Literary Essay Writing

Question

I have a task of writing a Literary Analysis Essay ahead of me. The topic question is "discuss the relationship between 2 characters in the novel". I don't see how I can make it "arguementive" when its just a discussion of the book.

Answer 1

These questions can be tough, so don't worry, you're not alone in this book!

Technically, any discussion of the relationship between two characters in a book is an argument, unless the author has directly told you themselves something like "these two characters are a foil of one another". Without the author's direct input, any time you note a relationship between characters, or a symbol in the book, or the tone of the book, etc., you are making an argument.

Try to find a not-so-obvious relationship between two characters. This will make creating an argument much easier. Are two characters secretly in love? Are apparent enemies past friends? Is a mother-daughter relationship actually strained?

To turn a discussion into an argument, you'll need evidence. For example, if you decide that Robert and Mary are secretly in love, you could cite line 2 on page 42, "He looked into her eyes, and briefly shared a moment there". (This example is completely made up, but you get the idea!)

Good luck with your essay!

Answer 2

An argumentative essay just means you are making a claim about something. It doesn't mean you have to say "I believe..." In fact, you should avoid using first or second person entirely. For this particular prompt, your argument will be the relationship between the two characters. That is your claim and you will need evidence to support. For a good argumentative essay make sure you include a concession point where you provide evidence for a claim someone may use against your argument but then explain how your argument is stronger than that claim. Also remember you are not discussing the book, you are using the book as evidence to explain your argument about the relationship between the characters. Don't start summarizing the book because that is just a book report. The only time you need to use anything from the book is for a direct quote or supporting evidence. Your claims should be your own. For example if you were saying that they are enemies then your thesis should include that they are enemies and the reasons you are making that claim (i.e. they constantly avoid each other, they make each other suffer, etc.). Make sure your claims are general enough that you can elaborate on them. Too specific and you'll have nothing to write about. Also make sure your body paragraphs include the significance of your evidence. Don't just quote the book, explain why that quote supports your claim in that paragraph and the main argument of your paper.