How to Write a Literary Analysis on Native American Literature

When it comes to writing a literary analysis on Native American literature, you may have a tough time if this is your first time drafting one. After all, it needs to be structured, clear and sharply focused for your instructor to give you a good grade. While your work may be cut out for you once you have selected a topic to write on (get inspired by our facts on Native American literature or pick a topic from our list of 20 unique topics), you need to focus on the technical aspects of your analysis as well.

Outline for Your Literary Analysis

The first thing you should do after finalizing your topic is create a rough outline. You can create your own or simply use the one provided below.

• Introduction/Thesis
• Body of The Essay
• Main Idea 1
  • Support
  • Evidence
  • Example
• Main Idea 2
  • Support
  • Evidence
  • Example
• Main Idea 3
  • Evidence
  • Example
  • Support
• Conclusion
• Idea 1 + Idea 2 +Idea 3

Keep in mind that the analysis of any literature will involve textual evidence and support. Also, make sure to pay attention to the major themes and literary device the author uses. Note down any ideas you find interesting and then find the interconnecting threads which run through the work.

Developing a Thesis Statement

A thesis is the central idea of your essay. It is essentially a claim that you are making, which will be supported by evidence from the one or many works of literature you have chosen to analyze. Your thesis must be a specific statement which clearly communicates the purpose of your essay. This central idea will govern the overall development of your essay.

Writing a Strong Introduction

This section will include your main thesis and provide the reader a bird’s-eye view of your paper. Pay special attention to how you phrase your ideas in this topic. Your goal is to capture your reader’s interest, so use a relevant quote, an interesting fact, or a brief anecdote to quickly bring your subject into focus.

Include any background information you feel is required in order to understand your thesis. Include the title of the work you are writing about and the author. Also make sure to mention your reason for choosing that particular piece of work.

Creating the Body of the Essay

This section is the main part of your analysis. Use this section to explain in detail the main ideas behind your thesis. You also need to include evidence from the text to back up your stated idea. You can use direct quotations from the text or specific details or rely on summaries and paraphrased  sections of the text to support your central idea.

Think of three to four main topics and use one paragraph for each topic. Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence and then provide textual support. End the paragraph by connecting your topic with the central thesis. Follow these instructions for each of your topic paragraphs, which should be at least three topics to fully justify and explain your central thesis.

Wrapping it All Up in the Conclusion

Add a concluding paragraph that ties in your central thesis with all of your main ideas. Make sure it is phrased in a manner that communicates a sense of completeness to the reader. In other words, do not end it abruptly.

You can include a re-statement of your main thesis. Also summarize the main points and add some comments about the specific literary work you are writing about. Make sure this point is relevant to your topic.

This outline will serve as a handy guide to help you plan out and properly structure your literary analysis on Native American literature. Include all the relevant sections and follow the advice given for each and you will surely end up with a great grade.

Along with it we have prepared 14 facts on Native American literature for your literary analysis as well as 20 topics and 1 sample essay about this subject. Make sure to check them to get the whole picture.