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Literary Analysis Sample Paper

A literary analysis sample paper can provide guidance on how to write an effective literary analysis. All students of literature at one point in time have to carry out literary analysis. Even if you’re not a student of literature, your general education courses may also require to write literary analyses for specific subjects. 

A painting of Muses, a modern interpretation of the Muses in Ancient Greece responsible for literary art and criticism.
The Muses, Maurice Denis (1893). A modern interpretation of Muses in Ancient Greece. Goddesses responsible for literary art and criticism.

Lastly, literary analysis can help you gain insight into works of literature that you would ordinarily miss. A literary sample paper provides you with a template to follow to make sure you present analyses that is thought-provoking and effective. 


In this article, I briefly describe the principles of literary analysis and provide a sample paper that you can learn from and base your future literary analysis on. 


What is literary analysis? 


Literary analysis refers to a form of academic writing that focuses on reviewing a piece of literature. This review is done for a variety of reasons. This includes:


  • Revealing the themes of a work 

  • Determining the intended effects of the writer

  • Showing how the author uses literary devices 

  • Showing how the writer succeeds in achieving the intended effect

  • Showing how the writer fails to achieve the intended effect

  • Passing overall judgment on the merits of a work 


Writing literary analysis well is a matter of balancing universal or global principles of literature such as knowledge of literary devices, rhetorical devices, and critical approaches to literature. 


How to write a literary analysis essay? 


To learn how to write a literary analysis essay, please consult this previous article — How to Write a Literary Criticism Essay. However, it would not hurt to summarize the details of this article here. 


Writing good literary criticism essay depends primarily on two things — 1. Becoming familiar with literature approaches and concepts and 2. Bringing unique insight to a literary work. 


Steps to write a great literary analysis essay
Steps to write a great literary analysis essay.

The steps to writing literary analysis begin with familiarizing yourself with both the work and major pieces of critical literature, then formulating a thesis statement. Check out the infographic above for all the steps.

A Literary Analysis Sample Paper 



Comparing "Marrysong" and "Silver Wedding": A Romantic Versus Cynical View of Marriage


Scott in "Marrysong" manages to evoke a romantic view of marriage while highlighting the high levels of frustration associated with it. However, "Silver Wedding" highlights the frustrations and regrets of marriage and its absolute despair. Marysong achieves this romantic effect through careful imagery and natural scenery that carefully moves from frustration to despair, while Scannell relies on maintaining a tone of sardonic cynicism.


In the poem by Dennis Scott, the female spouse is portrayed as a complicated woman who is difficult to "learn." However, the challenge of "learning" her is eventually portrayed as a rewarding and life-long journey in and of itself. By contrast, Scannell sees himself as trapped in a despairing marriage that he simply can't escape.


Both poems are brilliantly written and achieve their intended effects. In our analysis, we uncover how both poets managed to show the deep frustration and resentment in marriage and how they depart in terms of how they come to terms with these frustrations.


Illustrating the Frustrations of Marriage


Both poets portray masterfully the frustrations of marriage through effective and well-chosen imagery. Scannel uses the after-party of his 25-year wedding anniversary to ruminate on the hurt, regret, and despair that has characterized his marriage:


The party is over and I sit among

The flotsam that its passing leaves,

The dirty glasses and fag-ends:

Outside, a black wind grieves.


This imagery suggests exhaustion, fatigue, and even desperation. This is a man at the end of his rope. The Scott poem begins more subtly and prepares carefully for a long extended metaphor that eventually transforms the frustrations of his marriage into something challenging, rewarding, and even romantic.


His partner is portrayed almost as a mythic landscape that is hard to know or learn.


He never learned her, quite. Year after year

  that territory, without seasons, shifted

under his eye.


Therefore, unlike Scannell, Scott's poem begins much more ambiguously. The frustration is noted, but the outright despair is lacking. Scott leaves room for encouragement or resolution, whereas Scannell makes it clear that the"party is over."


In "Silver Wedding," the frustration and despair appear to be based on guilt at a man wronging his wife, which is suggested by lines, such as:


Helen, my spouse, my sack of sighs,

Reproaches me for every hurt

With injured, bovine eyes.


"Bovine eyes" suggest the innocence of a woman who has been mistreated by her spouse. Similar is suggested in Scott's poem, where he says:


An hour he could be lost

in the walled anger of her quarried hurt


The key difference is that his spouse's hurt is eventually portrayed as natural feminine fickleness, which is sometimes delightful and other times baffling and frustrating.


An hour he could be lost

in the walled anger of her quarried hurt

or turning, see cool water laughing where

the day before there were stones in her voice.

He charted. She made wilderness again.


The author of "Marrysong" never approaches the bitterness of the "Silver Wedding," where the wife is described as "a bag of sighs." 


Two Different Perspectives On Marriage


The two poems part ways from the very beginning. Scannell's poem begins at the end of his wedding celebration quite fittingly. This is further reinforced throughout the poem, with lines such as:


There must have been passion once, I grant,

But neither she nor I could bear

To have its ghost come prowling from

Its dark and frowsy lair.


Here, the author makes it clear that the idea of happiness and passion is so foreign that it is portrayed as a ghost. Dennis Scott's poem, by contrast, starts with a description of a journey that he will never tire of. The continual frustration and his attempts to come to terms with it and beat it are portrayed as part of the passion that remains alive in his marriage. Scott uses beautiful and succinct language to describe this, such as "He charted. She made wilderness again."


Both poems in fact make effective use of language, meter, and imagery. In the case of "Silver Wedding," the half-rhyming scheme and regular meter give the poem a surreal sing-song quality. The poet is wryly celebrating surviving the despair and turmoil of a ruined marriage. The short meter and rhyme give the impression of a man singing and dancing in the wasteland of a nuclear holocaust.


Moreover, the scenes associated with a party coming to an end faithfully reflect the theme. Scott uses iambic pentameter, which reflects the way that he tightly controls the imagery of his wife being a challenging, yet rewarding landscape to explore. The way that he extends the metaphor from the first line all the way to the end, without ever getting trite is truly impressive.


Conclusion


Both poems succeed in effectively portraying the frustrations of monogamous marriage. A life-long commitment to one partner can indeed be difficult and frustrating. However, "Marrysong" comes to terms with the frustration by seeing it as a challenge that might have delights yet to be discovered, and with the husband taking care to treat his wife with tenderness and patience. "Silver Wedding" sees it as all lost and wonders how the two even reached so far.

 

How EminentEdit can help with your literary analysis


EminentEdit provides editing and commentary on rhetorical analysis essays to ensure that you get proper practice and models for writing rhetorical analyses.  

 

Our editing, proofreading, and commentary services are based on our deep and extensive familiarity with the standards and conventions of literary analysis.

 

EminentEdit provides editing and proofreading services that are:


  • Fast

  • Affordable

  • Reliable


More importantly, we are adaptable to your specific needs.

Get in touch with one of our representatives for help in editing your manuscript



We know what you want to say. We help you say it better.

 

EminentEdit’s proofreading and editing services for rhetorical analysis include:


  • Editing for tone of voice 

  • Substantive editing to improve the quality of your writing on a sentence level

  • Proofreading to make sure your writing is grammatically correct with proper spelling and punctuation

  • Commentary to point out areas of improvement


Do you need help in editing and proofreading your rhetorical or literary analysis essay? Get in touch through our contact page here: CONTACT US AT EMINENT EDIT. 

 

Cite this EminentEdit article

Antoine, M. (2024, November 10). Literary Analysis Sample Paper. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/literary-analysis-sample-paper

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