Analytical Essay Outline: Template & Structure Guide [2025]

I. INTRODUCTION (10-15% of essay)

1. Hook [Attention-grabbing opening - question, quote, surprising fact]
2. Context [Brief background - what readers need to know] [Introduce the text/subject you're analyzing]
3. Thesis Statement [Your main analytical claim - what you'll prove]
   
   

II. BODY PARAGRAPH 1 (25-30% of essay)

1. Topic Sentence [First analytical point supporting your thesis]
2. Evidence #1 [Quote, example, or data from source] [Page number or citation]
3. Analysis [Explain HOW this evidence proves your point] [Explain WHY it matters]
4. Evidence #2 [Additional support for same point]
5. Analysis [Interpret this second piece of evidence]
6. Link [Connect back to thesis]
   
   

III. BODY PARAGRAPH 2 (25-30% of essay)

1. Topic Sentence [Second analytical point]
2. Evidence + Analysis [Follow same structure as Paragraph 1]
3. Transition [Bridge to next paragraph]
   
   

IV. BODY PARAGRAPH 3 (25-30% of essay)

1. Topic Sentence [Third analytical point]
2. Evidence + Analysis [Follow same structure]
3. Link [Transition toward conclusion]
   
   

V. CONCLUSION (10-15% of essay)

1. Restate Thesis [Rephrase your main claim - don't copy/paste]
2. Synthesis [Show how your three points work together]
3. Broader Significance [Why your analysis matters beyond this specific text]
4. Final Thought [Memorable closing insight]

Weak: "In Chapter 3, the character goes to the forest."
Strong: "The forest setting symbolizes the character's moral confusion, with darkness representing uncertainty."

"The narrator describes the forest as 'tangled and pathless,' with 'shadows that seemed to move' (45)."

"The 'tangled and pathless' description creates spatial disorientation that mirrors the character's ethical confusion. The moving shadows suggest instability and deception, reinforcing the theme that moral clarity is impossible in this environment."

"This pattern of darkness-as-confusion intensifies in subsequent scenes, ultimately revealing the author's pessimistic view of moral knowledge."

[T] TOPIC SENTENCE: State your analytical claim

"The author's use of X reveals Y."

[E] EVIDENCE: Quote or example from text

"As the narrator observes, 'quote here' (page #)."

[A] ANALYSIS: Explain HOW and WHY (2-3 sentences minimum)

"This technique works by... [explain mechanism]
The significance is... [explain importance]
This connects to the larger theme of... [connect to thesis]"

[E] EVIDENCE: Second piece supporting same point

"Later, the author describes 'another quote' (page #)."

[A] ANALYSIS: Interpret second evidence (2-3 sentences)

"This demonstrates... [explain]
The pattern suggests... [interpret]"

[L] LINK: Connect to thesis or transition to next paragraph

"This technique ultimately reveals... [connection to thesis]"

Topic Sentence:
Shakespeare's poison imagery in Hamlet systematically reveals how corruption spreads invisibly through Denmark's court.

Evidence #1:
The ghost describes his murder: "thy uncle stole...the whole ear of Denmark" with poison poured "in the porches of my ears" (1.5.36-37).

Analysis:
The poison entering through the ear, an invisible, insidious path, mirrors how moral corruption spreads through whispered lies and secrets rather than open violence. The phrase "whole ear of Denmark" extends the metaphor beyond one murder to suggest the entire kingdom has been infected through deceptive communication. Shakespeare positions poison as the weapon of secrecy and betrayal, not honor.

Evidence #2:
Hamlet later reflects that "something is rotten in the state of Denmark" (1.4.90), using disease imagery that parallels poisoning.

Analysis:
The "rotten" metaphor reinforces corruption as organic decay spreading from within, like poison in the body, rather than external attack. This imagery recurs throughout the play, linking political corruption to bodily contamination and suggesting that Denmark's problems cannot be fixed through external action alone.

Link:
This pattern of poison-as-invisible-corruption intensifies as characters like Claudius continue using verbal manipulation and hidden schemes, ultimately demonstrating that moral decay operates through deception rather than direct confrontation.

I. INTRODUCTION

1. Hook: "The green light at the end of Daisy's dock has become one of American literature's most recognized symbols, but what does it actually mean?"
2. Context: F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby uses color symbolism to critique the American Dream. Published during the Jazz Age, the novel examines wealth, class, and disillusionment.
3. Thesis: Fitzgerald's systematic use of green and yellow color symbolism reveals the corruption of the American Dream, with green representing unattainable ideals and yellow representing false gold that masks moral emptiness.
   
   

II. BODY PARAGRAPH 1: Green as Unattainable Aspiration

1. Topic: Green light symbolizes Gatsby's impossible dream
2. Evidence: "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us" (180)
3. Analysis: [Explain how the distant green light represents dreams that remain forever out of reach]
4. Evidence: Green appears in connection with Daisy throughout
5. Analysis: [Interpret the connection between green and Gatsby's idealized vision of Daisy]
6. Link: This unattainability theme connects to yellow's false promise
   
   

III. BODY PARAGRAPH 2: Yellow as Corruption and False Gold

1. Topic: Yellow represents wealth without substance
2. Evidence: Gatsby's yellow car, "death car" that kills Myrtle
3. Analysis: [Explain how yellow is false gold, not pure gold]
4. Evidence: Daisy's name is a yellow-centered flower
5. Analysis: [Connect Daisy to false gold symbolism]
6. Link: Together, green and yellow reveal Fitzgerald's critique
   
   

IV. BODY PARAGRAPH 3: The Intersection of Green and Yellow

1. Topic: When green and yellow intersect, dreams die
2. Evidence: The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg
3. Analysis: [Examine how the faded advertisement combines colors]
4. Evidence: Final scene with green light
5. Analysis: [Show how color symbolism culminates]
6. Link: This pattern exposes the American Dream as corrupted
   
   

V. CONCLUSION

1. Restate: Fitzgerald uses green and yellow to show how American dreams of success are both unattainable and morally compromised
2. Synthesis: Green represents the ideals we chase, yellow the corrupted means we use, and their intersection reveals tragedy
3. Significance: This critique remains relevant to modern American materialism and the pursuit of wealth over meaning
4. Final: The green light still beckons, but Fitzgerald warns us it will always recede, year by year, just beyond our reach.