The Formal Literary Analysis

STEP ONE: Open GENERALLY with a start-up technique (Attention Grabber!)

START-UP TECHNIQUES QUICK BURSTS QUOTES SURPRISE/ CONTRASTS POWERFUL FACTS LIT ALLUSIONS

QUICK BURSTS -A series of short, direct statements Love. Empathy. Acceptance. Three words that describe elements every teenager desires. In Paul Zindel’s The Pigman, one of his protagonists, Lorraine, is looking for these three things when she befriends a lonely man named Mr. Pignati…

QUOTES -A quote opening (relevant quotations either from someone famous or from the novel) George Orwell once wrote that “Happiness can exist only in acceptance.” Although Orwell lived before the time period The Pigman was written, his words portray one of the main themes that occurs throughout the novel…

SURPRISE/ CONTRASTS -Surprise/Contrast Opening (Hyperbole) (start with something that goes against what most think) When reading for their English teachers, high school students ALWAYS find the life lessons in the novels, and consequently, finish a book a better person and more prepared for life ʼ s journey. Of course, this may be somewhat of a stretch, but when reading Paul Zindel’s The Pigman…

LIT ALLUSIONS -Literary Allusion (refer to well-known piece of literature) Many well-read individuals may believe that Ponyboy Curtis from S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders goes through the greatest coming of age story. Paul Zindel’s The Pigman, however, also makes a claim at a great coming of age story.

STEP ONE: Open GENERALLY with a start-up technique (Attention Grabber!) STEP TWO: Discuss start-up and smoothly link to book (mention author, title, and character’s full name) STEP THREE: STATE PAPER’S THESIS!

George Orwell once wrote that “Happiness can exist only in acceptance.” Although Orwell lived before the time period The Pigman was written, his words portray one of the main themes that occurs throughout the novel. In The Pigman, by Paul Zindel, one of the protagonists, Lorraine Benson, is a typical teenager who is looking for acceptance. Lorraine befriends Mr. Pignati, a lonely man, because she finally begins to feel love, acceptance, and empathy. Begins broad & general! STEP2STEP2 THESIS! Whole paper must follow…

BODY PARAGRAPHS Body paragraphs are the place where support is given to win your argument.

REMINDER: TOPIC SENTENCE CONTROLS EACH PARAGRAPH’S CONTENT!

One of the many reasons Lorraine becomes friends with Mr. Pignati is that she is looking for parental love that she does not receive from her mother. This is evident when the group goes to Beekman’s and skates out of the store. She explains skating out of the store is “something that let [her] be a child in a way [she] never could be with [her] mother” (Zindel 87). This paragraph discusses why Lorraine became friends with Mr. Pignati ONLY! (and, of course, proof of the claim) Don’t forget the in-text citations with your support.

REMINDER: DEVELOPMENT IS WHAT’S AFTER THE SUPPORT; IT’S HOW YOU EXPLAIN AND USE THE SUPPORT THAT PROVES YOUR THESIS!

One of the many reasons Lorraine becomes friends with Mr. Pignati is that she is looking for parental love that she does not receive from her mother. This is evident when the group goes to Beekman’s and skates out of the store. She explains skating out of the store is “something that let [her] be a child in a way [she] never could be with [her] mother” (Zindel 87). Mr. Pignati buys items for John and Lorraine and allows them to do as they like. Both of these qualities are missing from their homes. For Lorraine especially, she is able to let her guard down and be herself with Mr. Pignati, not having to worry about being lectured or being ordered to do chores. Due to Mr. Pignati’s kindness and love, Lorraine finds herself befriending the lonely man. Development = writer’s thoughts on support and what it proves!

REMINDER: USE IMPRESSIVE TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND PHRASES

One of the many reasons Lorraine becomes friends with Mr. Pignati is that she is looking for parental love that she does not receive from her mother. This is evident when the group goes to Beekman’s and skates out of the store. She explains skating out of the store is “something that let [her] be a child in a way [she] never could be with [her] mother” (Zindel 87). Mr. Pignati buys items for John and Lorraine and allows them to do as they like. Both of these qualities are missing from their homes. For Lorraine especially, she is able to let her guard down and be herself with Mr. Pignati, not having to worry about being lectured or being ordered to do chores. Due to Mr. Pignati’s kindness and love, Lorraine finds herself befriending the lonely man. Yay, smooth sounding transition words!

REMINDER: REMEMBER - WHEN DISCUSSING LITERATURE, USE PRESENT TENSE!

One of the many reasons Lorraine becomes friends with Mr. Pignati is that she is looking for parental love that she does not receive from her mother. This is evident when the group goes to Beekman’s and skates out of the store. She explains skating out of the store is “something that let [her] be a child in a way [she] never could be with [her] mother” (Zindel 87). Mr. Pignati buys items for John and Lorraine and allows them to do as they like. Both of these qualities are missing from their homes. For Lorraine especially, she is able to let her guard down and be herself with Mr. Pignati, not having to worry about being lectured or being ordered to do chores. Due to Mr. Pignati’s kindness and love, Lorraine finds herself befriending the lonely man. “No ‘ed’ ending verbs and no ‘was + verbs’!”

REMINDER: END BODY PARAGRAPHS WITH A REMINDER OR REFERENCE BACK TO YOUR PAPER’S THESIS!

One of the many reasons Lorraine becomes friends with Mr. Pignati is that she is looking for parental love that she does not receive from her mother. This is evident when the group goes to Beekman’s and skates out of the store. She explains skating out of the store is “something that let [her] be a child in a way [she] never could be with [her] mother” (Zindel 87). Mr. Pignati buys items for John and Lorraine and allows them to do as they like. Both of these qualities are missing from their homes. For Lorraine especially, she is able to let her guard down and be herself with Mr. Pignati, not having to worry about being lectured or being ordered to do chores. Due to Mr. Pignati’s kindness and love, Lorraine finds herself befriending the lonely man. “Back to the whole focus of paper.”

REMINDER: NEXT BODY PARAGRAPH - DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN! (TOPIC, SUPPORT, DEVELOP,...)

CONCLUSIONS Step 1 - Briefly summarize your points/reasons & thesis! Step 2 - Make a reference or tie back to your start-up technique! “End where you started.” (FRAMED NARRATIVE)

Lorraine befriends a lonely man in part because she feels lonely. She finally begins to feel accepted through the love that Mr. Pignati shows her. They share empathy, both knowing how hard it is to be alone in the world. Before meeting, both were unhappy, but once Lorraine met Mr. Pignati she realized that “Happiness can exist only in acceptance,” as George Orwell stated. By the end of the novel, she was finally able to accept herself and her mother and achieve true happiness. Quick summary - nothing too intense or detailed! Makes references back to intro!