As you have studied Invisible Man, you have gained a fuller understanding of how literary devices and other text elements contribute to a reader’s understanding of the novel. Now, you will begin drafting an analytical essay in which you use textual analysis. You will be writing a multi-paragraph essay of 750–1000 words in which you answer the following questions:
- How does a person become an individual?
- How is an individual shaped by cultural and social forces?
You will use excerpts from Invisible Man and information from your own experiences to answer this question in a well-structured essay that includes an effective introduction and conclusion and logically organized ideas. Remember also to write clearly, using a natural voice to engage your audience, and cleanly, using correct punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and other linguistic conventions.
Drafting Checklist
Use the following checklist to make sure you include each element in your draft.
- Introduction
- Introduce the text, including the title and the author.
- Summarize the claims Ellison makes in Invisible Man regarding individuality and how it is shaped.
- Make a statement in which you use Ellison’s claims and your own experience to evaluate and answer the following questions: How does a person become an individual? How is an individual shaped by cultural and social forces? This will be your thesis statement.
- Body Paragraphs
- Elaborate on your thesis statement using evidence from the text.
- Assess Ellison’s use of motifs, point of view, style, social critique, reliable and/or unreliable narration, theme, textual features, diction, syntax, figurative language, figures of rhetoric, setting, and characterization.
- You do not have to include an analysis of every element from the previous list in your essay, only elements that support your claim. Try to include at least three of the listed elements.
- Conclusion
- Restate your claim.
- Make a final statement about your answers to the questions in the prompt.
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