Formulate a thesis. This is a sentence (or sentences) that expresses the main ideas of your paper and answers the question or questions posed by your paper. [1] To form a solid thesis, think about the following:

• What am I arguing?
• What is my reasoning?
• How should I organize my reasons/evidence?

Can you please put wikiHow on the whitelist for your ad blocker? wikiHow relies on ad money to give you our free how-to guides. Learn how .

Construct a concise thesis statement. A good thesis should:

• Allude to the 3 main points you wish to address in the main body of the essay.
• Touch on the organization of your argument
• Explain what significance your argument has.
• Appear in the first paragraph, as it serves as an introduction to your approach to the literary work. Generally, a thesis appears at the end of the first paragraph — letting the reader know what to expect for the body of the work.

Refine your thesis. Often, as the paper evolves, the thesis evolves with it. Don’t hesitate to revamp your thesis to accurately summarize your paper, after you’ve written it.

Method Two of Seven:
Supporting Your Argument: Introductory Paragraph Edit

Build a strong, intriguing introduction. This is where your paper starts — the first impression needs to be assertive, interesting, and encourage the reader to continue on. A few ideas to start with:

• A relevant quotation or anecdote. This could be lines or dialogue, depending on the text you’re analyzing
• An interesting fact or question.
• An acknowledgment of the counterargument.
• Irony, paradox, or analogy

End your introduction with your thesis statement. It should seem to usher in the rest of the paper.

Method Three of Seven:
Supporting Your Argument: Body Paragraphs Edit

Develop convincing body paragraphs. This will be where you give evidence for your argument. A standard body has three paragraphs, though a longer essay might require more.

• In answering questions posed, think about what evidence you have to make your assertion. How does it relate to the overall theme? Are you leaving anything out?
• Perform a close reading and analyze multiple factors in your literary analysis. You might discuss a character’s development — how the individual changes from the beginning to the end of the work. You could focus on a character’s fatal flaw and examine the person’s mistakes.
• Consider focusing on the setting and theme of the literary work you’re analyzing. Emphasize the ways in which these elements contribute to the overall quality of the work.
• A paper fails when the writer chooses to ignore elements that don’t fit his or her thesis. Make sure your argument doesn’t pick and choose which parts of the text to address and which parts to ignore.
• Emphasize one major point per paragraph in this section. No need to rush all of your evidence into one idea.

Consider context. If your author writes heavily in symbolism and other literary devices, obscuring the true intent of their work, research his/her experiences. What was going on in the world or in his/her life? Does your argument fit these circumstances?

• This should advance a specific point of view about the text. You could argue that a given story is the product of the culture and time period from which it sprang.
  

  To follow up, provide details about the historical aspects of the literary work within the text and outside of it.

• Don’t hesitate to use secondary sources (texts from other authors).
  • A book or article discussing the same text
  • A book or article discussing a theory related to the text
  • A book or article discussing the historical or social context of the text [2]