Brown Girl Dreaming
The analysis format is something that you will encounter on a daily basis. It is a way to use research and evidence to analyze how something is constructed. For the purposes of this paper, you will choose a part(s) of Brown Girl Dreaming to examine and then to discuss as it relates to the whole book. Please be careful as this is not a summary of the book and what happened.
As you put your essay together, you need to follow these steps:
Identify the part(s) of the book you will discuss-setting, characters, tone, use of poetry, use of a memoir, action and/or symbols.
Find at least 1 solid research source that can educate you about the parts of the book you choose. I recommend the literary databases in the library at DCCC or JSTOR. You can use other reputable web sites that you feel relate to a part of the book that you can analyze with support from such research.
Do not in any way, shape, or form use GradeSaver, Sparknotes, Booknotes, Wikipedia, etc. For more information, refer to the material on what makes good research below.
After reading and understanding your research source, begin to craft your paper.
Some notes about choosing the parts of the book to analyze:
Make sure you are not just telling about the book. Tell why and how.
Pick points you can develop so if the setting plays a small role then don’t choose it.
Some notes about writing the paper:
Make sure that you have enough support in your paper so that your analysis makes sense to the reader. Support can be quotes from the book and/or your research. Use proper quotation sandwich format.
If you are unclear about how to write about literature, a quick Google or YouTube search will provide many helpful sites to watch and review. Think of this like a slightly longer journal where you make points supported by both the book itself, Brown Girl Dreaming, and the research source you find.
As your write the paper:
Remember your point is not to tell me about the book in a summary.
While constructing the paper, make sure you then relate everything to a bigger point, for example how the use of memoir and poetry develops characters and themes or how the use of symbols brings more meaning into what is a very short book.
A possible outline for the paper is as follows:
Introduction: Give a introduction to the book and a short overview of the important parts-the main characters, main actions, main settings, the form of the book, and then end with a clear and detailed thesis statement about what you will be analyzing.
Body of the Paper: As this is a 1-2 page paper, the body will have a minimum of one developed paragraphs, but it may have more depending on the information that you find. The information in the body of the paper should give enough detailed background to each of the points you cover. For example, f I was going to cover how the use of memoir creates characters then I would start with a paragraph about what a memoir is and how this book does or does not fit with this type of writing. My next paragraph(s) might deal with two main characters and how they change and are revealed by the use of memories. Research citations in the text and direct quotations from the book that show my points would be needed,at least one per paragraph.
Conclusion: The conclusion would tie everything together so I would show that memoir and memories help to slowly reveal the parts of characters and of the main character’s life in a way that keeps the reader guessing. I would then go on to develop this point by synthesizing what I have said in the body of my paper.
Throughout the paper, remember to use appropriate citations in MLA 8 style and to paraphrase and quote as needed. Ensure that you explain the examples and evidence that you use and that you avoid common writing errors. Also, be original in what you choose from the book for your literary analysis paper.