Literary Analysis requires close reading of a text in order to make a wellinformed, wellsupported,
nuanced argument about that text.
Objective: Write a literary analysis that explores and traces the recurring or similar themes in The
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, QB VII by Leon Uris, and War Against the Weak:
Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race, Edwin Black. The literary analysis should
make a specific, welldeveloped argument about the significance of the themes and their impact on
the student’s understanding of the text.
To complete this assignment successfully:
1) Develop a specific, narrow thesis statement that makes a strong argument about the literature
while acknowledging the nuances and the larger applications of the text
2) Support their arguments with evidence from the texts
3)Analyze their evidence in order to interpret and explain the evidence and it’s significance to their
argument
4) Discuss the literature’s broader implications and applications to the study of medicine and human
subjects
Tips for success:
1) provide background and context for your argument in the introduction
2) introduce and cite you textual evidence
3) Remember MEAL for paragraph/argument organization (Main Idea, Evidence, Analysis, Lead out
summarization)
3) Conclude by discussing the larger implications/applications to medical research and ethics
4) Use active voice to write clearly and concisely
5) Avoid summary
*Note the 3 references needed are the 3 novels*