Step 1: Identify the Literary Device

Ask: What technique is the author using?
Example from “Greenleaf”:

Device: Situational Irony (when the opposite of what’s expected happens)

Evidence: Mrs. May honks the car horn to hurry Mr. Greenleaf, but it summons the bull that kills her.

Step 2: Explain the Device’s Basic Function

Ask: How does this device usually work in literature?
Example:

Situational irony surprises readers by subverting expectations. It often reveals deeper truths or themes.

Step 3: Analyze the Device in Context

Ask: How does the author use this device specifically in the text?
Example:

Textual Evidence:

Mrs. May honks “three sustained honks and two or three shorter ones” to assert control.

The horn, typically a safety tool, becomes a weapon of her arrogance.

Analysis:

O’Connor twists the horn’s purpose: it changes from a symbol of human authority to a divine “trumpet of judgment.”

Step 4: Connect to Themes

Ask: How does this device reinforce the story’s themes?
Example:

Theme: Divine justice vs. human pride.

Analysis:

The horn’s blare mirrors biblical judgments (e.g., Jericho’s trumpets).

Mrs. May’s attempt to control Greenleaf backfires, showing that God’s justice overrides human arrogance.

Step 5: Explore the Author’s Purpose

Ask: Why did the author choose this device?
Example:

O’Connor uses irony to:

Critique pride: Mrs. May’s hubris leads to her downfall.

Show grace through violence: Her death is a grotesque moment of revelation.

Step 6: Write a Polished Analysis

Combine all steps into a cohesive paragraph:

Example Analysis:

O’Connor employs situational irony to expose Mrs. May’s fatal arrogance. When she honks the car horn—“three sustained honks and two or three shorter ones”—she expects to hurry Mr. Greenleaf, asserting her superiority. Yet this ordinary act backfires spectacularly: the horn summons the bull that kills her, transforming a tool of control into a divine instrument of judgment. The irony lies in how O’Connor subverts the horn’s mundane purpose (safety) into a supernatural signal, mirroring biblical calls for reckoning (like Joshua’s trumpets at Jericho). This moment crystallizes O’Connor’s theme of violent grace: Mrs. May’s pride invites a punishment that, though brutal, forces her to confront her moral blindness. Here, irony becomes the vehicle for divine justice, proving that no human arrogance escapes judgment.

Key Tips for Strong Analysis:

Always cite evidence (quotes or specific plot points).

Avoid summary—focus on how and why the device matters.

Link to broader themes (e.g., justice, pride, redemption).

Consider the author’s style (e.g., O’Connor’s grotesque religious visions).