writing workshop literary analysis final draft

8.7 Evaluation: Reviewing the Final Draft

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Evaluate feedback on your report as a whole.
• Apply another reader’s response to the rhetorical choices you made as a writer.

When you have finished revising and editing your report, have a friend or classmate evaluate it using the following rubric, which is similar to the one your instructor might use. At the end of the rubric is a section for your reader to offer additional feedback or expand on the reasoning behind their assessment. Pay attention to the feedback, and ask questions if something isn’t clear. Then, revise your paper again, using the feedback you find helpful.

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Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/1-unit-introduction

• Authors: Michelle Bachelor Robinson, Maria Jerskey, featuring Toby Fulwiler
• Publisher/website: OpenStax
• Book title: Writing Guide with Handbook
• Publication date: Dec 21, 2021
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/1-unit-introduction
• Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/8-7-evaluation-reviewing-the-final-draft

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WRITING WORKSHOP #3: ANALYSIS

  WRITING WORKSHOP #3: ANALYSIS   As you’ll remember from the Four Noble Truths of writing, students of literature stray from the text at their own risk.  So, the obvious question follows: what do we do with the text now that we’re not straying from it?  As always, it’s easier to stipulate what not to do first: don’t summarize the text at hand.  Why?   1.      It’s boring: the most brilliant summary of a text (or a part of one) can never do more than give readers what they would have gotten from reading the original; you, in contrast, want to provide a unique argument that opens up aspects of the text that your readers will not have previously contemplated. 2.      It goes against a basic assumption shared by all writers of the genre known as the “literary critical essay”: namely, that your readers already know the basic facts about a text (plot, characters, basic argument, etc.); thus, you should never feel pressure to include any of this information, and you should always keep in mind that your audience expects your text to work at a level beneath or beyond these concerns.   As you may have guessed by now, the goal of the “literary critical essay” is to analyze the text at hand.  In so doing, you will find yourself following this pattern:   CLAIMèEVIDENCEèANALYSIS   The “claim” is a simple statement of what a certain limited aspect of the text “does,” the “evidence” is the aspect of the text you’re working with (usually a quotation or paraphrase), and the “analysis” is a full explanation of how the text does what you say it does. This analysis can take many, many forms, from the tiniest bits of language (e.g., the “diction” or particular word choice of a poet) to large-scale observations about form (e.g., the way settings like forests and cities frame certain actions in a novel or play).   This triad of claim/evidence/analysis is the motor that drives your argument; like a multi-stage rocket, each triad leads to another in sequence, until your argument has reached its target…   Take a look at the following excepts.  Locate and label the claim/evidence/analysis triad, pointing out areas where one or more of the parts are missing or weak:   1)         The narrator’s independence is also catalogued in the structure of the text; through the text she shifts away from John and towards the wallpaper.  The voice at the beginning of the text is very passive, the narrator talks through John’s voice.  For example when describing her apprehensions about the house she says, “But John says if I feel so…” (43).  By saying “John says” and using a weak verb like “feel” she makes herself appear feeble.  At the end of the story she makes statements like “I must” and “I will” and places emphasis on the verbs.  This sets a more dominant tone and makes her appear strong…   2)         She tries to be the typical wife, but she has trouble fitting into the role.  She is supposed to be the normal stay-at-home wife of a doctor, a wife with no problems.  “I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already!” (44).  She is supposed to act according to John’s demands.  “I get unreasonably angry with John sometimes.  I’m sure I never used to be so sensitive… But John says if I feel so, I shall neglect proper self-control; so I take pains to control myself—before him, at least, and that makes me very tired” (43).  She sometimes finds it hard to control herself for him.  “He says with my imaginative power and habit of story making, a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency.  So, I try” (46).  She tries to listen to everything he says so that she can live up to the standards of the perfect wife.

Module 8: Writing Workshop—Analysis and Synthesis

Why it matters: writing workshop—analysis and synthesis.

Figure 1 . Effective scholarship is often a matter of making connections.

Why Analyze?

In college courses, you will be asked to read, reason, and write analytically. Effective analysts can distinguish the whole, identify parts, infer relationships, and make generalizations. Those skills enable individuals to connect ideas, detect inconsistencies, and solve problems in a systematic fashion. Understanding what analysis is, how to apply it, and how to convey the results effectively will be invaluable to you throughout your college and professional careers.

Analysis is at the heart of academic work in every area of study. Literary critics break down poems and novels, examining how the different parts of the text work together to create meaning. Sociologists conduct field research to observe how gender roles influence pay discrepancies in developing nations, often arriving at policy recommendations that might result in more equitable arrangements. Business students scrutinize data on consumer behavior in different markets to better understand why some products fail in one place while nearly identical ones succeed in a different place.

Note that each researcher started with a question. The literary critic asks: how does this text create meaning? The sociologist wants to know: how are gender and inequalities of pay related to broader economic development? And the business student is trying to get a sense of what regional market differences might account for success or failure for a given plan. The work of analysis gives each researcher an opportunity to complicate their initial question, to compile useful information, and then to draw–or infer–some conclusions based on this new, more thorough level of understanding.

While analysis is the term we use to describe the process of breaking something down, say a poem or novel, a transcript of interviews with workers and business owners, or a regional market overview, this is not the only work we perform as scholars.

In an academic context, we are often occupied by a kind of transaction. As students we demonstrate our learning in exchange for credits, and ultimately we redeem these credits for a degree. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with learning for its own sake, without any broader framework of approval or evaluation, if you are working toward a degree it is helpful to understand why your professors value particular demonstrations of ability. In short, your teachers are looking for complexity and thoroughness in your thinking and writing. They want to see that you can propose and sustain a defensible line of inquiry, and that you can select and utilize appropriate evidence to support your guiding questions.

But how, exactly, do you utilize your material? Two complicating techniques that you can employ, and that will increase the complexity and credibility of your work are inference and synthesis. Let’s say that our hypothetical sociologist writes a draft of her paper that describes the types of labor performed by men and women in different lines of work in a recently urbanized region. If she categorically breaks down and examines in detail these differently compensated positions, we can say that she has performed an analysis. However, if she cites her interview transcripts and argues that her subjects are implying that pay rates in newly established professional settings should be based on “traditional” pay rates from earlier forms of gender-segregated agricultural labor, then she has inferred this is an unspoken framework of inequality in need of more scrutiny. Her inference has complicated and built on the existing analysis. If she goes on to find similarities in this notion of “traditionally” gender-based pay discrepancies among company mission statements, her interview transcripts, and studies conducted by other sociologists in other developing countries, then she has synthesized these different viewpoints and sources. This will also demonstrate a more thorough and credible thought process, and one that is valued within her chosen academic discipline.

As we work through the next few pages you will have an opportunity to consider how analysis, inference, and synthesis can work together. You will also get to test your own ability to identify these concepts in action, and to practice applying them to a scholarly essay.

Writing Workshop: Your Working Document

Every component of the working document will be introduced throughout this module in a blue box such as this one.  Open your working document now and keep it open as you progress through the module .

• Go to the assignment for this module in your LMS. Click on the link to open the Working Document for this module as a Google Document.

• Now hold onto this document—we’ll need it soon! (You’ll submit the link to your instructor once you’ve completed the Writing Workshop activities).

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• Why It Matters: Writing Workshopu2014Analysis and Synthesis. Authored by : Scott Barr for Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

Literary Analysis Essay Workshop Unit – High School ELA – EDITABLE CCSS Rubrics

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How do you teach the components of good literary analysis writing?

This no-prep, step-by-step Literary Analysis Essay Workshop does exactly that. It's unique in that it's a literary analysis resource that works as a companion for ANY work of literature and ANY literary analysis question you might desire to assign your students. Learning how to write an effective literary analysis essay may be the most critical skill college-bond English students need, and this resource is guaranteed to guide you and your students through the entire process.

Included in your purchase (See PREVIEW):

• An introductory PowerPoint presentation (with note-taking activity and answer key provided as both a PDF and self-checking Easel Activity!) that addresses the unit's rationale, significant parts of a literary analysis essay, and examples
• The Basics of MLA Style PowerPoint presentation to assist with essay formatting teaching
• A Literary Analysis Essay Ordering Game, designed to get students moving in your classroom while thinking critically about the elements of essay construction
• An editable Essay Assignment file that allows the instructor to generate endless assignment questions for any literary work you wish to assign. The assignment file includes literary analysis writing tips and a peer edit checklist
• Two Common Core-aligned rubrics (short-form rubric aligned to FOUR standards and long form rubric aligned to EIGHT standards)
• Both rubrics for this resource are also provided as editable Google Sheet files that can be seamlessly imported into Google Classroom or copy/pasted into the digital format of your choice!

Plus, scaffolded activities that build towards the final draft submission:

• TASK 1: A “Crafting a Literary Analysis Thesis Statement” activity that includes a definition of a thesis, a Frequently Asked Questions section, and our foolproof 4-STEP process for developing a thesis statement (with examples)
• TASK 2: A “Literary Analysis Essay Outline Planner,” which guides students from introduction to conclusion through the literary analysis drafting process
• TASK 3: A guided peer-edit partner activity

LITERATURE CONTENT:

Antigone : A Thousand Acres : The Awakening : A Christmas Carol: Activities : A Christmas Carol: Quizzes : Common Core Essay Rubrics Collection : The Glass Menagerie : Great Expectations: Activities : Great Expectations: Quizzes : Heart of Darkness : Literary Analysis Essay Workshop : The Metamorphosis : The Power of One : A Prayer for Owen Meany : Their Eyes Were Watching God : Theme Essay Workshop : A Thousand Acres : To Kill a Mockingbird: Activities : To Kill a Mockingbird: Quizzes : Writing Literary Analysis Directions

WRITING WORKSHOPS:

Argumentative Essay Workshop : Group Research Essay Workshop : Fantasy Writing Workshop : Horror Writing Workshop : Literary Analysis Essay Workshop : Mystery Writing Workshop : Personal Essay Writing Workshop : Realistic Fiction Writing Workshop : Research Essay Workshop : Science Fiction Writing Workshop : Theme Essay Workshop : Tragedy Writing Workshop : Creative Writing Workshops Bundle : Expository Essays Workshops Bundle : Expository Essays MEGA Bundle : ELA Writing Workshops Bundle

LESSONS, UNIT, AND  BUNDLES:

A Christmas Carol Complete Unit Bundle : Childhood Game Narrative Bundle : Childhood Memory Narrative Bundle : Choice Reading Unit : ELA Essays Assessments Bundle : ELA Writing Workshops Bundle : End-of-Elementary Reflection Essay : End-of-Middle-School Reflection Essay : End-of-Senior-Year Reflection Essay : End-of-the-Year Reflection Essay : End-of-the-Year Time Capsule Activity (FREE) : Create Your Own Children’s Book : Create Your Own Holiday Children’s Book : Create Your Own Superhero Project : Creative Writing Workshops Bundle : Daily Writing Prompts Bundle : Deepfake Awareness Training : Experiential Learning Projects Bundle : Expository Workshops MEGA Bundle : Family Narrative Bundle : Great Expectations Complete Unit Bundle : Growth Mindset Writing Prompts : Greek and Latin Vocabulary Bundle : Letter to Your Future Self (FREE) : Literary Devices: Creative Writing Prompts (FREE) : Literary Devices: Creative Writing Worksheets (FREE) : Literary Terms Lessons Bundle : Narrative Guides: 6-Genre Creative Writing Bundle : Personal Hero Essay Project : Persuasive Letter to Santa : Research Guide: 50 Topics Bundle : Research Unit Bundle : SAT Words of the Day Bundle : Seasonal Narrative Guides: 7-Holiday Creative Writing Bundle : Show & Symbolism Narrative Writing Assignment : Six Word Autobiography : Song Lessons: Analyzing Literary Devices Through Pop Music : Student Choice Biography Research Project : To Kill a Mockingbird Complete Unit Bundle : Travel Writing Prompts : Veterans Day Research Project : Writing Literary Analysis Bundle

EASEL BY TpT RESOURCE:

Student assignments for this resource are available as EASEL by TpT activities, which create a seamless link between our content and your learning management system (LMS). Additionally, all of our EASEL activities are immediately ready for student use; no prep work  is required on your end! Simply grab the link and go. NOTE: to access other resource files for this product (presentations, rubrics, Google Forms, answer keys, terms of use, or teacher notes) be sure to also download the product PDF.

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The Language of Educational Art’s "Literary Analysis Essay Workshop" is provided in PowerPoint Show and print-ready, bookmarked, and adjustable PDF files. Additionally, the Essay Assignment is provided as an editable PowerPoint template file to allow teachers to incorporate any essay question or literary work into this workshop. My resources also accommodate many digital delivery strategies . Please contact me if different file types or page edits are desired. I can accommodate most requests within 24 hours.

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