USING QUOTES IN THE ANALYTICAL ESSAY BASIC STRUCTURE OF EACH PARAGRAPH
1. TOPIC SENTENCE of your paragraph (what the paragraph will be about). It is like a mini-thesis. This is your OPINION.
2. CONTEXT of the quote (where in the story do these words appear? What is the situation in which it is said? etc.).
3. INTRODUCTION to the quote. Tell us who says it. The author? The narrator? A specific character? To whom is the quote addressed? About what are they speaking (if it isn't self-explanatory). Use a comma before the quote, or a colon if the introduction of the quote is a complete sentence in itself.
4. THE QUOTE ITSELF followed by a page number in parentheses.
*5. EXPLANATION of the quote in your own words.
*6. ANALYSIS of the quote. Tell us why it is important and how it relates to your thesis. Be specific about what in the quote, which words, lead you to that conclusion. Be t horough and logical.
*Most of your paragraphs should be spent analyzing, using your own words to explain how and why the quote you used supports your topic sentence and your thesis. In analytical essays, your analysis is the heart of the paper.
Example of this paragraph structure:
(step 1) Once Pip is exposed to the upper class life of Miss Havisham, he begins to reject his family. (step 2) After a visit to Satis House with Joe,(step 3) he admits, (step 4)"it is a most miserable things to feel ashamed of home" (120). (steps 5 & 6) Pip feels guilty that he is embarrassed by Joe's behavior and the way in which he's been raised. Although he is in love with Estella and wants desperately to be a gentleman, he wishes he did not have such shame about his background.
This is a very basic paragraph; you may need both more of an introduction to set up the quote and more explanation and analysis.
* You may also use a colon to introduce your quote (instead of a comma) if your quote "follows" a thought that is a complete sentence. For example:
After a visit to Satis House with Joe, Pip admits his shame: "It is a most miserable things to feel ashamed of home" (120).
Additonal help:
Using Literary Quotations: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Handling Quotations in Literary Analysis: W. Michigan University