Here’s what a prose analysis is not: it’s not an essay in which you merely identify a number of the literary devices—metaphors, imagery, and so on. So, when you’re writing a thesis for a close analysis essay, you want to avoid one like this:

In this passage from To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character, Atticus Finch, uses vivid detail and figurative language.

That’s a statement of what—not a statement of how. And close analysis is all about the how.

Start by thinking of the author: why does he or she make the choices she makes? Why does he or she choose to say that a character “met his untimely demise” or “passed away” or “bought the farm” or “was paid a visit by the grim reaper”? Every one of these phrases means somebody died, so what’s the difference to a reader? Why did the author choose one over the other, and what was the effect of that choice on the meaning of the passage? If you keep your focus on the author’s intentional stylistic decisions, you’re on your way to a strong analysis of how he or she conveys meaning or theme.