📖 ReadingGrade 6Lesson 16
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Write a short literary analysis

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Learning Objectives

  • 1Identify the claim, evidence, and analysis structure in a literary analysis paragraph
  • 2Write a literary claim (thesis) about a character, theme, or author’s choice
  • 3Select textual evidence that directly supports a literary claim
  • 4Explain how evidence proves a claim using the CEA analytical frame
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Mini Lesson

A literary analysis is a piece of writing that makes a claim about a text — about a character, theme, setting, or author’s craft — and then proves that claim using evidence from the story. Unlike a summary, which retells what happened, a literary analysis answers the question: "What does this text mean, and how does the author create that meaning?"

The three-part CEA frame

  • Claim (C) — your literary thesis: a clear, arguable statement about the text. Example: "The author shows that courage is built through small, repeated acts rather than one heroic moment."
  • Evidence (E) — a specific quote or detail from the story that supports your claim. Always introduce the quote with a signal phrase: "In chapter two, the author writes..."
  • Analysis (A) — your explanation of how the evidence proves the claim. This is the most important part: it is YOUR thinking, not a retelling of the quote.

Building a complete literary analysis paragraph

  1. Open with your claim (thesis statement).
  2. Introduce and quote your first piece of evidence.
  3. Analyze it: explain the connection to your claim.
  4. Introduce and quote your second piece of evidence.
  5. Address a possible counter-argument and rebut it.
  6. Close with a concluding statement that restates the claim and widens its significance.
Model literary analysis paragraph

Claim: The author shows that courage is built through small, repeated acts.

How does a complete CEA paragraph prove this claim?

Answer:Evidence: "Each morning Mia placed one stone on the wall, though her hands shook." Analysis: This detail shows that bravery is not a single dramatic choice but a habit of action taken despite fear. A second piece of evidence — "By spring the wall stood higher than her head" — reinforces this: accumulated small acts produce a visible, lasting result.

Notice how the analysis tells the reader why the evidence matters for the claim, rather than simply re-stating what happened.

The C-E-A Writing SandwichThe C-E-A Writing SandwichC — CLAIM (your literary thesis)"The author shows courage grows through small daily acts."E — EVIDENCE (quote or detail)"Each morning Mia placed one stone, though her hands shook."A — ANALYSIS (why this proves the claim)Bravery is a habit of repeated effort, not one grand gesture.
Literary Analysis Paragraph StructureLiterary Analysis Paragraph StructureTHESISState your literary claim clearly.BODY 1Evidence quote 1 from the text.Analysis: explain why it proves claim.BODY 2Evidence quote 2 + analysis.Counter-argument + rebuttal.CONCLUSION — restate claim + wider significance
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Analysis test: cover the quote and read only your analysis sentence. If it still makes sense and advances an argument, it’s true analysis. If it just re-describes the quote, rewrite it to explain WHY or HOW.

Vocabulary
literary analysis
Writing that examines how a text creates meaning.e.g. Her literary analysis focused on the protagonists arc.
claim
A debatable statement that an essay sets out to prove.e.g. His claim was that the storm symbolizes inner turmoil.
evidence
Specific lines or quotations from a text used as proof.e.g. She supported her claim with three pieces of evidence.
analysis
Explanation that connects evidence back to a claim.e.g. The analysis explained why the metaphor matters.
thesis
The central claim of an essay, usually stated up front.e.g. The thesis appeared at the end of the introduction.
CEA
A frame standing for Claim, Evidence, Analysis.e.g. Each paragraph followed the CEA frame.
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