either supports or rejects society's norms Rather than attempt to discover the author's purpose in creating a work an analysis reveals what you see in the work Raising your awareness of themes through analysis allows you to dive deeper into the work itself You may begin to see similarities between all creative works that you encounter You may also improve your own writing by expanding your understanding of how stories use themes to engage readers Forming a Thesis Form your questions about how a theme is presented in a work or multiple works and find answers within the work itself Then you can create a thesis The thesis is the key point in your analysis It is your argument about the work For example if Itaw to Make a Thesis Statement you want to argue that the theme of a book is love your thesis could be worded as follows Allison Becket's novel on the Heartless Road In an analysis a thesis statement typically appears at the end of the introductory paragraph It is usually only one sentence long and states the author's main idea asserts that receiving love is critical to the human experience 8
Providing evidence Once you have formed a thesis you must provide evidence to support it Evidence will usually take the form of examples and quotations from the work itself often including dialogue from a character You may wish to address what others have written about the work Quotes from these individuals may help support your claim If you find any quotes or examples that contradict your thesis you will need to create an argument against them For instance Many critics claim the theme of love is secondary to that of revenge as the main character Carly sabotages the lives of her loved ones throughout the novel However the How to Support novel resolution proves that a Thesis Statement s An analysis should include Carly's experience with love several arguments that is the key to her humanity support the thesis's claim An argument is one or two sentences long and is Concluding supported by evidence from the Essay the work being discussed Organize the arguments After you have written into paragraphs These paragraphs make up the several arguments and body of the analysis included evidence to support them finish the essay with
a conclusion The conclusion restates the ideas from the thesis and summarizes some of the main points from Haw to Enclude an Essa the essay The conclusion's final thought often considers additional implications for the essay or gives the reader something to ponder further Begin your conclusion with a recap of the thesis and a brief summary of the most important or strongest arguments Leave readers with a final thought that puts the essay in a larger context or considers its wider implications In This Book In this book you will read summaries of works each followed by an analysis Critical thinking sections will give you a chance to consider other theses and questions about the work Did you agree with the author's analysis What other questions are raised by the thesis and its arguments You can also see other directions the author could have pursued to analyze the work Then in the Analyze It section in the final pages of this book you will have an opportunity to create your own analysis paper 10
The theme of Biblical Allusions The book you are reading focuses on the theme of biblical allusions Biblical allusions are a common literary technique an author uses to draw a parallel between the work and the Bible The Bible is a holy book for Christians Many works of literature film and art reference the Bible to add a layer of depth to the story For example the phrase promised land originates from the books of Genesis and Exodus in the Bible In those stories God promises Abraham a safe place for his family the Promised Look for the Guides Land After freeing the Israelites the descendants of Abraham from the pharaoh and slavery in Egypt Moses leads them through the desert toward the Promised Throughout the chapters that analyze the works thesis statements have been highlighted The box next to the thesis helps explain what questions are being raised about the work Supporting arguments have also been highlighted The boxes next to the arguments help explain how these points support the thesis The conclusions are also accompanied by explanatory boxes Look for these guides throughout each analysis Land Many authors use the term promised land to refer to the idea of a safe haven reached at the end of a long
