This type of writing is most often an essay, in which the author examines another work with a critical eye. The essay may focus on the creator's technical skills, their success in supporting their theme, an analysis of particular elements, or more. Similar to persuasive writing, essays of this sort have a thesis. Each set of worksheets includes definitions, examples, tips, checklists, and writing prompts with topics, so be sure to print all of them. Response writing is a means for anyone to respond to a story, poem, and/or article in personalized written form. Response writing provides a student the opportunity to think about, as well as record, their thoughts of a particular writing material as well as verbal or written ideas or opinions. Through a response journal a student may gain a more in depth meaning of the printed text by examining and evaluating the characters and their actions. Letters to the Editor are also a form of response writing. Responses may also be to questions, comments, and student papers. Many people feel that understanding what you read is paramount to everything. The truth is that being able to have a valid point of view regarding this is even more difficult.
Printable Literary Analysis Worksheets
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Brief Overview of This Form of Writing
Although this type of essay can be found in several disciplines, it probably comes as no surprise that people will typically write a response to literature essay most often in an English class. Responding to literature can take several forms, including a critical overview of an author; an evaluation of specific literary elements, such as symbols, settings, and themes; a plot summary, or a character analysis.
Character Sketch
In writing a character sketch, the author examines that character's thoughts, actions, words, background, and appearance and then draws conclusions from those assessments.
Example of Character Sketch
The following example of a character sketch is an excerpt from Sarah Madsen Hardy titled - "The One-Sided Narrator in 'Why I Live at the P.O.?'"
Tips and Checklist for a Character Sketch
When writing your introduction, make sure to include a clear thesis about the character and his or her development, and state the author and work you are analyzing.
Prompt #1 for a Character Sketch
Choose a character from a favorite book, short story, play, or poem-a movie would also work. Reread/review the work, and record details about the character, addressing relevant questions.
Prompt #2 for a Character Sketch
Based on the first prompt, research other sources on your chosen character. How does your interpretation compare and contrast to what you found?
Plot Summary
Plot is often defined as the sequence of events in the story; however, it also includes how the events are connected, the cause-and-effect correlation.
Example of a Plot Summary
The following example of a plot summary taken from the notes and is based on William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"
Tips and Checklist for a Plot Summary
After writing your plot summary, consider the following questions (in addition, check the bulleted items listed in the Brief Overview of This Form of Writing section)
Prompt #1 for a Plot Summaries
Read a short story or narrative poem (a ballad will also work). Write down the basic plotline, including the characters. Using the questions listed in this section, write a plot summary of the work you chose.
Prompt #2 for a Plot Summaries
Based on a literary work, examine the conflicts in the story. Make a list of both external and internal conflicts. How are they related? How were they resolved?
Prompt #3 for a Plot Summaries
Examine the protagonist and antagonist. How does the plot contribute to their character development?
Theme Analysis
Theme refers to the main idea of a work, its message. Writers of a theme analysis paper determine the work's main idea and, as in other responses to literature, use support from the work to validate their interpretation.
Example of a Theme Analysis
The following example of a theme analysis is taken from Enotes and is based on Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour."
Tips and Checklist for a Theme Analysis
Do the characters have control over their lives and have complete freedom? If not, what else impacts their decisions and actions? How much of their lives are influenced by external circumstances?
Prompt # 1 for a Theme Analysis
Find the lyrics to one of your favorite songs. Using the questions listed in this section, determine the song's theme and write a theme analysis paper based on your conclusions.
Prompt # 2 for a Theme Analysis
Children's stories often contain themes, some more obvious than others. Using a fairytale, choose a "hidden" theme as a topic for a theme analysis essay.
Prompt # 3 for a Theme Analysis
Select a well-known short story and brainstorm about possible themes. Next, research the topic and find sources that contribute to your interpretation. Then, write a theme analysis paper that incorporates your sources, properly citing them in-text and in a works-cited page.
How to Write Responses to Literature?
Writing anything in reaction to a piece of literature is known as a literary response. To put it another way, a literary response is either a criticism or a synopsis of the whole work. It is not, however, only a review of a book, article, or piece of art since it contains the authors' point of view and a detailed explanation. Before writing a literary response, the author must first examine the text and choose the areas that should be thoroughly detailed.
The goal of writing your literary response, on the other hand, is to demonstrate full comprehension of the aspects of the literary work. The accurate interpretation and clear demonstration of concepts are appreciated in answer essays.
Recognize the Difference between Summary and Response
Let's pretend you've just completed a book. You've been handed two tasks for that one novel. You must provide a synopsis in the first task and write a response in the second.
You will describe the storyline with your own words for the first activity, which is essentially a summary. The second assignment requires you to provide a critique-your critique-of the book.
This isn't to suggest that your response essay doesn't include an overview of the work. It should consist of a short synopsis, mainly if the backstory to the issue or concept that is the subject of your answer is provided.
Although some professors appreciate it, summarizing does not have to be a separate component of the essay. It may be integrated into your analysis as required to provide context for a certain point you're making as you construct your criticism.
Whereas a summary section will exhibit your understanding of the book and its storyline, a response essay will illustrate your critical critique of the literary work.
How to Write an Analysis of Literature?
1. Start with a Thesis Statement
While writing an essay requires you to assess numerous aspects of a literary book, you must eventually make a specific point. Your argument might be about the narrative's themes, the author's objectives, the text's link to today's reality, or particular elements of the story, play, or poetry. This concept is contained in a single phrase, which is presented in the essay's first paragraph as a thesis statement. The remainder of the essay aims to clarify and verify this claim.
2. Move onto Characters
The position of characters is a crucial source of information in fiction and theatre. You might think about how the characters grow over the course of the story, what critical decisions they undertake, and how their choices indicate their beliefs. You may also talk to them about the conflicts they have with themselves, other people, and forces like nature or God.
3. Highlight the Themes
Throughout all literary writings, the theme should be addressed. It may be detected via inference or interpretation, and it can be represented in various ways in writing, generally implicitly. You can be given a subject, including a "loss of innocence," and instructed to compare how well the theme is expressed in two distinct books. Make sure to give proof to the reader in the form of particular quotes to back up your topic analysis and assessment.
4. Look into Figurative Language
Figurative language is crucial to poetry. Metaphors, alliteration, simile, exaggeration, and personification are all forms of figurative language. It "typically includes a comparison between two objects that may not, at first, seem to be related to one another," according to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. By generating new associations or invoking generally held beliefs, figurative language helps the author explain abstract concepts and evoke emotion. Now that you know how to write responses to literature, go for it!