Crash Course in Body Paragraphs TIQA and Literary Analysis
OBJECTIVE: Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns.
Body Paragraphs Traditional essay has three body paragraphs. In Literary Analysis, the body paragraph is meant to prove the thesis (give evidence from the text to support your claim). In addition to supplying textual evidence (quotes), the writer provides their own commentary on the quotes (analysis) and how the quote proves the argument.
Basic Format: TIQA Topic sentence Introduce quote Quote Analysis
TOPIC SENTENCE Tell the reader what exactly you are trying to prove. You listed three points of support in your thesis/roadmap. Focus on one of those for each paragraph. EX: One character who never achieves her dream is Curley s wife, who hoped to become a movie star but settled for an unhappy marriage. TOPIC = American Dream in OMM FOCUS = Curley s wife and her dreams Your focus is your limiting idea.
Introduce Quote (or example) Before you use a quote, give us some context for the quote you are about to use. Explain what s happening in the story, who said it, etc. You CANNOT let a quote stand alone as its own sentence! Ex: Curley s wife is a minor character for most of the story, but right before she dies, she opens up to Lennie about her dreams of becoming famous. She tells him, (quote). Which brings us to Q...
Quote Use a direct quote from the text as evidence. Ex: She tells him, I coulda made somethin of myself. She said darkly, Maybe I will yet (Steinbeck 85). Make sure to cite the quote in proper MLA format!
Analysis Explain to the reader the importance of the quote and how it supports your thesis. Don t use phrases like This quote shows/proves That s just redundant and unnecessary. This is the most important part of your body paragraph, because you re writing a Literary ANALYSIS essay. Ex: As she goes on about the life she could have had if things had been different, she reveals that she is deeply unsatisfied with her current life. She never really wanted to marry Curley and holds resentment towards him. She naively believes she still might have a chance of being a star, but the reality of her situation shows that this is next to impossible. This shows that the myth of the American Dream is still very powerful, no matter how unrealistic it may be. Analysis is NOT summary. It is your commentary on the text. Should be about 3-5 sentences
Let s put it all together! One character who never achieves her dream is Curley s wife, who hoped to become a movie star but settled for an unhappy marriage. Curley s wife is a minor character for most of the story, but right before she dies, she opens up to Lennie about her dreams of becoming famous. She tells him, I coulda made somethin of myself. She said darkly, Maybe I will yet (Steinbeck 85). As she goes on about the life she could have had if things had been different, she reveals that she is deeply unsatisfied with her current life. She never really wanted to marry Curley and holds resentment towards him. She naively believes she still might have a chance of being a star, but the reality of her situation shows that this is next to impossible. This shows that the myth of the American Dream is still very powerful, no matter how unrealistic it may be.
Let s recap... OBJECTIVE: Develop claims, supplying data and evidence in a discipline-appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns. DEFINE: T.I.Q.A.
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