a next paragraph.

III. Second body paragraph

• Topic sentence 2: A sentence that emphasizes an idea in a thesis statement that a person supports or defends in the rest of a given paragraph.
• Evidence 2: A quote from a text.
• Analysis 2: Explaining who says a quote and a specific context of their words.
• Concluding sentence 2: A transition to a next paragraph.

IV. Third body paragraph

• Topic sentence 3: A sentence that emphasizes an idea in a thesis statement that a person supports or defends in the rest of a given paragraph.
• Evidence 3: A quote from a text.
• Analysis 3: Explaining who says a quote and a specific context of their words.
• Concluding sentence 3: A transition to a next paragraph.

Note: Repeat the above pattern for first, second, and third body paragraphs and add other paragraphs depending on a college essay length of a literary analysis.

V. Conclusion

• Restate a thesis
• Summarize main points presented in body paragraphs
• Show why a chosen literature text is important by relating its ideas to society.

VI. List of Sources

• Cite a chosen literature work and other credible sources in accordance with citation rules of APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago/Turabian, or other formats.

Literary Analysis Essay Example

Topic: Fear as a Central Theme in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”

Introduction

Fear is a strong emotion that helps humans to avoid danger. As such, it is an eloquent characteristic of most people’s personalities, meaning it is a foundation for personal weaknesses or strengths. In “Lord of the Flies,” William Golding makes fear a central theme by depicting three main characters, Jack, Ralph, and Piggy, as individuals living in a constant unease state.

Body Paragraph 1

Jack is uneasy throughout the story because he believes a beast lives amongst them. For example, he confirms his fear by saying, “We’ll close in and beat and beat and beat—!” (Golding, 1954, p. 98). While this statement depicts someone ready to face a beast, reading through the text reveals that Jack spoke the words out of fear. In this case, he uses his fear of the beast to control and manipulate his peers. Arguably, he exploits others’ fear to conceal his own.

Body Paragraph 2

Although Ralph is also fearful, the cause of his fear is different. While his peers fear the beast, what makes him uneasy is the fear of never being rescued after the boys failed to keep the rescue fire burning. For instance, he exclaims, “I’m chief… There’s no signal showing. There may be a ship out there. Are you all off your rockers?” (Golding, 1954, p. 116). Basically, he is visibly angry at his peers for failing to realize the importance of fire to their well-being. In essence, Ralph’s attempt to see the fire as a savior is based on his fear of the beast.

Body Paragraph 3

On his part, Piggy is more afraid of Jack than the beast. For example, he says about Jack, “I’m scared of him … but if you stand out of the way he’d hurt the next thing. And that’s me” (Golding, 1954, p. 100). His avoidance of Jack is a convenient way of dealing with his uneasiness. To a greater extent, Piggy’s fear of Jack creates another fear: his friends shunning him. Hence, fear is a powerful emotion that shapes Piggy’s experiences in the story.

Golding’s novel depicts fear as a powerful influence on the behavior and experiences of the three main characters. Many people can relate the story to their individual lives by seeing how each boy deals with his fear. Ultimately, the novel is relevant to society because it depicts fear as a powerful influence on people’s personalities.

Golding, William. (1954).  Lord of the Flies . Penguin Group.

Steps on How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay

Writing a perfect literary analysis essay is a technical process that requires writers to observe certain procedures. For example, to write a literary analysis essay, people develop a clear thesis, use textual evidence to support their analysis, examine literary devices, such as theme, character, and symbolism, and structure their papers with a coherent introduction, several body paragraphs, and a logical conclusion (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). Most importantly, this essay writing approach helps students to avoid mistakes that may affect an overall quality or relevance of literary analysis essays. Some silent rules people should observe include preparing oneself for reading a literature work, setting up a particular stage for writing a literary analysis essay, starting a writing process, and wrapping up a paper to perfect an entire document.

Step 1: Preparation

At this stage, students prepare to write a literary analysis essay by defining their essay topics. The most important thing they should consider is a unique title of a literature composition they seek to analyze and its purpose or significance to society (Lauritzen, 2021). A next action is to prepare ideas for their papers, which requires them to understand their intentions. Typically, ideas come from reading an assigned text one seeks to evaluate or interpret in their essays. Furthermore, students should proceed to consider their audiences by focusing on their level of education and other characteristics that make them critique a literature work under analysis. As a result, this step aims to give students a proper mindset before writing a literary analysis essay.

Step 2: Stage Set Up

In a second step of writing a literary analysis essay, students are ready to begin writing. At this stage, people know their missions and need to make right arrangements (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). A first task is to read a chosen text they seek to analyze critically. They should not only reread a whole text but also make notes of key concepts, ideas, and themes they find useful or relevant to their literary analysis essays (Cordell & Pennington, 2020). A next task is to create a clear and well-organized outline to guide their writing. In turn, people can improve their literary analysis essays by incorporating research into this stage, which is vital in producing an annotated bibliography to ensure all evidence and quotes taken from credible sources are cited properly to avoid plagiarism.

Step 3: Writing Process

Writing a first draft of a literary analysis essay is a third step in this journey. In this case, students can write a first draft prone to countless mistakes. Basicall, a main idea of this initial document is to allow people to capture all the ideas they believe will make their papers impactful (Lauritzen, 2021). At this stage, students add or delete information and alter a paper’s outline to fit their essays. People should ensure an introduction sets a paper’s background and defines its purpose through a strong thesis statement (Marchetti & O’Dell, 2018). Then, an essay’s body section should critically analyze an assigned text by addressing central themes, characters, and literary devices to write about. For example, the three parts of a literary analysis paragraph are a topic sentence, textual evidence, and an entire examination (Cordell & Pennington, 2020). Finally, a conclusion part should restate a central thesis and interpret a discussed literature work by relating its ideas to contemporary society. In turn, some examples of sentence starters for beginning a literary analysis essay are:

• In [Title of a Literature Work], [Author] intricately explores a unique theme of [Theme], underlying various complexities of [Specific Aspect] through a particular use of [Literary Device].
• A particular novel/play/poem [Title] by [Author] presents a profound and compelling exploration of [Subject], using [Literary Element] to provide deeper meanings behind [Main Topic].
• [Author]’s [Title] masterfully covers corresponding intricacies of [Topic], employing [Literary Device] to illustrate how [Specific Aspect] influences an overall narrative.
• Set against a scene of [Setting], [Title] by [Author] vividly portrays [Main Topic], using [Literary Device] to highlight various nuances and complexities of [Theme].
• Through a compelling narrative of [Title], [Author] examines a complex nature of [Theme], utilizing [Literary Device] to shed light on [Specific Aspect] and its impact on main characters and its plot.
• [Title] by [Author] offers a compelling depiction of [Theme/Idea], weaving together [Literary Element] and [Literary Device] to create a rich and nuanced portrayal of [Specific Aspect].
• In [Title], [Author] employs [Literary Device] to illustrate [Idea], exploring how [Theme] is reflected in corresponding actions and motivations of main characters.
• A literature work [Title] by [Author] is a significant exploration of [Theme/Subject], utilizing [Literary Device] to underline deeper layers of [Specific Aspect] and its implications on an overall narrative.
• [Author]’s [Title] provides a unique perspective on [Theme], using [Literary Element] to discover potential intricacies of [Specific Aspect] and its influence on an overall story.
• Through an effective use of [Literary Device], [Author] in [Title] reveals [Theme/Message], skillfully examining how [Specific Aspect] shapes main characters and their interactions.

How to Construct a Thesis for a Literary Analysis Essay

A main purpose of a good literary analysis thesis statement is to give a target audience a writer’s agenda: what they seek to accomplish in an assigned literature composition, such as defend an argument, challenge a concept, or critique an entire text by focusing on its structure or any other quality in their essays. Notably, students can choose from different formats of thesis statements depending on a particular type of analysis they seek to undertake (Lauritzen, 2021). In writing, a first type is an argumentative thesis, which applies to an argumentative or a persuasive essay with controversial research topics or ideas. Then, a second type is an analytical thesis applicable in an analytical essay where learners seek to analyze a concept or idea, such as characters. Finally, a third type is an explanatory thesis, which is used in an explanatory essay where people explain a phenomenon, such as technology’s influence on healthcare.

Step 4: Wrapping Up

This step is a last stage when writing a literary analysis essay, where students focus on perfecting their documents. As such, a first task is to read and rereadan entire document to identify mistakes and inconsistencies. They should revise a literary analysis essay to correct such errors, which includes editing and ensuring all essential components are addressed: topic sentences, concluding sentences, transitions, proper style (APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian) formatting, and proper citations (Lauritzen, 2021). Simply put, students should ensure their final essays are perfect by eliminating grammatical and formatting mistakes and logical inconsistencies.

What to Include

Common Mistakes

• Lack of a Clear Thesis Statement: Not presenting a concise argument or main point about a specific literature text.
• Plot Summary Instead of Analysis: Merely recounting a basic plot instead of analyzing its elements and significance for writing.
• Ignoring Textual Evidence: Not providing direct quotes or specific examples from an assigned literature text to support analysis.
• Overlooking a Thesis: Straying from a main argument and failing to consistently support a central thesis.
• Inadequate Introduction and Conclusion: Starting or ending an essay weakly without effectively framing an entire literary analysis.
• Biased Analysis: Offering shallow interpretations without covering deeper meanings and complexities.
• Neglecting Literary Devices: Failing to examine a particular use of literary techniques, like symbolism, metaphors, and foreshadowing.
• Ignoring Historical and Cultural Context: Not considering a unique influence of a historical and cultural background on an assigned text.
• Poor Organization and Structure: Presenting ideas in a disorganized manner, making a literary analysis essay difficult to follow after writing a complete paper.
• Grammatical and Typographical Errors: Allowing spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes to distract from a particular content.

An excellent literary analysis essay evaluates other literature compositions to provide a new perspective on their significance. In writing, a good literary analysis essay should have an introduction, a thesis statement, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Moreover, body paragraphs should have evidence to support a central concept under investigation. Finally, by considering a conclusion part, this paragraph must summarize key ideas presented in a complete paper. In turn, some tips to consider when writing a literary analysis essay are:

• Based on the information above, students require valid knowledge to write a high-quality literary analysis essay.
• A first task is to choose a good essay’s topic.
• A second aspect is to read a literature composition under analysis to understand its plot, central themes, characters, and other essential information, including plot twists, literary devices, and climax.
• Narrow a topic by focusing on one or two elements, such as plots, characters, themes, structures, or concepts.
• Perfect a literary analysis essay by eliminating all writing mistakes: grammar, formatting, and illogical flow of ideas and thought.
• Proofread a final paper before presenting a final essay to readers.

Bump, J. F. (2022). The value of literature, today and tomorrow. Literature , 2 (1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.3390/literature2010001

Cordell, R., & Pennington, J. (2020). Creating literary analysis . LibreTexts.

Lauritzen, J. (2021). Read, write, and cite . Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.

Manyak, P. C., & Manyak, A. (2021). Literary analysis and writing: An integrated instructional routine. The Reading Teacher , 74 (4), 395–405. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1959

Marchetti, A., & O’Dell, R. (2018). Beyond literary analysis: Teaching students to write with passion and authority about any text . Heinemann.

Thexton, T., Prasad, A., & Mills, A. J. (2019). Learning empathy through literature. Culture and Organization , 25 (2), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2019.1569339

To Learn More, Read Relevant Articles

Analytical Essay: Students Guidelines & Analysis Example

• Icon Calendar 28 June 2019
• Icon Page 5819 words

Creative Writing Prompts

• Icon Calendar 27 June 2019
• Icon Page 677 words

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• How to write a rhetorical analysis | Key concepts & examples

How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis | Key Concepts & Examples

Published on August 28, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A rhetorical analysis is a type of essay  that looks at a text in terms of rhetoric. This means it is less concerned with what the author is saying than with how they say it: their goals, techniques, and appeals to the audience.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Key concepts in rhetoric, analyzing the text, introducing your rhetorical analysis, the body: doing the analysis, concluding a rhetorical analysis, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about rhetorical analysis.

Rhetoric, the art of effective speaking and writing, is a subject that trains you to look at texts, arguments and speeches in terms of how they are designed to persuade the audience. This section introduces a few of the key concepts of this field.

Appeals: Logos, ethos, pathos

Appeals are how the author convinces their audience. Three central appeals are discussed in rhetoric, established by the philosopher Aristotle and sometimes called the rhetorical triangle: logos, ethos, and pathos.

Logos , or the logical appeal, refers to the use of reasoned argument to persuade. This is the dominant approach in academic writing , where arguments are built up using reasoning and evidence.

Ethos , or the ethical appeal, involves the author presenting themselves as an authority on their subject. For example, someone making a moral argument might highlight their own morally admirable behavior; someone speaking about a technical subject might present themselves as an expert by mentioning their qualifications.

Pathos , or the pathetic appeal, evokes the audience’s emotions. This might involve speaking in a passionate way, employing vivid imagery, or trying to provoke anger, sympathy, or any other emotional response in the audience.

These three appeals are all treated as integral parts of rhetoric, and a given author may combine all three of them to convince their audience.

Text and context

In rhetoric, a text is not necessarily a piece of writing (though it may be this). A text is whatever piece of communication you are analyzing. This could be, for example, a speech, an advertisement, or a satirical image.

In these cases, your analysis would focus on more than just language—you might look at visual or sonic elements of the text too.

The context is everything surrounding the text: Who is the author (or speaker, designer, etc.)? Who is their (intended or actual) audience? When and where was the text produced, and for what purpose?

Looking at the context can help to inform your rhetorical analysis. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech has universal power, but the context of the civil rights movement is an important part of understanding why.

Claims, supports, and warrants

A piece of rhetoric is always making some sort of argument, whether it’s a very clearly defined and logical one (e.g. in a philosophy essay) or one that the reader has to infer (e.g. in a satirical article). These arguments are built up with claims, supports, and warrants.

A claim is the fact or idea the author wants to convince the reader of. An argument might center on a single claim, or be built up out of many. Claims are usually explicitly stated, but they may also just be implied in some kinds of text.

The author uses supports to back up each claim they make. These might range from hard evidence to emotional appeals—anything that is used to convince the reader to accept a claim.

The warrant is the logic or assumption that connects a support with a claim. Outside of quite formal argumentation, the warrant is often unstated—the author assumes their audience will understand the connection without it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still explore the implicit warrant in these cases.

For example, look at the following statement:

We can see a claim and a support here, but the warrant is implicit. Here, the warrant is the assumption that more likeable candidates would have inspired greater turnout. We might be more or less convinced by the argument depending on whether we think this is a fair assumption.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

Rhetorical analysis isn’t a matter of choosing concepts in advance and applying them to a text. Instead, it starts with looking at the text in detail and asking the appropriate questions about how it works:

• What is the author’s purpose?
• Do they focus closely on their key claims, or do they discuss various topics?
• What tone do they take—angry or sympathetic? Personal or authoritative? Formal or informal?
• Who seems to be the intended audience? Is this audience likely to be successfully reached and convinced?
• What kinds of evidence are presented?

By asking these questions, you’ll discover the various rhetorical devices the text uses. Don’t feel that you have to cram in every rhetorical term you know—focus on those that are most important to the text.

The following sections show how to write the different parts of a rhetorical analysis.

Like all essays, a rhetorical analysis begins with an introduction . The introduction tells readers what text you’ll be discussing, provides relevant background information, and presents your thesis statement .

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how an introduction works.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is widely regarded as one of the most important pieces of oratory in American history. Delivered in 1963 to thousands of civil rights activists outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech has come to symbolize the spirit of the civil rights movement and even to function as a major part of the American national myth. This rhetorical analysis argues that King’s assumption of the prophetic voice, amplified by the historic size of his audience, creates a powerful sense of ethos that has retained its inspirational power over the years.

The body of your rhetorical analysis is where you’ll tackle the text directly. It’s often divided into three paragraphs, although it may be more in a longer essay.

Each paragraph should focus on a different element of the text, and they should all contribute to your overall argument for your thesis statement.

Hover over the example to explore how a typical body paragraph is constructed.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

The conclusion of a rhetorical analysis wraps up the essay by restating the main argument and showing how it has been developed by your analysis. It may also try to link the text, and your analysis of it, with broader concerns.

Explore the example below to get a sense of the conclusion.

It is clear from this analysis that the effectiveness of King’s rhetoric stems less from the pathetic appeal of his utopian “dream” than it does from the ethos he carefully constructs to give force to his statements. By framing contemporary upheavals as part of a prophecy whose fulfillment will result in the better future he imagines, King ensures not only the effectiveness of his words in the moment but their continuing resonance today. Even if we have not yet achieved King’s dream, we cannot deny the role his words played in setting us on the path toward it.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to explain the effect a piece of writing or oratory has on its audience, how successful it is, and the devices and appeals it uses to achieve its goals.

Unlike a standard argumentative essay , it’s less about taking a position on the arguments presented, and more about exploring how they are constructed.

The term “text” in a rhetorical analysis essay refers to whatever object you’re analyzing. It’s frequently a piece of writing or a speech, but it doesn’t have to be. For example, you could also treat an advertisement or political cartoon as a text.

Logos appeals to the audience’s reason, building up logical arguments . Ethos appeals to the speaker’s status or authority, making the audience more likely to trust them. Pathos appeals to the emotions, trying to make the audience feel angry or sympathetic, for example.

Collectively, these three appeals are sometimes called the rhetorical triangle . They are central to rhetorical analysis , though a piece of rhetoric might not necessarily use all of them.

In rhetorical analysis , a claim is something the author wants the audience to believe. A support is the evidence or appeal they use to convince the reader to believe the claim. A warrant is the (often implicit) assumption that links the support with the claim.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2023, July 23). How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis | Key Concepts & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 23, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/rhetorical-analysis/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, how to write an argumentative essay | examples & tips, how to write a literary analysis essay | a step-by-step guide, comparing and contrasting in an essay | tips & examples, what is your plagiarism score.

English 4B Unit 6

Get better grades with Learn

82% of students achieve A’s after using Learn

Glencoe Algebra 2

Finite Mathematics