Literary Analysis Sentence Outline: Archetypes

Example:

Thesis: In the films National Treasure and Back to the Future, screenwriters use various archetypes to convey the universal themes of redemption, commitment, and adventure.

I. The redeeming qualities [S1]of human nature become unearthed throughout these two epic

films.

  1. On the quest to find and protect the treasure[S2], Ben seems to prove himself to others.

1. Ben’s dad finally expresses to him how proud he is of his achievements and

efforts.

2. The Gates family name is known among government officials and American

history scholars as a bunch of conspiracy theorists; however, this changes when

Ben asks for the credit of the treasure find to go to his family.

  1. Marty, Doc Brown and George McFly are put into a series of situations that require them to redeem themselves.

1. Doc Brown involves Marty into another adventure that focuses on repairing

damage done by Marty’s future kids.

2. In order to gain the affection of his future wife, George defends his honor and

becomes seen as a desirable man by Lorraine when he punches Biff at the end of

the film.

[S3]

The Formula: Embedding Quotes

  1. Tell me what you are going to say. (These are your 1. and 2. statements on your sentence outline.)
  1. Say it! (either through a quote or paraphrase) Be very careful just to include the aspects of the quote and information that specifically proves your point. Any quote that is longer than four lines typed is out. If you can’t prove your point through a quote in that amount of time, you need to paraphrase instead. When selecting a quote in general, pick the one that serves as the best example of text support for your point.
  1. Tell me why you said it.

This is a biggie and super important! This sentence or set of sentences is meant to analyze and synthesize the information that you have already presented. What does the quote show? Why is it important? How does it affect the message or purpose of the work? What were the author’s intentions when having the action go this way? How do you know that? What does this tell us about the character(s)? Focus on diction, tone, etc. Dig deep…analyze closely…do not simply rephrase your “Tell-me-what-you-are-going-to-say” sentence—that’s a no-no.

Disclaimer: This is an example. You may not use the content in your paper in any way, shape, or form.

The “Tell-me-what-you-are-going-to-say-sentence” is in bold type. The “Say it!” sentence is italicized. And the “Tell-me-why-you-said-it” part is underlined.

From I. A. 1. (This corresponds to the sentence outline example on the previous page.)

Ben’s dad finally expresses to him how proud he is of his achievements and efforts. Just upon entering what the hero and his hunting companions think is the treasure chamber, Ben’s father has a revelation that his son and own dad had not been crazy all along, as they pursued the treasure. [S4]Ben’s dad says to him “I’ve never been more proud of you than I am right now.” [S5]All of the years of defending to his father that the treasure does, in fact, exist shows[S6] that the Father-Son Conflict [S7]becomes resolved in this instant.

Now you do it….

From I. B. 2. (Re-write the sentence from the example sentence outline.)

______

[S1]Notice that this is the first universal theme mentioned in the thesis statement. Pay attention also to the fact that the wording is somewhat different than the first time the theme is mentioned.

[S2]ALL A’s WILL BE FROM National Treasure IN MY PAPER. However, I am not going to keep writing the movie titles over and over. One way to avoid doing that is to refer to the characters or action within the film—that way it is clear to readers which film you are talking about.

[S3]Keep in mind that your 1. and 2. statements are small and specific. They represent specific examples from the film that prove this particular theme.

[S4]It is important to give the context of what you are explaining. This just means that when you are about to give a paraphrase or a quote, you have to give a brief explanation of what was going on in the film right around that time.

[S5]I just happen to remember the quote exactly because I have seen it so many times. If you don’t remember the exact wording, you can just paraphrase it.

[S6]Here is the analytical wording “this shows”.

[S7]Be sure to include the archetype into your analysis. Refer to it by name.