LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY 

 The analysis requires you to choose a narrative excerpt or poem and explore the literary elements of the work alongside a in-depth, critical consideration of the work’s main themes.

The literary selections, found in the module as downloadable, printable .pdf documents, can be found in the module and include work by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Charles Johnson, Phillis Wheatley, and Everett Hoagland.

Writing Assignment

Essays should explore the selected literary work in terms of themes, literary elements, and/or poetic elements, and the overall artistic aesthetic. What is “aesthetic?” Learn more here. 

Essays should be in MLA format, include at least FOUR sources (use in-text and works cited for reference citations), and are not to exceed 1200 words (800 word minimum).

Also, you are encouraged to use any of the materials presented in the course thus far, remembering of course to cite any readings or media used in your analysis.

A few questions that will help guide your work:

What are your first impressions of the work? What did you find out about the author or poet? Does what you found out have any bearing on the work? What is compelling or surprising in the work? What important symbols or images show themselves in the work? In terms of the structure or syntax (in the story or stanzas, what stands out? Why do you think the writer or poet made the decisions he or she did in the composition of the work? What is the tone of the work? What does it make the audience think about, question, or realize? What, if any, historical or social contexts are present in the work?