A literary arguments is an anlaysis or argument of a literary work. Liteary  analysis focuses on how and why a literary work was created and why the author made choices as they did.

Literary analysis calls for students to analyze elements of a narrative where literary ARGUMENTS call for students to take a position of a debatable topic and attempt to change the reader's mind about them. The more presuasive the argument, the more likely the reader will concede to the points made.

A Literary Argument is ...

Examples:

In "Black Boy", by Richard Wright, Richard's mother takes severe action against her son, but established herself as a 'good' parent.

In Dr. Martin Luther Kind, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, he uses the literary device of repetition to strengthen the connection with his audience.

In "Fighting Off the Sharks for a Fish", G.G. Marquez uses vivid imagery to reveal the struggle of survival of the main character.

Why Teacher Literary Argument?

Literary argument present the opportunity to broaden the perspective of others. It shows others what the reader 'sees' in the text by presented and defending a judgement. 

It also develops higher order thinking skills. Students learn to interpret by analyzing what a text does, what it communicates, and how it conveys its specific message.

Ways Student Develop Thinking Skills

They conduct inquiries in to, and then develop claims about how an author uses literary devices to impact the delivery of their message.

They observe how a poet uses metaphors to extend the theme

They compare texts' treatment of literary conventions for insight about how human interactions may be impacted by different environments.

Interpretation IS analysis of text.

Readers judge when they evaluate a text's value. Judgements are made when readers assert a value about aesthetics, social norms, political beliefs, or ethical issues.

Judgement arguments can be tricky. They only succeed when they are supported by criteria or extended definitions. Writers of literary argument must establish qualifiers in order to establish a sound argument.

In literary analysis, thesis statements are Toulmin's claims. The process of writing a literary argument is very similar to writing about a literary topic. But, there are required features to establish a claim the writer will prove with evidence.

What remains the same is that the thesis statement (claim) must be focused, contestable, and analytical, just as the claim is in the Toulmin Model.

Contestable Thesis Statements

Developing a contestable thesis statement draws in the reader and engages them in the argument. Notice the examples below. Notice how non-contestable statements have a "so-what' feeling to them, drawing little attention to their purpose. They set the reader up for a summary rather than an argument.