Analytical Essay Checklist Italicize the title of the book. Type your name, the

Analytical Essay Checklist
Italicize the title of the book.
Type your name, the class and class period, the name of assignment (Analytical Essay), and the date in the upper left corner. Single spaced.
Create an original title and center it on the page, with no underlining and no quotation marks.
Your first paragraph, the introduction:
Uses a specific technique (historical context, bold statement, quotation, statistics, etc.) and develops this fully to set the stage for the paper and capture the audience’s attention.
Leads up to a thesis statement that addresses the three essential questions: What’s good? What exists? and What’s possible? phrased in terms of the author’s intentions.
Use present tense consistently throughout your essay because that is the convention when writing about literature. For example, “Ruth washes the dishes” not “Ruth washed the dishes.”
Avoid using “I” unless, for example, you are sharing a personal anecdote. Avoid phrases such as “I think” or “In my opinion.”
Avoid using the second person: “you.” If you must, use “one,” “the reader,” or “we.”
Use formal language, but strive for simplicity and clarity.
Use direct quotations and specific textual examples to support and prove your ideas. Incorporate at least one quotation per paragraph. Do not use quotes to explain the action or summarize. Cite all quotes with the page number in parenthesis at the end of the sentence like this: (39).
Avoid summarizing: your reader has read the book.
Your body paragraphs:
Begin with a transition and a topic sentence that introduces an idea
connected to your thesis, not a plot detail
Provide context but avoid summary; assume your reader knows the story
Include both your own discussion of ideas and quotes to support and prove those ideas
Avoid the phrase “this quote shows” or anything similar
Avoid free-standing (‘dropped’) quotations; integrate quotations into your own sentence
The bulk of the paragraph is connecting the evidence to the thesis – this is your analysis
Vary sentence structure and length.
Use active verbs whenever possible, instead of forms of the verb ‘to be.’
Avoid beginning sentences with ‘there is’ or ‘there are.’
Stay ‘in the story’ as much as possible. For example, “When Walter and Ruth discuss…” not “In Act I ….”
Your conclusion:
Avoids restating the introduction
Does reword your thesis though, to reflect its greater complexity, now that you have persuaded your readers to your point of view
Provides and extension of the ideas; moves the reader or provokes further thought
Makes an old book from your English class relevant to the here and now.