How to Analyze Literature

Summary

The video script from HACC Tutoring, 'How to Analyze Literature,' demystifies literary analysis by comparing it to dissecting a football team's chances of winning. It emphasizes the importance of identifying a story's theme, such as Cinderella's 'Dreams can come true if you don't give up,' and then supporting this theme with literary elements like plot, dialogue, and symbolism. The script provides a step-by-step guide to analyzing any literary text, encouraging students to think critically.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Literary analysis involves critically examining a text by looking at its separate parts to understand its bigger meaning.
• 🌟 The theme is the recurring idea or insight found in a literary text, representing the hidden meaning within the story.
• 🎯 To determine a theme, consider broad topics and describe what the story is saying about them.
• 📚 In Cinderella's case, the theme 'Dreams can come true if you don't give up' is derived from the story's main topic of dreams.
• 📖 Literary elements are the parts of stories, including character, symbolism, plot, setting, imagery, and tone/mood.
• 📈 Plot events in Cinderella support the theme, showing that dreams come true when characters don't give up.
• 🎶 Dialogue, like the song 'A Dream is a Wish that Your Heart Makes', reinforces the theme through its lyrics.
• 👠 Symbolism, such as the glass slipper, can be used to prove the theme by representing a dream that has come true.
• 🧩 Literary analysis requires examining multiple literary elements to critically understand the whole story.
• 📈 The process of literary analysis is applicable to any text by first identifying a theme and then finding elements that support it.
• 🏫 For more tips on college success and tutoring, visit the learning center at your HACC campus.

Q & A

What is literary analysis?

Literary analysis is the process of critically examining a literary text by looking at its separate parts to understand its bigger meaning.

How does analyzing a football team's chance of winning relate to literary analysis?

It illustrates that both involve examining various components to understand a larger concept, such as considering players' strengths, coaches' skills, and other factors for a football team, or literary elements for a text.

What is the theme of Cinderella according to the script?

The theme of Cinderella is 'Dreams can come true if you don't give up.'

What are literary elements?

Literary elements are the parts of stories that contribute to its meaning, such as character, symbolism, plot, setting, imagery, and tone/mood.

How does the plot of Cinderella support its theme?

The plot supports the theme by showing Cinderella and Prince Charming achieving their dreams despite obstacles.

What is the significance of the song 'A Dream is a Wish that Your Heart Makes' in the movie Cinderella?

The song serves as an example of dialogue that reinforces the theme by stating that dreams can come true if one keeps believing.

How does the glass slipper symbolize the theme of Cinderella?

The glass slipper symbolizes a dream come true, being both dream-like and realistically enabling Cinderella to attend the ball.

Why is it important not to stop with just one literary element when analyzing a text?

Analyzing multiple literary elements provides a more comprehensive and robust understanding of the text's theme and overall meaning.

What is the first step in literary analysis according to the script?

The first step in literary analysis is to identify the theme, which is the bigger meaning of the story.

How can one find literary elements that prove a theme in a story?

One can find literary elements that prove a theme by examining aspects like plot, dialogue, and symbolism, and relating them to the theme.

What tip does the script offer for students looking to improve their literary analysis skills?

The script suggests visiting the learning center at one's campus to talk with a tutor and checking out online videos for more tips.