Literary Analysis of “To build a Fire” by Jack London– Character, Setting, Symbolism.

ENC 1102 Assignment: Literary Analysis
Analyze a short story. Write a literary analysis of a short story that explains the
message or significance while analyzing its structure and features. Be sure that you
focus on the text itself for your interpretation.
The literary analysis will explore the different literary elements an author utilizes in a
piece of fiction. Examine 1-3 literary elements (plot, character, setting, point of view,
symbolism, theme, style, tone, and/or irony) in the story. Use MLA guidelines. The
essay will be 3 pages plus a works-cited page.
The literary analysis will have these features:
An introduction that identifies the literary work you are analyzing and its background.
The introduction needs to include the author’s name and the short story’s title in
quotation marks. Make sure to construct a thesis statement that will guide your analysis
as well as serve to focus and organize your essay. A good thesis is specific and offers a
perspective and interpretation on a subject. A literary thesis should be clear and
focused, setting up an argument that the essay will support with discussion and details
from the work.
The body paragraphs will have targeted summaries or descriptions of the text that
focus only on the events or features that play a key role in your interpretation. Include 4
5 brief passages/quotations from the story – integrated with your own sentence
properly punctuated, and commented upon as necessary to show why you cited that
particular passage. The quoted material taken directly from the text needs to move your
interpretation forward and illustrate your points. Also, support for your interpretation
must display how your interpretation makes sense and offers fresh insights into the
works significance.
The conclusion will discuss the significance of the interpretation while restating the
thesis and summarizing the main points of your analysis.