Writing About Literature

Sample Paragraph

In "Why Don’t You Look Where You’re Going?" by Walter Van Tilburg Clark, the sailor controls his destiny. This man ventures out alone on the water, taking risks that the people on the larger ship only speculate about, such as sinking after some perilous accident. The fat man and others idly consider the gruesome details of turning the little sailboat into splinters: " ‘We’ll make matchwood of it’ " (Clark 55), but the sailor knows that he has no time for idle worries. When the enormous ocean liner approaches the tiny Flying Dutchman, the intrepid traveler shows swift, independent thinking in the face of overwhelming odds: "He became very active . . . working rapidly with his hands, glancing up frequently without stopping his work" (Clark 56). He jumps from one side of the ship to the other, adjusting the sail and throwing himself against the tiller to navigate his craft out of the way. His actions save his life, and his boldness in this moment of danger suggests his determination to steer his own course not only on the ocean but perhaps also in life.

Guidelines for Writing About Literature
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Assume your reader knows the story (unless instructed to give a plot summary).

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Write about characters and events in the story in present tense. This is called the literary present.

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Start with a clear thesis statement that identifies the story, author, and your topic. Don’t start with vague phrases such as "This story is about…" You should mention author and title in the introductory paragraph, if not in the thesis statement.

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State your ideas positively and clearly. Don’t belittle or undercut your ideas by suggesting your reader will be bored or unimpressed.

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Avoid phrases such as "I think…" or "My opinion is…." Your name is on the paper, so your reader knows it is your idea.

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Analyze the literature—don’t evaluate. Discuss what motivates a character or how the setting affects the plot rather than telling your reader your personal response. It is usually not your purpose to pass judgment on story or tell whether you liked it or not.

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Maintain a formal approach to your subject and your reader. Don’t address your reader directly. Your focus should be on your subject, not your reader’s reaction to either the subject or your ideas.

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Develop paragraphs logically, not chronologically. Don’t try to "cover" even a part of the story; instead, discuss how a particular element of the story conveys your main idea. Follow this structure for paragraphs:

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State your main idea clearly in a sentence (Topic Sentence)

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Discuss the topic, leading up to specific details and examples for support.

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Introduce supporting quotations/examples, incorporating the quotation smoothly into a sentence. Don’t leave a quotation "floating" by itself. End with a citation in parentheses after the quotation.

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Explain how the quotations and examples you have cited support your main idea. Don’t assume your reader will make the same connections you do.

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Relate details and examples to the main topic in a concluding sentence.