250 / Types of Writing
• Can the reader follow my plan or do I need to improve it?
• Are transitions adequate to show relationships among ideas? [See Sample
Revision for Transition in Chapter 3, Revising.]
• Have I developed paragraphs adequately with sufficient supporting details,
including specific details from the work, either quoted or paraphrased? [See
Sample Revision for Specific Detail in Chapter 3, Revising.]
• Have I avoided plagiarism?
• Do the main ideas work together to say something about the work as a whole?
• Have I avoided retelling the story, instead referring only to elements that
support my main ideas?
• Have I maintained a rather formal writing style, using a third-person point of
view and accurate verb tense?
• Is the vocabulary, including appropriate literary terms, accurate?
• Are my sentences varied both in length and in structure? [See Sample Revision
for Sentence Variety in Chapter 3, Revising.]
• Do my sentences carry the most effective emphasis for their respective
subjects? Are the main ideas in the main clauses? [See Sample Revision for
Emphasis in Chapter 3, Revising.]
• Does the conclusion refer to the topic or thesis sentence and at the same time
make a general statement about the work? [See conclusion in the Glossary.]Make necessary revisions until your paper satisfies all the preceding suggestions.
STEP 7: Proofreading—Checking Details
As you read your final draft, check for distracting problems, such as problems with
grammar, mechanics, usage, spelling, and word choice. [See Part IV for rules and
examples.]
a note about tHe saMPles
Now that you know what an analysis of a literary work should include and how you
go about writing it, study the following examples and their respective analyses for
further understanding. You will find examples for a nonfiction piece, a novel, and a
poem. In addition, check online at http://www.wiley.com/go/wnwstudentwritinghandbook
for additional examples of a literary analysis of a drama and a short story. Together,
the samples vary from single-paragraph, to three-paragraph, to five-paragraph papers.
SAMPLE LITERARY ANALYSIS of NoNfICTIoN
The nonfiction label applies to more than a half dozen kinds of writing, each of which
follows its own technique and/or form: essays, biographies, autobiographies, speeches,