international student. and i need the essay to be simple and easy to read. i will attatch the requirements for the essay and need to follow all the requirments. 700 words minimumthe topic or the myth that you need to write about is the BIRTH OF ELEGGUA.1. Your essay must cover the topic you are writing about.2. Your essay must have a central idea (stated in your thesis) that
governs its development.
3. Your essay must be organized so that every part contributes
something to the reader’s understanding of the central idea. (read how to write about ealiterary analysis essay)
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The Birth of Eleggua
Who knows when? …. I was told it happened when the gods lived on Earth.
In an African village there was a couple named Okubere and Ananaki, this man Okubere, was
rich and powerful, but luck was not with him. He had not been blessed with an heir. He was a
king without children. As the years passed, and since his wife could not give him a son, she said
to him one day, You are a rich and powerful king, but as you can see, I have not been able to
bear you any children. I shall go to the home of my parents, this will allow you to bring in a new
wife who will give you an heir to the throne.
Okubere told her there was no need to do that, because he loved her very much and did not want
to have more than one wife. He continued saying to her to stay in the palace, and if it was the
will of Olorun that they did not have children, he would accept it. Ananaki did not reply. She
decided that night to go far away, so far that her husband could not find her. So, when the Moon
was at its highest, she gathered her belongings and walked slowly out of the palace. She kept her
back towards Nana buruku (the Moon) so she could not see where she was going.
She walked and walked until she was really tired. She arrived at a crossroads in a place she had
never been before. There was a beautiful coconut palm tree, she sat under it to rest for a while…
this was such a peaceful place… she could recover her strength and go on walking. She sat and
rubbed her back against the tree. At that moment, a coconut fell to her feet; it was a big coconut,
larger than usual which shone with a strange light. As she was thirsty, she opened it and drank
abundantly from its fresh water. After a while, Ananaki fell asleep.
Ananaki, Ananaki, she heard a voice calling her. She looked around and saw it was the coconut
tree who was calling her. Listen well, you have drunk the water from my fruit Obi. His water
will make you bear children, more than one; but the first child you will consecrate to me. He will
be beautiful and intelligent. If after three days of his birth you don’t make an offering to me, I
shall take him away from you.
Ananaki woke up. The dream had impressed her extremely; but she arose and decided to
continue her journey. She couldn’t walk for long, the memory of her husband, the village people
and the vivid dream gave her a strong urge to return to her village.
Okubere was sitting on a mat, crying. 10 days had passed since he lost his wife and no one had
seen her or heard from her. ‘They searched and searched in vain, Ananaki had disappeared. The
king was in great sorrow and would not move from the mat where he was sitting, then he heard a
great noise outside the house, he lifted his head, and saw his wife coming through the door. She
had a strange glow in her eyes, they seemed to be brighter than ever. They embraced with tears
of JOY coming down their cheeks. That night, there was a great rejoicing in the village because
of the happy return of Ananaki, when the feast was over, both man and wife retired, Ananaki told
her dream to Okubere, who agreed that if they had a child, they would bring an offering to the
coconut tree.
Time passed, and to Okubere and Ananaki a child was born, they called him Eleggua. They were
filled with so much happiness by this birth that neither one remembered the dream Ananaki bad,
or the promise they had made. Eleggua grew handsome and playful. When he was old enough he
was given a servant,_ who ~oul? follow him everywhere. One day Eleggua went huntmg with
his servant when suddenly they found themselves at a crossroads where they had never been.
Eleggua stopped, and his servant saw him kneeling three times. The last time he kneeled, he
picked something from the ground. An object had caught his attention. The servant was amazed
that Eleggua would bend and pick up anything from the ground. He was so amazed because this
was a proud and spoiled child who would not kneel for even the king, his father. This child
would not do anything for himself least of all pick up anything from the floor. The servant got
closer and could see this was a rather large coconut. The moment Eleggua took it in his hands, a
strange light came out of it. The servant was surprised again, this time because the prince was
showing fear, which was something he had never shown either before in his life. How could a
coconut inspire respect in this spoiled young child?
Eleggua took the strange coconut to his house, against the servants advice who told the king and
all the people in the village what had taken place at the crossroads. No one believed him,
including Eleggua’s parents who had completely forgotten Ananaki’s dream. Eleggua played with
the coconut for a while, and tiring of it threw it behind the palace door and left it there.
One day there was a feast at the royal palace to celebrate a good harvest and the admission of the
prince Eleggua to the village secret society. Suddenly, the coconut that was behind the door
began to fire rays of light in every direction. Everyone was horrified and ran out the palace.
Three days later, Eleggua became ill and died.
During all the lime the vigil lasted, the coconut remained shining without anyone daring to get
close to it. The coconut was feared, and at the same time inspired respect.
After the prince’s death the people went through much hardship: there were no fish in the river,
no fruit on the trees, nothing planted would grow, women would have children no more. It did
not rain, the goats were thin and dying, there was no milk for the children and hardly any water
to drink. The people were desperate, so they decided to consult the village oracle who told them
they were being punished because they had abandoned the coconut left by Eleggua and the
forgotten promise made by the king to the coconut tree. They went to where the coconut was and
found it to be empty, eaten by small animals and insects. They consulted the oracle again who
told them to replace the coconut with a river stone which would be Eleggua’s spirit They
gathered by the river and found a large stone which Ananaki and Okubere felt was inhabited by
Eleggua. It was washed with twenty one different herbs and offerings of chickens and small goat
was made, after, it was placed inside a day pot by the palace door. The oracle was consulted and
it was in agreement that the proper sacrifices had been made and Eleggua was now inside the
stone. They were told to use the coconut as an ally to Eleggua and to bring offerings every once
in a while to the coconut tree where they could also find Eleggua ‘s spirit.
Once they complied with all that was requested of the Orisha, the village began to prosper again
and many children were born to Ananaki as well as to the rest of the village women.
And this is what we still do today. This is why we say: iku tevi Osha Eleggua which means: the
ghost of Eleggua gave birth to the Orisha. Without his spirit there is no Orisha. This is why
Eleggua always should be made out of stone, and the coconut used for asking questions to
Orisha.
This is the true story of how Eleggua was born. This is the first story to be learned when it is
time to be vested with Orisha
HOW TO WRITE A LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY
The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine and sometimes evaluate a work of
literature or an aspect of a work of literature. As with any analysis, this requires you to break the
subject down into its component parts. Examining the different elements of a piece of literature is not
an end in itself but rather a process to help you better appreciate and understand the work of
literature as a whole. For instance, an analysis of a poem might deal with the different types of
images in a poem or with the relationship between the form and content of the work. If you were to
analyze (discuss and explain) a play, you might analyze the relationship between a subplot and the
main plot, or you might analyze the character flaw of the tragic hero by tracing how it is revealed
through the acts of the play. Analyzing a short story might include identifying a particular theme (like
the difficulty of making the transition from adolescence to adulthood) and showing how the writer
suggests that theme through the point of view from which the story is told; or you might also explain
how the main character‟s attitude toward women is revealed through his dialogue and/or actions.
REMEMBER: Writing is the sharpened, focused expression of thought and study. As you develop
your writing skills, you will also improve your perceptions and increase your critical abilities. Writing
ultimately boils down to the development of an idea. Your objective in writing a literary analysis essay
is to convince the person reading your essay that you have supported the idea you are developing.
Unlike ordinary conversation and classroom discussion, writing must stick with great
determination to the specific point of development. This kind of writing demands tight
organization and control. Therefore, your essay must have a central idea (thesis), it must have
several paragraphs that grow systematically out of the central idea, and everything in it must be
directly related to the central idea and must contribute to the reader’s understanding of that
central idea. These three principles are listed again below:
1.
2.
3.
Your essay must cover the topic you are writing about.
Your essay must have a central idea (stated in your thesis) that
governs its development.
Your essay must be organized so that every part contributes
something to the reader’s understanding of the central idea.
THE ELEMENTS OF A SOLID ESSAY
The Thesis Statement
The thesis statement tells your reader what to expect: it is a restricted, precisely worded declarative
sentence that states the purpose of your essay — the point you are trying to make. Without a
carefully conceived thesis, an essay has no chance of success. The following are thesis
statements which would work for a 500-750 word literary analysis essay:
Gwendolyn Brooks‟s 1960 poem “The Ballad of Rudolph Reed” demonstrates how the
poet uses the conventional poetic form of the ballad to treat the unconventional poetic
subject of racial intolerance.
The fate of the main characters in Antigone illustrates the danger of excessive pride.
The imagery in Dylan Thomas‟s poem “Fern Hill” reveals the ambiguity of humans‟
relationship with nature.
Typically, the thesis statement falls at the end of your introductory paragraph.
The Introduction
The introduction to your literary analysis essay should try to capture your reader‟s
interest. To bring immediate focus to your subject, you may want to use a quotation, a
provocative question, a brief anecdote, a startling statement, or a combination of these.
You may also want to include background information relevant to your thesis and
necessary for the reader to understand the position you are taking. In addition, you
need to include the title of the work of literature and name of the author. The
following are satisfactory introductory paragraphs which include appropriate thesis
statements:
A.
What would one expect to be the personality of a man who has his wife
sent away to a convent (or perhaps has had her murdered) because she took too
much pleasure in the sunset and in a compliment paid to her by another man? It
is just such a man—a Renaissance duke—who Robert Browning portrays in his
poem “My Last Duchess.” A character analysis of the Duke reveals that through
his internal dialogue, his interpretation of earlier incidents, and his actions, his
traits—arrogance, jealousy, and greediness—emerge.
B.
The first paragraph of Alberto Alvaro Rios‟s short story “The Secret Lion”
presents a twelve-year-old boy‟s view of growing up—everything changes. As
the narrator informs the reader, when the magician pulls a tablecloth out from
under a pile of dishes, children are amazed at the “stay-the-same part,” while
adults focus only on the tablecloth itself (42). Adults have the benefit of
experience and know the trick will work as long as the technique is correct.
When people “grow up,” they gain this experience and knowledge but lose their
innocence and sense of wonder. In other words, the price paid for growing up is
a permanent sense of loss. This tradeoff is central to “The Secret Lion.” The key
symbols in the story reinforce its main theme: change is inevitable and always
accompanied by a sense of loss.
C.
The setting of John Updike‟s story “A & P” is crucial to the reader‟s
understanding of Sammy‟s decision to quit his job. Even though Sammy knows
that his quitting will make life more difficult for him, he instinctively insists upon
rejecting what the A & P represents in the story. When he rings up a “No Sale”
and “saunter[s]” out of the store, Sammy leaves behind not only a job but the
rigid state of mind associated with the A & P. Although Sammy is the central
character in the story, Updike seems to invest as much effort in describing the
setting as he does Sammy. The title, after all, is not “Youthful Rebellion” or
“Sammy Quits” but “A & P.” The setting is the antagonist of the story and plays a
role that is as important as Sammy‟s.
2
The Body of the Essay and the Importance of Topic Sentences
The term regularly used for the development of the central idea of a literary analysis
essay is the body. In this section you present the paragraphs (at least 3 paragraphs
for a 500-750 word essay) that support your thesis statement. Good literary analysis
essays contain an explanation of your ideas and evidence from the text (short story,
poem, play) that supports those ideas. Textual evidence consists of summary,
paraphrase, specific details, and direct quotations.
Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence (usually the first sentence of the
paragraph) which states one of the topics associated with your thesis, combined with
some assertion about how the topic will support the central idea. The purpose of the
topic sentence is twofold:
1. To relate the details of the paragraph to your thesis
statement.
2. To tie the details of the paragraph together.
The substance of each of your developmental paragraphs (the body of your essay)
will be the explanations, summaries, paraphrases, specific details, and direct quotations
you need to support and develop the more general statement you have made in your
topic sentence. The following is the first developmental paragraph after one of the
introductory paragraphs (C) above:
TOPIC SENTENCE
EXPLANATIONS AND
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Sammy’s descriptions of the A & P present a
setting that is ugly, monotonous, and rigidly
regulated. The chain store is a common fixture
in modern society, so the reader can identify
with the uniformity Sammy describes. The
fluorescent light is as blandly cool as the
“checkerboard green-and-cream rubber tile
floor” (486). The “usual traffic in the store
moves in one direction (except for the swim
suited girls, who move against it), and
everything is neatly organized and categorized
in tidy aisles. The dehumanizing routine of this
environment is suggested by Sammy’s offhand
references to the typical shoppers as “sheep,”
“house slaves,” and “pigs” (486). These regular
customers seem to walk through the store in a
stupor; as Sammy indicates, not even dynamite
could move them out of their routine (485).
This paragraph is a strong one because it is developed through the use of quotations,
summary, details, and explanation to support the topic sentence. Notice how it relates
back to the thesis statement.
3
The Conclusion
Your literary analysis essay should have a concluding paragraph that gives your essay
a sense of completeness and lets your readers know that they have come to the end of
your paper. Your concluding paragraph might restate the thesis in different words,
summarize the main points you have made, or make a relevant comment about the
literary work you are analyzing, but from a different perspective. Do not introduce a
new topic in your conclusion. Below is the concluding paragraph from the essay
already quoted above (A) about Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess”:
If the Duke has any redeeming qualities, they fail to appear in the poem.
Browning’s emphasis on the Duke’s traits of arrogance, jealousy, and materialism
make it apparent that anyone who might have known the Duke personally would
have based his opinion of him on these three personality “flaws.” Ultimately, the
reader‟s opinion of the Duke is not a favorable one, and it is clear that Browning
intended that the reader feel this way.
The Title of Your Essay
It is essential that you give your essay a title that is descriptive of the approach you are
taking in your paper. Just as you did in your introductory paragraph, try to get the
reader’s attention. Using only the title of the literary work you are examining is
unsatisfactory. The titles that follow are appropriate for the papers (A, B, C) discussed
above:
Robert Browning’s Duke: A Portrayal of a Sinister Man
The A & P as a State of Mind
Theme in “The Secret Lion”: The Struggle of Adolescence
Audience
Consider the reader for whom you are writing your essay. Imagine you are writing for
not only your professor but also the other students in your class who have about as
much education as you do. They have read the assigned work just as you have, but
perhaps they have not thought about it in exactly the same way. In other words, it is
not necessary to “retell” the work of literature in any way. Rather, it is your role to
be the explainer or interpreter of the work—to tell what certain elements of the work
mean in relation to your central idea (thesis). When you make references to the text of
the short story, poem, or play, you are doing so to remind your audience of something
they already know. The principle emphasis of your essay is to draw conclusions
and develop arguments. Be sure to avoid plot summary.
4
USING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
The skillful use of textual evidence — summary, paraphrase, specific detail, and
direct quotations — can illustrate and support the ideas you are developing in your
essay. However, textual evidence should be used judiciously and only when it directly
relates to your topic. The correct and effective use of textual evidence is vital to the
successful literary analysis essay.
Summary
If a key event or series of events in the literary work support a point you are trying to
make, you may want to include a brief summary, making sure that you show the
relevance of the event or events by explicitly connecting your summary to your point.
Below is an effective summary (with its relevance clearly pointed out) from the essay
already quoted above on “The Secret Lion” (B):
The boys find the grinding ball, but later attempt to bury it (SUMMARY).
Burying it is their futile attempt to make time stand still and to preserve
perfection (RELEVANCE).
Paraphrase
You can make use of paraphrase when you need the details of the original, but not
necessarily the words of the original: paraphrase to put someone else’s words into your
own words. Below is an example (also from the paper on “The Secret Lion”) of how to
“translate” original material into part of your own paper:
Original:
“I was twelve and in junior high school and something happened
that we didn’t have a name for, but it was nonetheless like a lion,
and roaring, roaring that way the biggest things do.”
Paraphrase: Early in the story, the narrator tells us that when he turned twelve
and started junior high school, life changed in a significant way that
he and his friends could not quite name or identify.
Specific Detail
Various types of details from the text lend concrete support to the development of the
central idea of your literary analysis essay. These details add credibility to the point you
are developing. Below is a l …
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