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Humanities Guidelines for Writing Analytical Papers
The response papers you will be writing for this class are to be analytical in nature; they are NOT
research papers, and I dont want you to consult any outside sources for your ideas. This would
be considered plagiarism, and the paper would receive an automatic F. I dont expect you to have
any more background information than is contained in our texts; what Im interested in is your
reaction and response as you engage with the text or work of art. I want you to think deeply
about the topic questions and to contextualize the work in its time period. You are encouraged to
include modern-day applications in your response, when appropriate, but avoid imposing the
values of our 21st century culture on other times and places. For example, if youre writing about
the Homeric heroes, you will want to try to think like an ancient Greek, and acknowledge that in
the Homeric world, the qualities that Achilles possessed were ideal. They may not be ideal to
you today, but that is irrelevant unless the topic question asks you to compare them to your
views.
1. Title: Think of a clever title for your paper; dont just title it Hamlet or The Prince.
2. Introduction: Dont start right into your thesis statement in the first sentence. Feel free to
personalize your introduction if youd like, but at least try to draw the reader in with something
to pique interest and make someone want to keep reading. The intro doesnt need to be too long.
It should lead logically into the thesis statement, which should be at the end of the first
paragraph.
3. Thesis statement: This is one of the most important parts of the entire paper, and its also the
biggest problem I see in papers. Here are some guidelines:
-Address the topic! Use the topic subject or question in your thesis statement so that its
obvious what youre writing about. For example: If the topic is, Why did Virgil include
the Dido story in the Aeneid when it wasnt part of the original legend?, then you need to
start your thesis statement by saying: Virgil included the story of Dido in the Aeneid in
order to . . . or because . . . and then list your 3 or 4 points.
-Take a stance! Many of the topics require you to agree or disagree, attack or defend,
explain why someone did what they did, or to compare and contrast two things. If I dont
have a clear understanding of your position after reading just the thesis, then it isnt right.
-Be clear and concise. A thesis statement should only require one sentence, or two at the
very most.
-Be specific. Avoid broad generalizations and vague points.
-Use the thesis statement as the basis of organization for the rest of the paper. Each point
from the thesis should become topic sentences of your paragraphs.
-Avoid posing questions. It is to be a statement and stance, not a repetition of the topic
question.
-Include every major point that you make in the paper. If you get a brilliant idea toward
the end of the paper and write a paragraph about it, go back to the thesis and include it as
one of your points. There should be NOTHING in the body of the paper that isnt listed
in the thesis.
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Some examples of thesis statements:
My paper is on the pride of Hamlet. (This indicates a general topic for the paper, but it
is not a thesis statement. It is much too broad and takes no particular position with regard
to the subject. Skip the my paper is on introduction.)
I will examine some possible reasons why Virgil included Dido in the Aeneid. (This is
a little narrower, but it is still not a thesis statement. You must list the possible causes
that you will discuss, and take a position with regard to them. Skip the I will examine.
I will consider the question of truth and how it affects the lives of Hamlet, Gertrude,
Horatio, Polonius, and Claudius. (The question of truth is much too vague and must
be more clearly defined. You must state in the thesis exactly how truth affects these
characters, not just mention that it does. Skip the I will consider.)
Hamlets delay in avenging his fathers death results from his fear of eternal retribution,
his compassion for his mother, and his desire to publicly expose Claudius. (This is a
strong thesis statement, with a specific stance taken on a narrow issue. The 3 reasons set
up the organization of the paper.)
4. Paragraph Unity: You learned this in high school! If you change subjects, start a new
paragraph. Make sure everything in the paragraph relates to the topic sentence.
5. Topic Sentences: The first sentence of each paragraph is like a mini-thesis statement. It sets
the subject for the entire paragraph, so it needs to be general enough to include
everything youre planning to say on the subject. It also MUST relate back to the thesis
statement. If youre talking about something in a paragraph that isnt in the thesis, either
leave it out or add it to your thesis. When I read a topic sentence, I should be able to
glance up at the thesis and tell exactly where you are--on point 1, 2, etc.
For example: A good first topic sentence for the last thesis statement example (above)
would be: As a devout Christian who accepted the possibility of life after death, Hamlet
feared eternal damnation as a consequence of his revenge upon Claudius. You would
then go on to discuss this topic in the body of the paragraph, using examples from the
text to support your topic sentence.
Dont use a quotation as a topic sentence.
6. Elevated Language Usage: This is a formal so essay, avoid slang and colloquial expressions.
Dont write how you speak--raise the vocabulary level a little. Use a thesaurus. Use of
first person is fine, though, since this is your response. As a general rule, dont, I mean,
do not, use contractions in your papers.
7. Mechanical Errors: Here are some common problems:
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-Inconsistent verb tenses: Achilles is the best fighter among the Greeks, but he was too
prideful. You can use either present or past tense, but dont change in the middle.
-Incorrect punctuation: Review the rules for commas, semi-colons, and colons. Especially
remember how to use punctuation in conjunction with quotation marks. Punctuation
should be placed inside quotation marks, (Ex.: . . . pride.) unless the quotation marks are
immediately followed by a referenced citation (as explained in the next section) or you
are posing a question yourself. (Ex.: Does this author attack taxation without
representation?)
-Incorrect reference citations: Since you will be using no outside sources, the only
references youll be making in your papers will be from the primary texts themselves.
You dont need a Works Cited page for this, and you dont need to list the name of the
work, but you do need to cite the page number in your paper. (Ex.: If all men were good,
this advice would not be good (1715).
-Improper formatting for quotations: A prose quotation of 3 lines or less can be inserted
into the body of the text. (Ex.: Socrates said, An unexamined life is not worth living.)
Prose quotations of 4 or more lines should be indented on the left from the body of the
text and single spaced. No quotation marks are used, and the punctuation goes before the
parentheses. (Example:)
In the country of Westphalia, in the castle of the most noble baron of
Thunder-ten-tronkh, lived a youth whom nature had endowed with a most sweet
disposition. His face was the true index of his mind. He had a solid judgement
joined to the most unaffected simplicity. (24)
-Incorrect treatment of titles. All books, plays, long poems, films, ballets, operas,
paintings, and musicial compositions should be underlined or italicized.
-Spelling errors: No excuse! Use spell-check and proofread!
-Incorrect use of its and its. Review this!
-Incorrect use of then instead of than: He had more then enough money.
8. Sentence Structure: Review rules of sentence structure. Avoid run-ons (He was a good man
he was also wise.), fragments (Though there werent enough for everyone.), and comma
splices (They were going home, they had had enough.) Avoid awkward sentence
construction as well. Alternate short sentences with longer ones to create a smooth flow
to the reading of the paper, and avoid choppy sentences.
9. Body of the Paper: This could also be called the content of the paper. Here are some
common problems:
-Inclusion of irrelevant material: If it doesnt pertain to the topic and your thesis, leave it
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out. Every example, including personal experiences, must relate directly to both of these.
-A change of focus from the thesis statement: You must constantly be aware of the thesis
statement as you write the body of the paper. Allow it to keep you on topic at all times.
-Lack of supportive examples: Your topic sentence makes a statement that must be
backed up with examples and quotations from the text, if its about a literary work. Dont
turn examples into summaries however; I know the stories, so just refer to an incident to
support your statement.
-Lack of critical commentary on textual quotations: Dont just include a string of quotes
with no intrepretive, analytical discussion about them. Dont expect your use of a quote
to be self-explanatory. You need to tell me why you included it and how it supports your
stance. Be very careful about overusing quotations, or using longer quotes than you really
need.
-Inadequate development of an idea: If a point is important enough to deserve a place in
the thesis statement and topic sentence, it deserves a thorough development. A paragraph
of 2 sentences probably wont be enough to do this.
-Too much emphasis on personal experiences or minimally related applications so that
the focus of your paper is no longer on the assigned topic.
-The paper lacks organization: If you jump around from one topic to another, or if you
dont follow the points in the thesis in order in the body of the paper, points will be
deducted.
-Paper is too short: 3 pages is the minimum. A short paper will count heavily against the
grade.
10. Insights: If your analysis is obvious and superficial, you wont receive full points in this
area. Dont include arguments that cannot be or have not been supported from the text. You may
take whatever position you want as long as you can back up your arguments with textual
evidence. Incorrect, indefensible positions should never be included. For example, if you argue
that the Pardoners Tale is immoral because no one was motivated to morality upon hearing it,
youre going to have a hard time defending that position. Dont say things in your paper that you
cant possibly know or prove. Make sure you understand the text in its context: why was it
written, to whom was it written, what was its purpose, etc.
11. Conclusion: A good conclusion restates the thesis in other words. Remember the old adage
that a good paper tells the reader what its going to say, then it says it, then it tells the reader
what it said. Dont introduce new material in the conclusion or just end the paper without a
conclusion.