I need help with a 600-word essay on the topic of Critical Thinking on Literature. As plagiarism is forbidden, I am not looking for a quotable...

I understand you need to write a literary analysis essay on the use of flashbacks in a text. Because your paper needs to be at least 600 words, I recommend choosing two, maybe three flashback moments in the story to analyze.

For each flashback you plan to discuss, consider the writer’s choices in including the scene. You could reflect on how the story would be different if the writer had notused the flashback technique....

I understand you need to write a literary analysis essay on the use of flashbacks in a text. Because your paper needs to be at least 600 words, I recommend choosing two, maybe three flashback moments in the story to analyze.

For each flashback you plan to discuss, consider the writer’s choices in including the scene. You could reflect on how the story would be different if the writer had not used the flashback technique. What would be the effect if the events were told in a traditional, linear, chronological way?

Additionally, for each flashback scene you analyze, think about how the event affects other literary elements, such as characterization and theme. Perhaps the flashback scene reveals an aspect of a character’s back story, motives, or how a character developed over time. Maybe the flashback provides an insight into a recurring theme of the story.

You may also want to think about how the flashback scenes affect the pacing of the story. Perhaps they have a cumulative effect of creating suspense. For example, this is the case in a novel I’ve read called The Secret Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. The story primarily takes place in the present, but flashback scenes from the main character’s childhood are woven throughout the narrative. The flashbacks progressively reveal the mystery at the heart of the protagonist’s present-day dilemma.

Additionally, you may wish to evaluate the effectiveness of the flashback scenes as a narrative technique. While flashbacks have the benefit of filling in characters’ back stories, they have the drawback of potentially interrupting the flow of the main narrative. The flashback can appear in a natural way—for example, a character hears a song that triggers a memory, leading to the flashback. Alternately, the flashback may feel somewhat jarring, immediately thrusting the character and reader into a past time. Identify how the writer signals the transition from the present narrative to the past flashback. Then analyze how that choice affects the characters, theme, or plot (pacing). Finally, you can evaluate whether or not the writer’s choice is effective.

I hope these tips help in analyzing the use of flashbacks for your paper!