Authoritative third person
A literary analysis essay like the ones you write for the AP Lit exam are best written in third person,
which gives you an authoritative voice. You are writing from your own view, so the tendency is to want
to qualify your opinions by adding phrases such as “I think,” “I feel,” and “In my opinion.” It is actually
better to avoid such qualifiers. Instead write strong, confident claims that sound as if they are fact. It will
be your task to support your claims well so that your reader accepts your opinions, but don’t intentionally
limit them with qualifying phrases. Think of how you respond to the examples below. Which one of each
pair seems stronger, more like a fact?
Qualified Claim Authoritative ClaimIn my opinion, Scout learns that being a lady is
about honor and integrity, not dresses.Scout learns that being a lady is about honor and
integrity, not dresses.When Juliet warns Romeo to “swear not by the
moon, the inconstant moon/That monthly changes
in her circled orb” I think she means that....When Juliet warns Romeo to “swear not by the
moon, the inconstant moon/That monthly
changes in her circled orb” she means that....