PAPER I

GUIDED TEXTUAL
ANALYSIS
FAMILIARISING
YOURSELF WITH
THE ASSESSMENT
CRITERIA
 WATCH THIS VIDEO MAINLY
FOCUSING ON THE 4 ASSESSMENT
CRITERIA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=pWdfb53r9kI&list=PLabtn4TO_Bj
Fe9tK16PFYQC5eE2-
B9Yvb&index=2
EXAMPLES OF
GUIDED
QUESTIONS
1. Comment on how text and image work together to appeal to multiple audiences.
2. Explore how various features are used on this webpage to create an impression of …
3. Comment on how the writer develops an argument about …
4. Examine how the narrative voice is used to create a sense of immediacy whilst also attempting to
involve the reader.
5. In what ways does the author use contrast to develop the passage?
6. What is the impact of the poet’s use of contrast to help convey meaning?
7. Explore the use of descriptive detail in the passage and its effect.
8. How does the style of narration contribute to meaning in the passage?
9. How does the passage generate atmosphere?
10. What is the impact of the poet’s use of metaphor and personification to convey meaning?
11. What is revealed about the adult/child perspectives in the poem?
12. By what means does the poet’s descriptive language enhance our understanding of the poem?
13. Consider the situation and attitude of the speaker especially in relation to the opening and closing
stanzas.
14. Discuss the sources and importance of humour in the poem.
15. How does the author use descriptive language to create atmosphere?
16. How is imagery used to convey the poet’s feelings?
UNPACKING
THE
GUIDING
QUESTION.
Often examination boards use a
small, select group of verbs in their
essay questions:
1. ‘discuss’
2. ‘explore’
3. ‘explain’
4. ‘examine’

To this list can be added phrases such as ’to what extent do you
agree …’ and ‘Evaluate the view that …’ which are often tagged to a
critical quotation or statement about a text.’
INSTRUCTION WORDS FOR ESSAYS - DEFINITIONS
Paper 1 is an exercise in guided textual analysis.
1. You have 5 minutes’ reading time: Read your text carefully at least two times and start annotating it.

2. You have 1 hour and 15 minutes to write an analysis on ONE of the two texts, each accompanied by a
guiding question: You should take approximately 10 minutes to annotate the text, write an outline or draw a
mind map to organise your ideas.
Paper 1 is an exercise in guided textual analysis.
3. Remember that you will be writing under time constraints. Hence, it is
recommended that you write THREE major features which is the
equivalent of THREE body paragraphs. (see tip)

4. You should be able to write 600-800 words.

Please remember to do the close reading with the SMILE

approach. You will be allowed to sue the SMILE summary
handout in the first test.
WRITING THE
INTRODUCTION
AND THE THESIS
STATEMENT
THE INTRODUCTION
Start your introduction by introducing the text type of the text you are analysing
and refer to its theme(s).

For example: The poem [‘poem title’] is [type of poem, such as sonnet, haiku,
etc.] that explores [theme of poem].

Give a summary of what the poem is about.

THE THESIS STATEMENT FOR A
PAPER I ANALYSIS SHOULD: These points in your thesis
• come at the end of the introduction statement do not have to be in
• answer the guiding question this order. The first point may
• articulate the text’s main message happen automatically by
• identify the main stylistic features that focusing on the third and
construct the message fourth bullet points.
 tells your reader what to expect.

is a restricted, precisely worded declarative sentence

that states the purpose of your essay.

THE THESIS is the point/proposition or summary of the ‘mini-theses’

STATEMENT of each paragraph.

If the list in front of you doesn’t remind you of the

brilliantly structured argument in your head then you’ve
got some editing to do.

Without a carefully conceived thesis, your analysis

has no chance of success.
The thesis is the point/proposition or summary of the ‘mini-
theses’ of each paragraph for the whole essay. It is the main
argument or the main point of the whole discussion.
All other paragraphs, with their own points/propositions (mini-
theses) are steps in the argument proving the case. All
paragraphs should be relevant to the thesis, and all should
include explanation and support/example which overlap.

Remember that the purpose of your analysis is to

prove that your thesis is valid.
Examples:

The Dead is Joyce’s metaphor for the lifeless gaiety of Dublin

society, the hopelessness of lost love, and the brutality of
passing time.

Samuel Beckett’s Endgame reflects characteristics of Theatre of

the Absurd in its minimalist stage setting, its seemingly
meanigless dialogue, and its apocalyptic or nihilist vision.

A close look at many details in The story of an Hour reveals

how language, institutions, and exected demeanor suppress
the natural desires and aspirations of women.
The body of the
essay and the
importance of topic
sentences (= mini-
theses)
The term regularly used for the development
of the central idea of a literary analysis essay is
the body. In this section you present the
paragraphs that support your thesis statement.
Good literary analysis essay contain an
explanation of your ideas and evidence from
the text (short story, poem, play) that supports
those ideas.

Textual evidence consists of summary,

paraphrase, specific details, and direct
quotations.
Each of the paragraphs of your literary analysis
essay should contain a topic sentence or
mini-thesis (usually the first sentence of the
paragraph) which states one of the topics
associated with your thesis, combined with
some assertion about how the topic will
support the central idea.

The purpose of the topic sentence/mini-thesis

is twofold:

1. to tie the details of the paragraph to your

thesis statement.

2. to tie the details of the paragraph together

The substance of each of your
developmental paragraphs (the body of
your essay) will be the explanations,
summaries, paraphrases, specific details,
and direct quotations you need to
support and develop the more general
statement you have made in your topic
sentence.

The argument should relate back to the

thesis statement.
ALL TOPIC SENTENCES (MINI-THESES)
LEAD TO THE THESIS STATEMENT!
The paragraphs
Each paragraph should have a clear, singular focus to
it. If there is an overriding error students make in
writing essays, it is shifting topics within the same
paragraph, rather than continuing to develop the
same idea they began with.

A paragraph is a discrete unit of thought that expands

one specific idea, not three or four. If you find yourself
shifting gears to start a new topic, begin a new
paragraph instead.

If you have re-read a paragraph and gotten lost on

the way then it is probably time to consider dividing it
into two paragraphs.Paragraphs are there to help you
and your reader: they divide up your thoughts and
neatly section each strand of your argument into
readable slices.
Someone once compared the beginning of a
new paragraph to the changing angle of a
wall. When the angle of the wall changes, a
new wall begins. Let your paragraphs be like
that wall: running straight along a certain
angle, and beginning anew when the angle
changes.

1. Begin with a topic sentence (mini-thesis)

2. Develop the idea
THE PEEL
PARAGRAPH
PEEL EXAMPLES:

P: When Basil Howard finally presents Dorian Gray with his own
portrait, the young man not only realises his beauty for the first
time but also becomes agonizingly aware that he is going to lose it.
E: ‘The sense of his own beauty came on him like a revelation.’
When Lord Henry gives Dorian ‘his terrible warning of its brevity’,
he becomes jealous of the painting and makes the wish that Basil’s
portrait of him should age while he stays young. ‘Oh, if it were only
the other way! If the picture could change, and I could be always
what I am now!’ E:The idea of mortality, and of the degradation of
his youth and beauty makes the cool, calm, innocent Dorian turn
into a frantic mess. L: The vision of the painting occurs like an
existential revelation for Dorian and marks the beginning of a move
from innocence to experience, from joy to tragedy.
PEEL EXAMPLES:

‘P: After breaking the engagement off with Sibyl, Dorian is

horrified by the portrait’s ability to absorb Dorian’s immoral actions
and thus age in his place. He cannot believe that his initial prayer
has been heard. E: ‘Surely his wish had not been fulfilled? Such
things were impossible. (…) And, yet, there was the picture before
him, with the touch of cruelty in the mouth.’ E: Chapter 7 ends with
Dorian showing the first signs of learning from the painting. On his
own he had not been able to see the hatefulness of his actions
toward Sibyl, but the visual evidence of cruelty depicted in his
portrait gives a glimpse of how his actions may have changed him.
Thus, he becomes remorseful and determines not to sin again. L:
Unfortunately, Dorian’s intentions are short-lived as he gradually
leans in the opposite direction – toward pleasure, even if sinful.
PEEL EXAMPLES:

P: In the closing chapters of the novel, Dorian only loathes the

painting as it has become an increasingly visual manifestation of his
sins. E: ‘What was that loathsome red dew that gleamed, wet and
glistening, on one of the hands, as though the canvas had sweated
blood?’ E: After murdering Basil, Dorian is less horrified by the
sight of Basil's corpse than by the change the portrait has
undergone as a result of the murder: the image of Dorian now has
lifelike blood on its hands. The narrator's statement that the canvas
"sweated blood" implies that the painting has literally become
alive, thus suggesting that Dorian might not be fully alive himself.
L: After killing the creator of the painting, Dorian sees the only way
to eliminate the sins marring his portrait, his soul, is to destroy it.
And so he stabs his own soul, essentially, and kills himself.
OTHER ACRONYMS RELATED TO THE
STRUCTURE OF A BODY PARAGRAPH:

PEARL: point, evidence, analysis, repeat,

link

PIE: point, information, explanation

CEW: claim, evidence, warrant (cf.

coursebook page 126)
 SIGNPOSTING THE
LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY
Imagine your essay is a journey on a motorway,
with A your point of origin and E your destination.
Though you shift lanes from time to time, you’ll
still be heading in the same direction, hopefully.
Along the way, however, you might be tempted
to take a slip road at C in order to wander off and
explore some extremely interesting landmark or
other. Let’s imagine getting to this landmark
involves taking a number of minor roads and,
unfortunately, you don’t have a map. And, if you
have one, your satnav is playing up. (And, your
phone’s got no signal). The danger, clearly, is that
if you’re not careful, you might get lost finding
your way to or back from this arresting detail.
Consequently, you are not able to return to the
motorway in time to continue your journey to
point E.
If you do take the reader off to examine closely a
particular feature, then make sure that you signpost
your path clearly. That way your reader can follow
you to the detail and back again, smoothly rejoining
the flow of your argument.

Using the keywords of the question helps signpost

the relevance of your answer and the development
of your argument.

DO NOT FORGET TO CHECK THE LIST OF

CONNECTORS! (cf. handout)
 Example:
Paragraph 1
In his poem ‘The Tyger’ Blake presents the animal as a figure of
extraordinary beauty and energy as if the poet is enraptured by
his vision of it. (the essay goes on to explore textual detail to
support this statement.)

Paragraph 2
‘The tyger’ seems like a terrifying monster, perhaps even an
embodiment of evil as evidenced, for example by the poem’s hell
fire imagery … (goes on to substantiate this point)

Paragraph 1
We could add ‘But Blake also depicts ‘The Tyger’ as …’ or
‘However, Blake also depicts ‘The Tyger’ …’
Paragraph 2
Blake’s presentation of ‘The Tyger’ is, however, deeply ambiguous. The imagery of hell, for instance,
seems, at first, to contradict the sense of extraordinary beauty and excitement …’
Example:
If the question is ‘explore the presentation of family
relationships in the poetry of Seamus Heaney’, for example,
you would need to use phrases such as ‘another way in which
family relationships are presented …’, ‘moreover’, crucial to
the presentation of parent – child relationships …’ and
‘aguably’ the most significant relatioship is between Heaney
and his father …’

Phrases such as ‘moreover’, the most significant/most

powerful’ and ‘the vital example’ are escpecially useful. They
indicate that you have considered a number of examples of the
issue at hand, ranked them in terms of their importance and
prioritised the most significant examples.
As you become more sophisticated readers, you will become increasingly aware of the
provisional nature of meaning and of the need – at times – to qualify your observations.
Working with literary text is, after all, a game of interpretation, and it is as well to acknowledge
the possibility of other ways of reading.

The following phrases are very useful constructions. They require specific and well-targeted
critical thought, but at the same time allow room for alternative views, and alert readers to the
students’ awareness of other possibilities, which may or may not be covered in the same
essay.

‘The author may be suggesting that …’

‘When we read … we may feel …’
‘The word … indicates …’
‘The author uses the phrase … to convey …’
‘Readers may feel that …’
‘One interpretation of this could be ...’
‘Perhaps this might be seen as …’
‘Some critics such as Eagleton, believe …’
Here is an extended example based on an entirely imaginary poem.

1. The poet’s imagery in ‘X’ draws heavily on conventional depictions of

pastoral landscapes. For example, the gently rolling hills, the sheep, the
picturesque classical ruin. X presents us with an almost clichéd image of
bucolic calm, an idealised and nostalgic depiction of a conception of a lost
Eden.

2. The metre of X’s poem begins with a regular iambic pattern, giving the
reader a sense of conventional balance and order. However, as we move
through the poem the metre becomes increasingly irregular, generating an
increasing sense of loss of control.

3. The theme of the poem is a re-imaging of the fall; the loss of innocence
through underlying moral corruption. However X’s spin on his theme is to
Suggest that the seeds of corruption are already buried in this particular
notion of Eden. A secondary theme draws our attention to how easily we
are deceived by surface appearance, how easily we are lulled into
complacency.
Writing the
conclusion
DO NOT GIVE ANY There are THREE parts to a good
NEW INFORMATION conclusion:
IN THE
CONCLUSION!
1. Restate the thesis statement from your
introduction – rephrase it using different
THE CONCLUSION words
ends memorably or
cleverly, usually by 2. Remind the reader of the main points
extending the ideas you talked about in the body paragraphs
of the paper to a
larger world or 3. Make a relevant comment about the
scope. literary work you are analysing, but from
a different perspective
Conclusion example:

The painting holds up a mirror up to Dorian Grey’s soul

throughout the novel thus evoking a fascination for his
beauty and youth, which soon turns into horror after Dorian
realises his own portrait’s capacity to absorb his age and
visually manifest his depravities. In his preface to The
Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde wrote, "Those who find ugly
meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being
charming. This is a fault." This, in the end, describes Dorian.
A life lived outside of time and cause and affect, leads only
to monstrosity. There is no natural restraint, and in taking
each small step, each one leading to the next, you lose who
you originally were.
PLANNING AND WRITING
THE ESSAY
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
Samples
 Samples

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W
33dgQp-
mHo&list=PLabtn4TO_BjFe9tK16PFYQ
C5eE2-B9Yvb&index=3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxIYC2GQmG8&list
=PLabtn4TO_BjFe9tK16PFYQC5eE2-B9Yvb&index=5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9pB1O_M6VI&list=PLabtn4TO_BjFe9tK16PFYQC5eE2-
B9Yvb&index=4